Review: Self Tanners

The fall season is apon us!
And with the summer ending comes an end to those beautiful sun tans and that great sun kissed look!
So I'm sure most of you would love to hold onto that color as long as possible.
But without sun, it's basically near impossible.
So the best thing to do is to turn to self tanners!

Over the past year I've tried a few different kinds of self tanners 

from mousses to oils to wipes to getting a professional self tan.

I've tried it all!

It's hard to know what tanners are going to leave you looking like an Oompa Loompa or ones that will make you look like so natural that people will think that you've been laying on the beach all week!

It's definitely a matter of experimenting with the different brands and kinds of self tanners to know what your favorites are.

And since I know a lot of you are tan challenged from not getting a lot of sun, especially us Newfoundlanders,

I thought I would share my thoughts and my favorite and not so favorite self tanners!

The tanning contenders I have chosen are:
1. Balea Glow Self Tanning Towelettes
2. St. Tropez Tanning Mousse
3. James Read Tanning Mousse
4. Professional Spray Tan
5. Josie Maren Argan Tanning Oil
6. Jergens 3 days to Glow
7. Quick Tan Bronzing Spray
8. St. Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan

1. Balea Glow Self Tanning Towelettes
$12.00
for 10 towelettes

So I'll be honest...I did not like these what so ever! 

This was the first type of self tanning product I've ever used.

I picked them up at Shoppers one day in hopes I would be a beautiful Greek Goddess with glowing skin.

But instead I wiped my body with them and then stood there in confusion.

Did I use them right??

Do I need to wet them for the tanner to transfer to my skin?

Were they dried out?

I just didn't get it, because I didn't change color whatsoever! 

I had a slight sparkle.

I mean.. I know I say don't forget to sparkle, but I don't want my body to literally sparkle.

I wanted to have a healthy glow,

not have sparkly skin.

I wasn't going for the Edward Cullen look.

So for me, the wipes are just not what I had in mind and they are by far my least favourite of the type of self tanners there are out there.

Now maybe I just got a bad batch or I didn't try the best brand of towlettes, but to me they are not the one!

Color: ☆☆☆☆☆ (because there was none?)

Smell: ☆☆☆☆☆
Application: ★★★★★
(only great thing about it is that concept of them is easy to use)
Longevity: ☆☆☆☆☆

Overall: ☆☆☆☆☆

..I literally hated them

So onto the next one!

2. St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse
$54.00 - 8oz.
+$8.00 for tanning mitt

So I think I was pretty much obsessed with this product last summer!

I must say, St. Tropez did live up to all the great things I heard about it.

But of course with any great product there are always pros and cons.

Pros:

Color - It's pretty much perfect for any skin tone!

It has a great brown undertone that will compliment every complexion and not leave you with any orange tinge. 

It's great for light skin toned people like myself!

Not Streaky - As long as you use the tanning mitt to apply this product you will not get any streaks.

You just have to make sure that you're applying it evenly and going over your body in the same motions. 

It leaves you with a great even tan!

Drying time -  It dries pretty fast, like a lot of mousse tanners do. I just find I like to wait for it to completely dry, about 30 mins afterwards to put clothes on.

You will feel a little sticky afterwards, but that goes away within a few hours.

And like any self tanner, you have to wear dark clothes afterwards so it doesn't transfer to your clothes.

Application - It's super easy to apply! The mitt makes it so easy to be a pro at this. You literally just pump the product onto the mitt and then rub the mitt on your body. 

There are even great videos online on how to apply St. Tropez like a pro! 

Even vidoes on how to get your back without having to ask someone else to do it for you!

Check them out here!

Cons:

Price - This is one of the self tanners that weighs in at the most expensive. It's high price tag makes it a little less appealing and is one of the reasons I had to stop using it,

At $54.00 for an 8oz. bottle it's just a little too expensive for my liking!

I'm not blessed with even partically tan skin, so I need to be able to pretty much bathe in in to make sure that it's even and that it's applied to my entire body.

I don't find you get a lot of product for the cost. I find this product to be very light and airy, but that means you have to use a lot more pumps to get more product out on the mitt.

Plus it's $8.00 for the mitt, which I find is only good for about 3-4 applications before it starts to leave you with streaky marks when you're applying the tanner or your fingers go through the top of the mitt.

Smell - at first I loved the smell!! It's pretty much it's own brand of perfume!

