I’ve decided to share my secret to keeping a winter bronze even when you think you couldn’t get more Casper. I am German…pure bread, so I naturally have a reddish tint to my skin. With that being said, I take excellent care of my skin so if I play my cards right, I can keep some of my summer tan all year. While I can keep SOME of it, I still need a booster. No one is a fan of ash and paste.
The scent of self-tanner is a big pet-peeve of mine. It’s just nasty. It smells like dead leady bugs and French toast. If you’ve never smelled a dead ladybug, they smell like dry dirt. If you’ve never smelled French toast…well you have bigger issues than needing a tan. It bugs me and I’m hyper aware of it. So when choosing a self-tanner, I smell the shit out of it and often put a small tester on the top of my hand, walk around the store for a while then take a sniff. If you do this, don’t put on a lot…I’m talking a tiny dot or else you’ll have a weird tan spot.
The scent of self-tanner is a big pet-peeve of mine. It’s just nasty. It smells like dead leady bugs and French toast. If you’ve never smelled a dead ladybug, they smell like dry dirt. If you’ve never smelled French toast…well you have bigger issues than needing a tan. It bugs me and I’m hyper aware of it. So when choosing a self-tanner, I smell the shit out of it and often put a small tester on the top of my hand, walk around the store for a while then take a sniff. If you do this, don’t put on a lot…I’m talking a tiny dot or else you’ll have a weird tan spot.
My personal favorite right now is Jergen’s Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer. If you use it every day for a few days you’ll be a full shade (if you’re fair then you might be 2) darker. If you've tried this in the past and didn't like it, I encourage you to give it a second chance. They have reformulated their recipe and it's a 180 from what it used to be. For best results you should shave your legs and exfoliate your body before you apply. I avoid face wash and body wash with an exfoliatant for the day or two after I apply so it doesn’t just strip right off. When you apply self-tanner, don’t be stingy. If you are, you will streak and be pissy. Use a good amount. This particular one is moisturizing and it’s thick so I use about a quarter size glob for each leg. Sometimes if I’m really dry, I’ll squirt some vitamin E oil or Bio Oil into my hand with the lotion. It helps with application, scent and moisture. Make sure you apply in circular motions. I start at my heel and work my way up so I know what ground I’ve covered. Once I’ve gotten my whole leg, I go back to my ankle and make sure I’ve gotten the top of my foot and heel area covered. Then just repeat the process for the rest of your body. I believe there is an application video on their website if you’d like a demo. It’s not like going to the salon for a spray tan, you’re not going to have a huge noticeable line if you screw up your feet. The color is subtle and builds as you apply more days in a row. If something looks funky, chances are after you shower you won’t notice it. If you completely lose your mind and have a disaster, self-tanner comes off when you exfoliate. Pick up a pair of exfoliating gloves and just give the area a good once over.
If you’re not an experienced applicator of self-tanner, I would not recommend putting this on your face. For whatever reason self-tanner likes to accumulate in the mustache and nose region so if you get too much…well I hope you have a great exfoliator. If you’re a first timer, get the lighter shade of Jergen’s to practice application. If you live in a winter state and won’t be wearing shorts or skirts without hose, practice on your legs since no one will see them anyway. I use the medium to dark shade and I use it on my face about twice a week. They do make a Jergen’s self-tanner that is strictly for your face and likely has better color, more moisture and is more forgiving with application. I just haven’t tried it yet. When I do, I will update this post.
*TIP for Scent – if you like your current tanner but hate the smell, you can mix in some Bio Oil when you apply to mask some of the scent. Another trick is to apply baby powder after application. I do this to my knee and elbow pits because sometimes it feels like it never dries.
Just a reminder, Jergens doesn't pay me to blog about their products, I just happen to like them the best right now and I've tried and lot of self tanning products. If you have a question about one or would like me to guinea pig a brand for you, just let me know in the comment section.
Just a reminder, Jergens doesn't pay me to blog about their products, I just happen to like them the best right now and I've tried and lot of self tanning products. If you have a question about one or would like me to guinea pig a brand for you, just let me know in the comment section.