Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Product Review: Sunless Tanning

Now that the warmer seasons are upon us, I look forward to having a great tan. However, any health risks are unwelcomed so I use a self-tanner to get my glow going. I'm fairly new to this, but here are the products I use and my reviews:


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Coppertone Moisture Mist Tan Continuous Spray
This little baby is wonderful! It's less than $10 at your local drug store and is worth every penny! It's easy to use, the smell is pretty faint & disappears pretty quickly, and dries in 5 minutes or less. The best part is that it's really easy to build your color. In my experience, I've never had any streaks or orange patches. This is how I use it: After I'm out of the shower and dry I spray it on my body and then rub it around to make sure it's all covered. There's usually not much to rub in because the continous spray is pretty even and is very much a mist, then I wash my hands. Then I let it dry completely and get dressed as usual. When I want to have a nice tan, I use this tanner for 5 straight days leading up to the day I want it by. The color won't look like you've been laying out in the sun for a week straight, but does give a great color that looks natural. I would recommend the product to everyone.




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Jergens Natural Glow Express Body Moisturizer
This product definitely works, but is easy to get that orange look and streaks if not used properly. I use this product when I've either ran out of the above product or need a tan ASAP. The best way to use a lotion self tanner is to mix it 50/50 with your everyday moisturizer. Be careful of knees, ankles, elbows and wrists with this one because those definitely are the easiest to look orange because of your skins texture in those parts. This tanner has a stronger smell and because it's a lotion instead of a mist it takes longer to absorb in your skin than the spray kind. Overall, this product is great in a jiffy, but I would recommend a self tanner that lets you build your tan instead.




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Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer
I think this lotion is probably one of the most popular for self tanners. It has the same smell as the above product (they are the same brand afterall) but I think it's a little bit less strong. This one is great at not only building a tan, but keeping a tan you already have for a longer time period as well. After a cruise vacation I had the best tan and used this lotion to help it last longer and it worked so great it's become a staple in my bathroom drawer. The color you get if you use the lotion without any tan at all is just a few shades, but still makes a difference I think. I've never had any orange patches or streaks using this product, but I always wash my hands afterwards.


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Banana Boat Summer Color Self-Tanning Mist
Beware! Although this product does work, the color isn't any better than the first product mentioned. It's smell is so strong it could make you nautious and it takes forever to dry. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because there's other products out there for the same price and outcome.

Have you ever tried a sunless tanner? What ones worked for you or didn't work?

7 comments :

Jessica said...

Thanks for the reviews! I have purchased a couple different self-tanners recently and I'm testing them out to see which I like better. I need to work on my pasty whiteness :) haha!

Ashley J said...

We were just talking about sunless tanners at work yesterday so thanks for the post! I will let my office know about these products!

http://www.afashionfixation.blogspot.com/

trace28 said...

how long would you say the tan from first spray lasts for? and about how long did it take for you to use the entire bottle?

Kristen said...

Jessica- Let me know which ones worked for you, I'm always up for new products!

Ashley- Good luck with your self tanning!

Tracy- The tan lasts 3-5 days (one spray) depending on how often I exfoliate or shave. I use the first product 3-5 times before I get the results I want, but a bottle typically lasts 2-3 months depending on how often you use it.

Unknown said...

My absolute favorite self tanner is Lasting Envy: Spray Tan In A Can, by EnvyTan. It never streaks, and the tan is a stunning shade of bronze. I have no trouble apply this to even hard to reach places like my back. You should try it! I think you'll love it as much as I do.

Lyndsy said...

Thanks for the reviews! I have zero patience to gradually build my tan and usually opt for a spray tan at Chocolate Sun for a special event. But for work or weekend, I use Bath & Body Works Strike It Gold, pretty good color and coverage but the smell stinks.

My all time fave is the Victorias Secret Bare Bronze. The best color, the smell is good and it just is my absolute fave!

Veronika said...

thanks so much for posting these reviews :) I LOVE trying new self tanners. BTW I don't know if it's just my screen, but the hot pink font on the light gray background is really hard for my eyes to read. It might just me be though :)