I would regularly have co-workers be like, "you St. Tropez-ed recently haven't you? I can smell it!", all because it has such a distinct scent. Which I honestly didn't mind at first! 

But the more and more I put it on the more I hated the scent. 

It got very sickening.

It's just very strong and stays on you until you get your next shower.

Longevity - I don't find this product lasts long at all. One shower and it's all off your skin.

Which breaks my heart considering the price of it. 

I find as soon as I get a shower it's come off in a very splotchy pattern. 

Which makes me not want to shower because I don't want run out of this $60 bottle of tanner that 

fast.

Pour Clogging: I found this one get stuck in your pours and has a lot of buildup on the chest area. 

I don't like wearing anything too low cut after I use this as I find you can very clearly see it clogged up in the pours on my chest.

Color: ★★★★☆
Application: ★★★★☆

Smell: ★★☆☆☆
Longevity: ★★☆☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

3. James Read

$46.00 6.7oz. 

+$8.00 tanning mitt

This product is very similar to the St. Tropez Tanning Mousse, but I enjoy it so much more!

It's more natural and I get more out of a can of it, PLUS it's cheaper than the St. Tropez.

Pros:

Color: Great color once it's dried! It does go on slightly green at first, 

which can be cause for panic and concern,

 but it fades to a beautiful brown. 

I assume it must have something to do with the oxidization with this product. 

But the color it turns is beautiful and natural!

Application: Very easy! It is exactly the same as the St. Tropez application. 

The mitt, however, you do have to buy separately for $8. 

But the James Read mitt is so much better than the St. Tropez mitt, 

it's much softer and lasts longer.

Which in turn causes less streaks to occur.

Longevity: I find I get much longer out of the product where it is an aerosol mousse versus a pump like the St. Tropez. 

I find I use a lot less product and I don't have to apply it as often either!

Drying Time: It has the same aspects on drying time as the St. Tropez. 

Where they are both mousse products, they tend to share the same pros!

Cons:

Color: I know this is a pro as well, but it essentially just goes back to the very green color you first are when it is applied. 

It's just so off putting at first, but it eventually gets better!

Price: This one, being cheaper than St. Tropez, is still pricey.

$54 plus tax between the product and the mitt is just a little much if you ask me.

But if you want to splurge and get a great product, I suggest James Read over St. Tropez!

Smell: This one isn't as sickening as St. Tropez, 

but it still have a very distinctive self tanner smell. 

Pour Clogging: I assume where this product is also a mousse it's why I'm getting the same results in this area. But same as St. Tropez, I find this product is very visibly in my pours and can sometimes even cause pimples because of that. 

Color: ★★★★☆
Application: ★★★★☆

Smell: ★★★☆☆
Longevity: ★★★☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

4. Professional Self Tan

$35.00-$50.00

per application

Honestly if I had the money to get this done all the time, I would!

It's much easier have someone else apply a tanner to you than having to do it yourself.

I got my spray tan done at Head2Toe in Paradise by Chelsea Butler.

She was fantastic! She made me feel super comfortable and she did an amazing job!

Pros

Color: Such a natural color from the spray tan and Chelsea gave me lots of options to chose from which was great! 

Me being unsure about spray tans I was scared of being orange, so I went for the lightest option.

But it honestly was so natural you'd swear I went to Jamaica for a week.

Application: Not having to apply it yourself and have someone else do it for you was amazing.

It made it more of a relaxing experience!

Plus she knew exactly what she was doing, putting lotion on my nails and the more dryer areas that tanner can build up. 

Smell: You didn't leave smelling like a spray tan. It smells great going on and you're not left with a spray tan perfume for the rest of the day

Cons:

Price: As much as I would love to have someone else do this for me every time I needed it done, my wallet doesn't exactly allow me to do that. 

But I highly suggest getting a spray tan done if you're going to an event or if you have the extra bucks to treat yourself with!

Privacy: Some people are much more free about their bodies and don't care if other women see them naked. But I am a little more conservative and a little less confident sans clothes.

So if you're not comfortable with being in front of someone completely naked this may not be the one for you. You can always leave on some undies and a strapless bra if that makes you more comfortable, but the only downside is that you will get tan lines. 

Now Chelsea did a great job with making me feel comfortable in front of her! 

In all fairness guys, these people are professionals and this is part of their job. 

Your body isn't the first naked one they've ever seen!

Inconvenience: One thing that I do like about the self tanning at home option is doing it when you have the time to.

