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!

Self Tanner Reviews: Part 2 Post #2 & #3

As promised, here are the 2 remaining reviews:

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer in Medium/Tan is a gradual self-tanner. It also runs for around $9/bottle.

Pros:

• Pleasant Smell
• Jergens has really improved the smell of this lotion since the original lotion came out several years ago.  My husband even told me that I "smelled good" after I put it on, which is unheard of!
• No Streaking
• Although there is no color guide, since this is such a gradual self-tanner, you really don't have to worry about streaking.
• Affordable

Cons:

• The color did not gradually build on me
• Maybe my skin is unique, but I get no building of color.  I have friends who have used this lotion and love it, but somehow it does not work for me.
• Everyday applications do not appeal to me

Unfortunately, although I know this is a popular favorite, it was not what I am looking for.

 There is nothing good that I can say about L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion, so I will cut to the chase. I only applied it once and knew it was NOT for me.  Even with a meticulous application, ensuring that no part of me would streak - the inevitable happened and I had streaks all over.  I realized that it was mainly in areas where my skin folded (the backs of my legs and inside the bend of my arms).  I had read reviews before buying it that this very issue had happened to others, but I thought maybe they were new to applying self-tanner and didn't wait for it to dry, etc. Obviously, that was not the case and this is a real problem with this tanner. Also, the smell was the worst of any self-tanner that I have tried recently.  The color it gave was very orangey. And on top of all this, it was super glittery.  I felt like a disco ball!  Not a good look. 

I have 2 more self-tanners to review, with one of them being my favorite of all, and the one I plan on sticking with. Check back tomorrow for Part 3 of my self-tanner reviews!

 

Self Tanner Reviews: Part 2 Post #1

Today I will be reviewing three self-tanners in three separate posts:

1. Jergen's Natural Glow Express Body Moisturizer in Medium/Tan
2. Jergen's Natural Glow Firming Moisturizer in Medium/Tan
3. L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer

I have heard great things about all three of these self-tanners, and in my search to find one that was right for me, I bought and tried all three!

Firstly, Jergen's Natural Glow Express Body Moisturizer can be found at any major drugstore.  It runs around $9/bottle for 4 oz. Some of my thoughts on this self-tanner:

Pros:

• It is one of the longest lasting self-tanners that I have tried
• It lasted for a good 4-5 days before needing to reapply.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Origins and Sevin Nyne lasted a max of 2 days.
• The color is believable, but there still is little of the dreaded "orange tint" 
• The color develops in several hours and, in my opinion, was tan enough for me.  I had mentioned previously that other self-tanners I tried did not give me enough color.  This was not so for this tanner. I was pleased with the amount of color that I got.  However, I did not try to build color daily with this tanner because I was afraid that I would be too orange with back to back applications.
• Cost
• Very affordable!

Cons:

• One of the more difficult to apply
• There is no color guide in this self-tanner, so you cannot see where it's going.  You have to be very thorough in covering everything evenly.  Also, it will result in orange kneecaps, ankles, elbows, etc. if you do not moisturize before.  The first time I applied it, I did not moisturize, and I learned my lesson.  I use Philosophy's Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion on my kneecaps, ankles, and elbows first and allow it to dry before applying my self-tanner.
• Time consuming
• This goes with the bullet point of more difficult to apply.  I found this self-tanner to be one of the most time consuming because you cannot see where it's going.
• Small bottle
• If you did full-body applications of this several times a week, you would run out quickly.
• Smell
• When you initially put on this lotion there is not a self-tanning smell associated with it.  However, after a few hours you will definitely smell a light self-tanning smell.  I found that the smell did not completely disappear even after showers.  This was disappointing, and prompted me to look for another self-tanner.

I was not satisfied with this self-tanner.  If I HAD to pick a drugstore self-tanner, this would probably be the one I would go to, albeit grudgingly.  

Self Tanner Reviews: Part 1

I have tried so many self-tanners in the past few months, definitely leaving a small dent in my wallet!  I wanted to share my thoughts on the products that I have tried so far.

The first product I want to review is Origins The Great Pretender.  It is pretty affordable at $18.50.  I really wanted this to be my go-to self-tanner, but unfortunately, it did not work wonderfully for me.

Pros:

• Very pepperminty smell - I just love the smell of this lotion going on!
• Affordable
• Easy to apply - I never streaked with this tanner.  It works into your skin well with a shimmery color guide

Cons:

• Did not last long - I could see color the first day I put it on and the day after, but it was gone after that!
• Did not build in color - I applied this lotion EVERYDAY while in Orlando on vacation. I never saw an increase in color with daily use.  

For reference: this is me in all my fair skin glory on the left, then me while using Origins The Great Pretender on the right (I also had a little switch in hair color):

Not a noticeable difference, right?  I was a little disappointed! If you are looking for a VERY subtle glow and are willing to pay $18.50 a bottle, then I say go for it.  However, it did not give me the color I was looking for!

Next up is Sevin Nyne lotion.  I'm sure you've heard of it as Lindsay Lohan's self tanner.  It comes in a spray version also, but since I know I would make a horrible mess with it, I tend to shy away from spray self-tanners.  There are many things that I like about this self-tanner, but there is one huge dislike that I will get to in my cons section.

Pros:

• The smell is bearable - you will have a "smell" with this lotion, but it isn't the horrendous self-tanner smell that I've come across in the past.  I'm very particular about smells, and this smell did not bother me.
• It has a very dark color guide - you pretty much have a "glow" immediately after putting it on, but this leads to my major con (see below)
• Moderately easy to apply - it is a very thick lotion, so I advise rubbing your hands together to thin it out before applying to your skin and then working into your skin with a circular motion

Cons:

• The initial "glow/color guide" washes off with water!!!  BEWARE self-tanning with this lotion the morning of a rainy day because you will come home with white dots all over your arms and legs. VERY embarrassing! However, one way to solve this is to apply at night and take a shower in the morning to wash off the color guide.  Unfortunately, the darkest you will be on this lotion is the first day you apply it because of the color guide, so if you wash it off, you will not be as tan.
• No building of color with daily use - I'm starting to think there is something wrong with my skin holding on to the color because I have no luck so far on self-tanners building with repeated use.
• Pricey! - $35/bottle

For reference, again "white" me on the left and the day after application with Sevin Nyne on the right:

Again, there's not a huge difference in my skin color, although I feel like I got more color from Sevin Nyne than Origins.

I have many other self-tanners to review, so look for my future posts!  I think I have finally found my go-to self-tanner, but I will have to wait and reveal which one it is in my last self-tanner review post.  Oh the suspense!