Soak Up the Sun

No, typically this fair skinned Albertan does not see a lot of sun. Once I bought my horse it only got worse. Any time I spent outdoors was now in denim and there were numerous random and curious tan lines that followed. So for someone who’s had to use sunless tanners in one shape or another throughout the year, I’ve come up with a system. My goal, to minimize weird orange blotchy patches, maintain a consistent glow without overdoing it and looking like Magda  from Something About Mary.

Exfoliate! Make sure you don’t skip this step. There are so many fun scrubs out there but if you don’t have anything at home you can make one.  One of my favourites (although be prepared messy) is using coffee grinds with a tablespoon of sugar. It’s exfoliating and wakes you up at the same time. Make sure you dry off and wait a good 10-15 minutes before you apply your sunless tanner.

Now we are ready to apply our sunless tanner. I found the best results are when I add a tan enhancing moisturizer and let it dry prior to sunless tanner as it seems to blend the tanner more evenly. My favourites are St. Tropez Prep & Maintain or the Balea glow exfoliator lotion (Canadians you can find this at Shoppers Drug Mart).

For the sunless tanner I prefer a spray or foam as I find I get a more even distribution and hard to reach places like my back. For a liquid tanner or a more gradual effect, I will mix it 1:1 with a body lotion to avoid streaky patches. For sunless tanner for my face, I always go with an oil free gel based as it tends to apply with a more even consistency.  For a more subtle look I mix in with my face cream on a daily basis.

For areas that over absorb the tanner like, hands, knees and feet and elbows, do not apply directly. For example I will apply tanner directly to my lower shins and work down towards my ankles and feet ensuring that I spread lightly and feather out to avoid blotchiness around those areas.

Then let it dry! Putting on your tanner and throwing on clothes to head out for the day is the worst way to help your faux tan develop evenly. I usually apply mine at night and put on loose clothing to allow it to set in even longer.

Finally you want to make your glow last, make sure you re-apply once or twice per week. Between applications you can use an illuminating body cream to maintain and help highlight your glow. For areas that you’ve missed or have some streaky or blotchy spots you can use an instant tan lotion that will even out colour and wash off anytime you want it to. My favourite is St. Tropez One Night Only. I find it especially helpful when you have events and need to boost an older self tanner application with dresses or a sleeveless outfit.

The biggest thing is to find what works for you. Every person has a different skin type and pH, which will make the tanners react very differently from person to person. So make sure you do a patch test and choose what looks best for you.