Self Tanner Reviews: Part 3

This is my final review of self-tanners for now.  First, I will be reviewing Fusion Beauty's GlowFusion Micro-Nutrient Face and Body Natural Protein Tan in Medium:

Glow Fusion is a spray self-tanner that has a cult following. I read many reviews before asking my husband to get it for me last Christmas.  I was so excited to begin using it, but unfortunately was once again let down.  I had read that one way to use the spray is to mix 4 pumps spray to 2 pumps Lubriderm lotion and apply with gloves.  That did not give me enough color.  I eventually went up to 6 pumps spray to 1 pump Lubriderm lotion.  Still not enough color!  So then I skipped mixing it with lotion and sprayed it directly on my skin.  Big mistake - streaks, streaks, streaks!

If someone knows what I am doing wrong, please let me know.  It's hard to believe so many people love this spray for nothing.  So here we go on my thoughts:

Pros:

• Little to no smell

Cons:

• Cost - $58/bottle
• How do you effectively apply this??? I still don't know
• Not enough color and streaks!

 Finally . . . for my FAVORITE self-tanner of all the ones I have tried . . .

Bare Escentuals Faux Tan!

Thanks to one of my classmates, I found out about Faux Tan recently.  I noticed her natural looking tan, and asked what she had been doing.  She told me about using Faux Tan.  At that point, I was so burned out on trying so many self-tanners,  I told myself that I shouldn't buy it right away.  I could only hold off for a week, though, and found myself running to the Bare Escentuals counter in the mall for a bottle.

I absolutely LOVE this tanner!  It is the most natural color that I have gotten from a fake tan!  It runs at $22/ 4.5 oz bottle, and you can find it at Bare Escentuals stores or Bare Escentuals counters in department stores. My thoughts:

Pros:

• Gorgeous, natural-looking color
• Fading color guide 
• The color guide is a dark muddy brownish-green.  It is very scary initially because it is so dark.  However, when you start working it into your skin, the color guide shows you where the lotion is going and then fades away, resulting in no streaks!
• Almond-cherry smell
• This lotion definitely smells like almonds in the bottle, and I pick up on a hint of cherry-like smell as well.  After putting it on, the smell fades away.  I actually like the smell of this self-tanner!
• Long-lasting
• I apply this self-tanner every 3 days to keep the tan up, but even stretching it out farther- I still have some color.
• No transfer onto clothes/sheets
• I apply this lotion before bed after showering and exfoliating.  It is very quick to dry, and I have not noticed any transfer onto any of my clothes or sheets.
• Basically, everything I was looking for!

Cons:

• More expensive than drugstore brands: $22/bottle
• Requires a careful application
• After showering and exfoliating, I apply a moisturizer to my kneecaps, elbows, ankles & dry areas of feet and allow the moisturizer to dry. Then, I do a full-body application in small sections, washing my hands VERY THOROUGHLY after each section. Then, after I am done, I wash my hands again with soap and then with whitening toothpaste (a tip I picked up from a review that I read).  The color guide is so dark that it can really stain your hands if you don't wash, wash, wash!  I don't like using gloves, but that would be another option to avoid this.

So there you have it!  Faux Tan is the self-tanner I plan on sticking with!  It really is a great all-around fake tanner!

So why do I use self-tanner?

I thought it would be good to share why I no longer go to the tanning bed.

• I am in pharmacy school, and I have learned a lot about different disorders and disease states. Learning more about skin cancer scared me a lot, and made me realize that laying in a tanning bed is a lot like smoking cigarettes.  Both are known to cause cancer- fatal cancer - so why do it? There are safe alternatives to looking tan, so I say use them!
• I have super fair skin- enough said!

Happy fake tanning!