Best Self-Tanners

[Chrisdesigner]

^^ You look orange.

I prefer the term..." Fried , crisped and dried".

 

[Street_a_Licious]

^^ You look orange.

I used to try Clarins and it just looks too unnatural (even their Refreshing Milk) and they discontinued their Bronzing Creme Compact. I'll just be myself and be pale. It never looks natural to be tan in winter, even if you live in California like I do.

not neccessarily true. but maybe it's because i'm asian, but the Clarins milk gives me a gorgoeus glow like i've been in the sun the whole day, without getting really tanned. just a slight hint of color.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

not neccessarily true. but maybe it's because i'm asian, but the Clarins milk gives me a gorgoeus glow like i've been in the sun the whole day, without getting really tanned. just a slight hint of color.

are you more pale or olive-skinned? I'm very fair skinned. Self-tanners never look right with me for even though I've used all the expensive ones it's just never natural-looking, and that is what is most important.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

i'm asian. a usually pale asian. not the philo kind.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

i know you're asian. ok well maybe i'm meant to stay clear of self-tanners. i used Guerlain's as well and it was so weird when fading off, it came off in patches. a nightmare. i didnt leave the house and was probably exfoliating daily to rid my skin of it.

 

[madem0iselle]

heard sisleys good

 

[Teratel]

I don't know what kind of tanner 'Michael Kors' uses? but he looked like an orange during project RUNWAY! (I thought there was something wrong with my television).

 

[LetThemEatCake]

Yes Sisley is lovely. I'm actually considering a drugstore purchase!
I like the idea of something you're not stuck with on your skin.

From style.com
Neutrogena Sheer Body Tint
This temporary bronzing mousse contains no DHA, the ingredient in traditional self-tanners that produces a longer-wearing color (not to mention that telltale aroma), so it can be applied in seconds and dries even faster for a convincing yet still transfer-free faux glow on the fly.

Price: $9.99

 

[pinksatin]

Grr I think I'm back in the market for self-tanner. I try to embrace my naturally fair skin which works well most of the time except now it's getting warmer and I want to wear shorts and shorter dresses and skirts and my legs just don't look right. My skin is fair, but it does tan well, it's just that I always wear spf 55 at least to avoid sun damage.

So I've read about every post here since 2006 and it seems that Loreal sublime glow is the way to go. I have used Aveda sun source in the past but it's expensive, untinted, and takes a good while to dry.

Do you guys have to apply every day religiously once you start or is it something you can do 2-3 days a week just to prevent whiteness?

Also, if you are fair, do you use a fair shaded product? I don't really want to be tanned, I just want to be less white. Is a "fair" product what you'd recommend for that?

 

[Street_a_Licious]

i repeat: Clarins for all your self tanning needs. Clarins!

(the L'Oreal works too if you're on a tighter budget)

don't forget to exfoliate before you apply anything. and keep on exfoliating and applying to get a good color. that's how i get really convincing tans. my friend who i got to know when i started self tanning was actually surprised when i told her i self tan. she was like "you're not yellow. you're brown." and i was like "duh, i self tan."

though, nothing beats a real tan with a fake tan on top.

 

[OhJane]

lancome flash bronzer is good

i got a nice golden glow

 

[pinksatin]

i repeat: Clarins for all your self tanning needs. Clarins!

(the L'Oreal works too if you're on a tighter budget)

Thanks. I'm looking for drugstore prices, so of those I feel like I've read the most positive claims for l'oreal. You're right, there have been a lot of raves for Clarins too, but I don't want to spend the $$. Maybe if the l'oreal doesn't work out. And of course i will exfoliate, thanks for reminding though. Also, I've heard that mixing it with unscented lotion will help it be more subtle and less apt to streak. Has anyone done that? How do you mix it? Just on your body or in a separate container? And do most of you apply every day or can you just do a few times a week?

tia

 

[Street_a_Licious]

i mix

in my hands

that way, i can control how dark i wanna be. originally i mixed it with scented lotions (any lotion from a perfume line will do) to cover up the stink. in that case, it's better to look for a stronger scent, light fruity florals might not stand a chance against that smell.

besides, there are so many lotions which promise "gradual tanning". i tell you, it's BULLDOOKIE!

buy a lotion and a self tanner, mix it yourself. it IS more subtle and gives you more room to build up the tan to the degree you want it in, instead of only using the self tanner and risking to look too obviously fake tanned from one day to another.

when i tan, i got that schedule: i use more during the weekend, so i start my week off with a glow. repeat either on Tuesday (when i wanna be darker) or Wednesday. 2-3 times a week should be good enough for a natural looking tan.

 

[pinksatin]

Ok thanks! I just bought two tubes of L'oreal sublime glow in fair (it was buy 1 get 1 50% off on l'oreal so $14 for both!) I hope I like it. I think I will try without mixing at first just to see how if works with my skintone. You have been very helpful with your response street_a_licious!

 

[haute femme]

I find that it's easier to rub in when I put a little moisturizer on my skin first.

Anyway, I really love Loreal Sublime Bronze for a drugstore price. I've tried a LOT too.. trust me. The only thing I don't like is the shimmery stuff in it (but if you bathe after it's no biggie.. I just like the way it looks when I apply it freshly in the morning). Smell isn't bad either.

I'm going to try out some by Clinique that I just bought (due to it being good for sensitive skin) so we'll see how the color looks tomorrow!

 

[christina126]

I use Loreal sublime too. I like the lotion over the spray. I think it looks pretty natural. I just hate the greasy fealing and the smell but I guess thats the case with all of them.

 

[pinksatin]

I just applied sublime glow. Over moisturizer. I think it's a weaker version than sublime bronze so I don't think I'm supposed to see color for a few days yet.

 

[á la Balenciaga]

i bought the neutrogena taning foam few months back and it sucked! not only did it stink, it made me breakout!

 

[TitsMcGee]

maybe i did it wrong but i used st. tropez last year and it turned me a heinous shade of orange

i still have the mousse in my bathroom, scared to try it again

 

[pinksatin]

Just to update since I've been using Loreal Sublime glow for fair skintones, I like it. I am very fair so i didn't want a tan, I just wanted to be less white. It works well and isn't orangy, it's more bronzy but extremely subtle, which I wanted. It is so mild and takes several applications for anything to be noticed that I think it's impossible to get any streakiness or unevenness. I use it almost every day. The smell isn't too strong IMO. The only thing I don't like about it is it is hella sparkly which is completely unnecessary and not especially desired.

ETA: I wouldn't recommend this for someone who wants to look really tan though. It doesn't do that. It's really just a barely-there glow.