Self Tanners- Is the expensive stuff really worth it???
After this little challenge I did with my friend Sara, there are two things I know to be true about self-tanners: One is that you need to stop scrimping and buy the good stuff, and the second is that the mitt is non-negotiable.
One: I am the palest person I know. This isn't so much a complaint—I don't really mind my lack of melanonin, but I find others do. Specifically when it's sunny out, and I'm wearing shorts. You see, I'm reflective. I shine bright like a diamond, if you will, and it becomes hard to look at me (to look at myself, even) if I'm not wearing protective eyewear. So for years, I've dabbled in a minimal amount of self-tanner as regularly as I shower. ( Loreal Sublime, is my go to color). It's not to look tan so much as to look less pasty. My sister once said to me, "tan people look 10 pounds thinner." It's true! Get a healthy glow going, and all of a sudden, you're svelte and fit without having to lift a finger. It's an extraordinary thing.
So with that being said, you have to check this out. I never thought I would say, buy the spendy stuff, but I am actually telling you, " Buy the spendy stuff." Oh and buy a mitt.
Anyway, when you treat self-tanning like we do our coffee here in the NW, it's imperative that you get the good stuff. Jergens and Loreal products work fine...that's it. Fine. The problem with Jergens, and other drugstore self-tanners for that matter, is that they STINK. To high heaven. Your sheets will smell. Your pants will smell. You will smell. And unlike with things like SPF, this is not a smell you should just live with. The only way I got around the smell was when I finally took my friends Sara's advice and upgraded to James Read's Bronzing Mousse. Yes, I am shamelessly about one product. It's that good. It's a one-color-fits-all foam—none of that "Light-to-Medium" nonsense. Tan and pale people alike can use this to go one step (maybe a half step if you're cautious) darker in a matter of hours. Because it's a foam, the formula spreads on thin and absorbs quickly so after a few minutes of dancing around naked in the bathroom, you don't have to worry about staining everything you own with your leg prints. Any streaking evens out in the shower (yes, this is a product you can take a shower in and not lose all of your hard work immediately). Then, if you so wish, you can build up to a more solid color. I never do—best to keep it believable in my opinion, and I'm most believable with a fraction of a hint of color.
And about the mitt, don't fool yourself into thinking it's not worth it. It's the only way you're going to any sort of seamless application. The brownish tint will make the once gleaming and velvet handcover look super ratty. It washes out, mostly. But what's more important is that your legs are vacation ready, despite being encased in pants for the last trillion months.
Pics:
My friend Sara's legs. Left is before tanner, Right is after one application of tanner.
Sara applied James Read Bronzing Mouse. This is her before and after with one application. You can get this at Sephora. In my opinion, prior to seeing her in person, I thought it was expenisve and not worth it. Sara loves the application process, stating it's easy and she loves the smell. I will agree, it does not smell like self tanner. It's amazing and I am hooked!!
Pics:
My Before and after one application. It does look a little orange doesnt it? It looks better in person. I must say though, that I am now hooked on the more expensive stuff. Try it, I know what you are thinking...really Erin ? But it really is worth it...promise. There seriously is a reason Sephora can't keep it on the shelves.
Good Luck and happy tanning.
-Erin