Self-tanner Overview

I have been self-tanning since middle school (early 2000's). I have tried countless products since then, and they have gotten exponentially better. These are a few of the most recent ones I have tried and/or have loved.

Fake Bake Flawless 

This has a nice tropical coconut smell, and it goes on easily without streaking. It comes with a mitt, and even though it can waste a bit of the product it is definitely best to spray on the mitt and then apply to the skin. Some people prefer to spray on the skin and then use the mitt to buff the product in, but I find that leaves me with less uniform coverage. Since this is a liquid and not a lotion, it dries almost immediately. There is a dark brown guide color, so it might not be ideal for wearing during the day. The color you are left with after washing the guide off is a nice medium brown. It lasts around 2-3 days on my skin before I need to reapply or exfoliate off.

Price - $25
Size - 6 oz

Vita Liberata Tinted Self Tan - Extra Rich

This one doesn't have much of a scent, but I do notice after several hours that the skin does get a bit of an unpleasant scent- every self-tanner that I have tried does. The smell is not overwhelming and I don't mind it since I don't use this during the day. This one has the least amount of guide color transfer onto clothing and it dries the fastest of any lotion that I have used. Five to ten minutes and I can get dressed. The guide color is quite red which scared me the first time I used it, but the end result is actually a dark bronze color. This one is a bit more orangey than the Fake Bake, but it is not actually orange like some other self tanners. I actually prefer the Vita Liberata to any other tanner due to the lack of streaking, the color, and the longevity and non-patchy fade. This lasts 3-5 days on my skin before fading away quite naturally.

Price - $37.50
Size - 6.76 oz

Brazilian True Tan

This one is a different concept to most self tanners. It has two different lotions, an exfoliant and the self tan. The packaging is a bit poorly designed, a lot of the time you will just get a touch of the brown and mostly the white lotion. It never actually states that the brown is the tanner and the white is the exfoliant, so I am not exactly sure if it really matters how much of each you get. Even with this flaw in the packaging I have not had issues with streaking or uneven color. You can definitely feel something happening with the "exfoliater," I feel a slight stinging sensation right after applying. It isn't anything painful and it almost feels a bit like razor burn. It goes away after a few minutes. The scent of this is distinct, but not the typical self-tanner smell. It isn't super unpleasant, but not something you really want to smell like. It is very wet feeling when applying, and takes the longest of any self tanner I have tried to dry. I have to wait at least 15-20 minutes to get dressed, but it does have a lighter more day-friendly guide color. The color is actually on the orange side but with only one application it is doable. It lasts 3-4 days on my skin before fading away naturally.

Price - $39
Size - 6 oz

Tarte Brazilliance

This is another beachy scented one, and I actually really enjoy the ones that have this scent. I think it covers the dreaded self-tan smell better than most (for a while at least). This is actually a gel/lotion type mixture, which to me seems like you have to use less to cover the same area. It comes with a mitt which I find completely useless, as long as you have your gloves on you will be fine. The guide color blends out to a very light bronze color, so I think this can be another day-friendly tanner. Since the guide color is so light, there is little transfer onto clothing. After washing the guide color, you are left with a very light brown toned tan. It seems as though it is a gradual tanner. I really like everything about it, I just wish it had a better payoff. I still use this when I am maintaining the Vita Liberata or Fake Bake. On it's own it lasts about 2-3 days before it fades naturally.

Price - $37

Size - 5.5 oz

Self-tanning for me isn't just something for the summer. I self-tan year-round, though maybe less frequently during the winter. I am naturally pretty pale so I enjoy having a little extra color even when I'm not showing much skin. There are a few things that are crucial in achieving an even, long lasting tan (with no orange palms). Invest in some disposable gloves, no matter how many times you wash your hands in between body parts you will always end up with orange palms. Always exfoliate thoroughly before application, and shave your legs beforehand. Shaving is exfoliating in itself, so you will remove your tan faster if you shave after. If you are using a scrub, try and find one that doesn't contain oil. The oil can coat your skin and affect how evenly your tan turns out.