Sun, Sun, Sun

Gone are the days when it is considered safe, stylish and cool to lie in the sun for hours to get that golden glow (unless you have a gorgeous hunk to rub you down frequently with sunscreen). Most beauty gurus positively HIDE from the sun, gaining only the faintest of tans accumulated from incidental sun exposure (if and when it breaks through the slavish application of high SPF sunscreen). Why would you want to accelerate the signs of ageing or risk getting one of the most deadliest cancers of all?

Yet, we do live in a society that prefers bronzed limbs to pasty white, leaving one option only: self tan lotions.

In the past, self-tan lotions were somewhat of a pain to use. They smelled awful, took time to dry, tainted pale clothing, gave the wearer orange palms and left tell-tale streaks around ankles, elbows and knees. It was almost better not to self-tan than risk looking like a clumsy oompa loompa. Even after writing numerous how-to articles at my various beauty editor jobs, I would still fall victim to the odd streak, here or there.

So, it was with a tentative toe that I trialled the latest offerings… until I realized, fairly quickly, that todays self-tan lotions are the kinds of products I had always wished they’d been. These new formulations smell good, apply like a dream and leave a gorgeous colour. I was surprised, pleased and converted. To be honest, and I’m not just pandering to a commercial sensitivity – I couldn’t pick an absolute favourite. While they’re all the same genre, they each have differing attributes which I’ll try to explain here…

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Bronze Sunless Tanner & Instant Bronzer, $20

This has the traditional Cocoa Butter aroma which is delicious and masks the smell of the self-tan ingredient. It is also a moisturizer which is handy plus it has an SPF 15. It has a nice golden glow that gives an instant colour but it also develops so after a few days of wearing builds to a darker, more natural hue. Hello tropical holiday!

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturizer, $20.50.

If you’re after an instant glow, this product won’t suit but after three days of frequent applications my legs took on a gorgeous, healthy bronze. The best bit with this product is that you don’t run the risk of getting orange palms nor does it streak around knees or ankles.

L’Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Luminious Bronzer Self Tanning Lotion, $29.95

This was a dream to apply, really smooth and felt more like a moisturizer EXCEPT it has a bronze glow to it. So not only can you see exactly where you’ve been you also walk out of the house with great looking pins.

Dr LeWinn’s Instant Body Bronzer, $39.90

Like the L’Oreal, this product has an instant colour to it, so if you’ve forgotten to prepare in advance, this does it for you. Pasty legs no more! In fact this is a wash off bronzing gel, it’s temporary only. Which doesn’t matter – I would happily use this product daily – I loved the colour it gave my legs.

Garnier Natural Bronzer, $23

This is a lovely gel and applies like a dream. It also has a lovely fresh scent. This takes a couple of days to get going but once it does it provides a really nice, natural tan.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, $57

This is a milky looking formula with a slight tan colour helping you to see where it’s gone. It’s best applied on hydrated legs and does so easily. From day two I noticed a really beautiful natural glow. It doesn’t contain sunscreen so make sure you apply one if you’re at the beach.

Clinique Self Sun Body Tinted Lotion, $45

The bottle I had to try was called Medium/Dark and I must admit I was scared I was going to look too orange. I should never have worried – it gave me a really great colour instantly. It has a lovely sheen to it, so you look bronzed and glowing and utterly gorgeous. Could be applied the day of a special event but is even better on day two.

 

General dos and don’ts for self tanning:

 

-       never apply on the same day as hair removal (wax or shaving)

-       always apply to hydrated skin so apply a light moisturizer first

-       use a light handed circular motion paying particular attention to joints (elbows, knees, wrists, ankles)

-       always wash hands thoroughly straight after

-       if you muck it up, exfoliate to remove as much of the tan as possible

-       you can also repair streak effects with a gradual tanner moisturiser

- wait 15 to 20 minutes after application before dressing

 

main image from Vogue

Are you a self tan wearer? What tricks and tips do you do when you apply it?

Tamsin xoxo