However with a professional spray tan you need to book an appointment and make room in your schedule to get it done. 

So depending on your schedule it can be a little inconvenient. 

Color: ★★★★★
Application: ★★★★★

Smell: ★★★★★
Longevity: ★★★★☆

Overall: ★★★★☆

5. Josie Maran Tanning Oil

$46.00 4.3oz.

(includes mitt)

Honestly, this is my all time favorite self tanner.

It has all the elements a great self tanner should have!!

Pros

Color: This tanner has such a nice brown undertone to it and doesn't make me 

look orange or green.

The color of oil as it gets applied to your skin is the color that it really is. 

No scary surprises or wait on hoping that the color will oxidize and look normal on your skin tone.

It's by far the most beautiful color of all the tanners I've tried!

Smell: WELL, I was so impressed with the fact that Josie Maran actually offers you options for the scents of these products.

This tanning oil comes in 3 magnificent scents!

1. Tahitian Vanilla (Amazing!)

2. Vanilla Apricot (Amazing!)

3. Tropical Orchid (Amazing!)

Needless to say you will find at least one of them you will enjoy!

I love every single one of them, they all smell absolutely fantastic!

And the best part about this product is that it doesn't leave you walking around smelling like you've self tanned. The scents of the tanner is there for about an hour or 2 and then it goes away, which is one downfall to most self tanners.

Tanning Mitt: I LOVE that this product comes with it's own tanning mitt. 

There is not additional cost! It conveniently comes inside the box with the tanning oil.

This mitt designed specifically for oil and it is lined on the inside.

Honestly you get so many uses out of it.

When I bought my second bottle of this I actually just kept using the mitt from the original one that I had bought and kept the other one in the packaging until I feel I should throw the other one out.

But the quality of the mitt is amazing and with a quick hand wash it goes right back to it's original state.

Definitely the best quality mitt out of the bunch!

This mitt also makes application so so easy, and works the same as the St. Tropez. 

Streaking: It's just not a thing with this tanner. You always look so even!

Sometimes I put it on and it looks like I've made a holy show of myself and that I've put it on terribly, but within a minute of it drying it doesn't look that way what so ever.

Longevity: I can literally get between 4-6 applications out of a bottle of this tanner.

I also find this product stays on your skin for a lot longer, therefore less amount of times that you have to apply. So it may technically have less amount of product in it in comparison to a few other of these self tanners, but you don't need to use near as much product during the application process and you don't need to use it near as often.

Cons

How long it takes to show it's deepest color: I find the color deepens over time. It's very light brown when it is first applied but over the course of about 6 hours it finally hits it peak of darkness.

Because of this I like to apply this in the night time before bed, so the color has hit it's peak by the time the morning comes.

Drying time: I do find I am a little more sticky after applying this tanner. 

It sometimes takes up to 12 hours to feel completely normal again.

It could be where it's an oil versus a mousse or spray. 

But an upside to where it's an oil is that it's more nourishing to your skin!

So con at first, but it does have a pro in the end.

Color Transfer: This kind of ties into the drying time, but where it does take a little while longer to dry, the chance for color transfer onto light clothing is a little higher within the first few hours after application.

Now you should always wear dark clothing after applying self tanner, but be aware of your surroundings afterwards like lighter color bed spreads, your boyfriends white t-shirts if your going to go in for a snuggle, or lighter color furniture.

Color: ★★★★★
Application: ★★★★★

Smell: ★★★★★
Longevity: ★★★★☆

Overall: ★★★★☆

6. Jergens 3 Days to Glow

$10.00 4oz.

This product really surprised me!!

I was so impressed considering it's price point of just $10.

This is a product I really like to use with other self tanners as a tan extender, so I don't have to be using some of my more expensive self tanners all the time. 

Pros:

Cost: Seriously, this is the best bang for your buck!!

Again, it's price point of $10 is just unbelievable, and you get a great glow from this product!

If you don't want to go out and spend $40+ on a self tanner, then this is the one!

Color: It's name correctly with using the word glow. 

It gives you a very nice sunkissed look without being orange!

It's not very dark in color, but it's perfect just to have that healthy glow to your skin.

Where I am so pale I find this one great because it doesn't look super drastic in comparison to the other tanners. 

It takes that pale, sick look away from my skin and leaves me looking healthy and warm!

This product also 2 options for color

1. Fair to Medium

2. Medium to Tan

I obviously chose the Fair to Medium option, but if you have a darker undertone to your skin or are already tan then the Medium to Tan option may be better for you.

