Today I’m sharing my tips & tricks for an even, glowing tan from a bottle.
You know me – it’s gotta be easy, budget-friendly and take a minimal amount of time to be #momapproved. Most of us have sworn off tanning beds but that doesn’t make it easy getting used to pastey-white skin so I’ve spent the past 5 years trying to find the best affordable self-tanner on the market.
After a lot of streaking, funny smells and sticky residue I finally narrowed my self-tan search down to a favorite brand. I use both the foam and the lotion from b tan and I’ll explain how I use both below.
I use the lotion when I’m in a hurry – AKA pretty much all of the time, especially on weekdays – BUT the foam gives a darker tan so I do like to use this on a Sunday evening if I can summon up the motivation to get off the couch.
Both go on really well, dry quickly, don’t have a harsh smell and give great color. The product is great but I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve for you.
- ALWAYS, always, always shower prior to applying self-tanner. I promise you, this is the trick to a smooth, streak-free application. Even if I showered 3 hours prior, I’ll still pop in to get my skin wet before applying. Make sure you towel dry completely before applying.
- Use an applicator mitt with the foam but NOT with the lotion.
- If you’re using the foam/mitt start with your face first. Once you’ve covered the rest of your body the mitt will be really saturated and you don’t want to use it on your face.
- Wash your hands really well with soap and warm water once you’re done applying. I will usually give mine two passes with the soap.
- Dry your hands and wrists and then rub your wrists up & down your arms. I know I sound like a crazy person but this will help transfer just enough color to help blend your clean hands with your freshly tanned bod.
- Focus on small areas at a time. Don’t try to cover your entire leg in one swoop – the foam dries quick so I focus on my calf & foot, then re-pump and move to my thigh & knee. Same with my arms – I start with my shoulder & upper arm, re-pump and then move to my lower arm.
- Never cover your ankles, knees, elbows, feet & hands first. By this I mean, when you have fresh foam on your mitt or lotion in your hand, rub it on whatever body part you’re focused on and then once you’re ready to re-pump, cover the ankle/knee/elbow, etc… at that time.
- Bend your knees & elbows when covering them but don’t spend too much time there. Those patches of skin tend to be more dry and soak up the self-tanner more easily.
- Apply at night. This is my routine. I apply 1-2/week when I’m on my A-game and always at night. It allows the tan to soak into my skin and then I can rinse it off in the morning and have a healthy glow before heading out the door.
- Watch out for your ears. Okay, so this one is kind of a joke because one day I got a blob of the foam in my ear and didn’t realize it until AFTER work the following day. My poor coworkers.
Alright crew, go get your glow on!
I really hope this inspires you to nix the tanning bed & sub the sunbathing for SPF & self-tanner.
Best always,
Kay
