A few years ago when we first got our spray tanning system for Bare Essentials, i had no idea the monster that was about to be birthed. In the summer months, i am always tanned. And i don’t mean by the sun — gosh no, i work too much and don’t see the sun enough. I also don’t have time to go tanning in a tanning bed daily to get tanned. Enter self tanner. Instant tan, takes all of 20 minutes a week.
I’ve mentioned before, my skin is weird and doesn’t tan easily. When i was getting wedding-ready, i swear i went tanning every day for up to 25 minutes towards the end. I remember laying in that bed, sweating profusely, butt cheeks burning like a lobster… my tan was ok. Not the deep golden tan i wanted, but just a regular tan. Kind of underwhelming. I tried every tanning bronzing lotion under the sun — i can’t tell you how much i spent trying to be super bronzy and tanned. When we first started offering spray tans, i was SO excited — i could finally be as bronzed and dark as everyone else in my family that can tan just thinking about it.
The question i get asked many times is: “Will I go orange?” No. At Bare Essentials, we use St Tropez products, and they’re known for their natural colour! The only time i’ve ever had my colour look “off” is when it gets old, and i have too much fake tanner layered on. At that point, i scrub it all off and start all over.
Another FAQ: “How do i know what product to choose?” Ok — So here’s a long answer, explaining the nuances of the St Tropez line. It took me a bit of playing around with the products to really learn my way around so bear with me.
• Gradual Tan Line: This includes products like the in-shower or pre-shower lotion. Any product marked as part of the gradual tan line is exactly that. It’s a slow build, and you’re layering on your colour. I’ve tried the pre-shower mousse, and it’s definitely a light glow. I left it on for a minute, showered it off, woke up the next morning to being a shade darker. This is the perfect line for my snow-whites, or those who just want to really control how much colour they get. One of my favourite products in the whole line is the St Tropez watermelon lotion. I self tan with my St Tropez bronzing mousse, and then exfoliate lightly in the shower. Pat try after the shower, and i use the lotion everywhere to replace the tan i would have exfoliated off! I used to skip this step, and by the end of the week i’d be really blotchy and patchy regardless of what self tanner i used. Now that i’ve discovered this pro-tip, i self tan every 2 weeks!
• Self Tan Line: This is your typical self tanning mousses — comes in express, classic, dark, extra dark. You apply, leave it on for 8 hours, and the next day you’ve got an even, golden tan! Generally speaking, products in this line have a guide colour so you can see where you’re applying. Most people are afraid of coming out looking streaky, or stripey… With the guide colour, as long as you apply everywhere, and cover all of your white spots, you’re good. Pro tip, apply moisturizer on knees, knuckles, elbows, heels. Also, use the remnants on your mitt to apply self tanner to your hands and feet, otherwise they end up looking blotchy and too dark. The St Tropez self tan line also includes a few products with no guide colour in their Purity line. My favourite product in this family is the Purity Vitamin Serum for my face. I wash my face twice a day, the self tanner naturally will wash off my face quicker than my body. I apply this at least once a day after applying my moisturizer and it keeps the colour up. If you’re not a serum kinda person, the purity also comes in a face mist that you can use under or over makeup (think a setting spray), and the colour develops over 8h. The purity line also has a body gel and spray as well! No guide colour means no brown body print in your bedsheets.
Ok. Now that i’ve given you a bird’s eye view, your next question will be: What do i get? Fair question. If you’ve never self tanned, the starter kit is a great start. Comes with a small bottle of bronzer, mitt, moisturizer, and exfoliant. It’s good to exfoliate before self tanning so you’re applying tanner on fresh skin (vs dry buildup). If you have self tanned, and you’re not worried about taking a plunge, pick your level of darkness, make sure you have a mitt, and grab either the face mist or face serum. If you want to make sure to extend the life of your tan, Watermelon Lotion!
I honestly could go on and on and on… and on about the St Tropez line. Self-tanner in general. I feel like i have gone on and on in this post. I like the little pick-me-up that i get when i have a bronzed glow — especially in the warmer months. I can rock my pasty white when its chilly and i’m hiding in sweaters, but when you put on a cute white off the shoulder top… you don’t want to blend. ha!