Moisturizing: Where this is a lotion you don't have to fool around with finding a lotion that 

isn't too oily to put on under your mousse or oil self tanners. 

It makes you skin super soft and where it is a lotion it's drying time is so much quicker than the other self tanners. 

You just apply this lotion like you would any other moisturizer with your hands and moisturize your entire body.

Cons

Streaking: Where this is a white lotion it's hard to know if you've put it on correctly. 

This was one of my most frustrating things with this product because it's almost liking going in blind and hoping for the best. 

So you really have to make sure that you're working it on your skin evenly and that you're covering your ENTIRE body and not missing vital places like the back of your legs.

...yes that happened.

I also found I got some of the product caught in the webbing of my hands and never noticed and I was left with crazy looking hands at the end of the day.

So make sure you're very aware of your application with this product and that you wash your hands more thoroughly!

How long it takes to show its color: This is not a lotion that shows up instantly.

This is a buildable product so you will gradually see results over time, hence the name 3 Days to Glow.

So if it's an instantaneous result you want, this is not the one for you!

I personally enjoy that it is a gradual color that appears, but when I want to look tan for an event or I really want to wear a skirt that day and I want my legs to look flawless, it's not the most reliable unless I've already been wearing it all week long.

Color: ★★★★☆
Application: ★★☆☆☆

Smell: ★★★★☆
Longevity: ★★★☆☆

Overall: ★★★☆☆

7. Quick Tan Bronzing Spray

$20.00 6oz.

This was another one that just was not for me.

I actually have no pros.

Sin...

so onto the cons!

Cons

Application: SO freaking hard! 

You need to have someone else do this for you I feel because it's an aerosol spray. 

I tried to do this on my body by myself and I kept getting big spray splotches from where I first started to spray. I also had to spray this on me in my shower so it wouldn't get on my walls or floor.

But honestly cleaning the shower and all the products I have in the shower afterwards was so hard. 

It's the hardest product to apply for sure!

Color: So not the one for me.

This tanner has a red undertone in it, which for some people that may be exactly what you need. 

But I am not one of those people.

I found this product did not give me a glow, it more so made me look like I stayed out tanning for far too long and burnt my skin but tried to cover it up with self tanner.

Not good.

Also you have 1 color option.

Medium Dark.

Being so white, only having a dark tanning option is just not really practical.

You can't go from looking like Michael Jackson in the 90's to Michael Jackson in the 70's without people noticing.

Color Transfer: This stuff literally transferred onto anything and everything for multiple days afterwards.

Sin for all my white clothes that got attacked by Shout afterwards because of the color transfer.

Color: ☆☆☆☆☆
Application: ☆☆☆☆☆

Smell: ☆☆☆☆☆
Longevity: ☆☆☆☆☆

Overall: ☆☆☆☆☆

8. St. Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan

$35.00 6.7oz

This ones up there as the worst self tanner I have EVER used.

Equivalent to my review on the Balea tanning wipes,

this tanner literally left me with absolutely nothing.

I actually have zero pros for this product and all cons.

Cons being:

-There was no color change on my skin

-It smells the same as the other St. Tropez products

-You have to wait outside the shower for 3-5 minutes so your body doesn't get wet

I gave this product a fair chance.

I used it for almost a month before switching back to Josie Maran.

I even left it on longer than it the directions say and still...nothing.

I'm unsure as to what skin tone this tanner shows up on because I am practically albino and my skin tone never changed at all!

It sucks because I had such high hopes for this product it being the Allure Best of Beauty Winner 2015 and all.

But it was literally a waste of $35. 

I should have just lit my money on fire and hoped to get a tan from the flames.

Seriously, don't waste your time or money with this product.

Color: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

Smell: ☆☆☆☆☆
Longevity: ☆☆☆☆☆

Overall: ☆☆☆☆☆

_________________________________________

After reviewing all of these products, based on color, application, price, smell and my likeliness to buy them again here are the rankings from my favorite to least favorite.

1. Josie Marin

2. James Read

3. Jergens 3 Days to Glow

4. St. Tropez

5. Professional Tan

6. Quick Tan

7. St. Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan

8. Balea Tanning Wipes

I hope this helped you guys out if you plan on using some self tanners in the future!

If you'd to hear more feedback on some of these products feel free to leave a comment!

Happy Tanning!

♥