Not able to bake in the scalding hot sun this winter? Yeah, me neither. Luckily there is hope for all of us with the recent advances in the self-tan industry. I’m Irish and God has blessed me with a type of translucent skin that remains just one shade darker than notebook paper. It doesn’t tan and it doesn’t burn. It’s really quite magical. Hence, this is the reason why I am an avid self tanner and self-proclaimed expert in the field. I have tested basically every brand and medium in the industry. Yes, I have been orange quite a number of times, but this hasn’t stopped me from finding the best looking and most long lasting products out there! Now I’m sharing my knowledge with all you self-tan virgins. Here we go.
This is my natural skin color (sorry for the insta filter, but you get the point; I’m pale). I’m on the left.
#4 Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer in Medium/Tan
Target $7.19
This is a great moisturizer as well as a great gradual tanner. It will give you nice color if used two days in a row. It comes out of the bottle looking like a white lotion. So, you can put it on during the day and go out without looking like an oompa loompa. It does have a slightly unpleasant smell to it, but nothing to be too worried about. This is a great product for when you want a bit of color but don’t have the patience to wait eight hours for it to develop. The down side to this product is that it only lasts for two-three days, then you will have to reapply.
#3 Sun Laboratories Dark Sunsation Self Tanning
Amazon $23.99
This product comes out of the bottle in a dark brown color. It has green undertones, so it won’t make you look orange. It gives you a dark tan after eight hours of developing. However, you need to apply this product at night after you have showered and exfoliated because you will look like a different species due to the instant bronzer. When you wake up and rinse off, you will be a bronze goddess. Your initial dark tan will last for about three days. After three days it will begin to fade, and by the fifth day it will be completely gone.
#2 Million Dollar Tan Cabana Tan Extreme Lotion 8oz
Million Dollar Tan $38.00
Million dollar tan comes in really cute packaging. Aside from the packaging, this is a great long-lasting product that gets you really dark from just one application. The photo below is me after two applications. I was super dark. This tan comes out of the bottle white, then after eight hours morphs into a deep tan. I would apply this at night because it takes a while to develop and does have a slightly unpleasant smell after it develops. Rinse off in the morning and you will be a golden brown color. This tan lasts the longest. I would say about four or five days of full color.
#1 Xen-Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe
Xen-Tan $56
This is my absolute favorite tanning product. It comes out of the bottle in a dark brown color and glides on smoothly with a self-tanning mitt. It smells like chocolate when first applied. It develops in eight hours. Once you wake up you will have a brown tan. No orange. This is the most natural looking tan I have found. It lasts about four days, but the color is to die for. The photo below is me with one application.
Now go get your self tan on!