The Best Self Tanners for an Instant Glow

We’re coming out of winter and your legs haven’t seen the light of day in ages, I’m sure. If you’re putting on a dress or just need little pick-me-up, here are my favorite full body self tanners and my favorite drops to put on my face for a little extra glow.

outfit details:
similar robe HERE

Need a little color for your legs, or a little glow for your face? Here are the best self tanner products.

I share this exact blog post every single year, but it’s one of my most frequently asked questions, and when you find a self tanner that works, you have to share!

For full body: 

• St. Tropez self tanner (color: dark)
• Bondi Sands (color: dark)
• Loving Tan (color: dark 2 hour express)
• Beauty by Earth (color: medium to dark)

For full body application:

• This applicator MITT

For my face:

• Tan Luxe Drops (color: Dark)

This is what I love about Beauty by Earth self tanner

This is a new brand that’s been getting a lot of buzz lately because it’s a clean beauty brand. The other ones have dyes in them that some people want to avoid, so I thought I’d give this one a try and see what I thought. I’ve been very impressed, and although it takes two separate coats to get a darker color, I think it’s a fantastic option if you’re trying to switch to clean beauty brands.

• Gradual tan – it’s a white foam that activates over time. It takes me about 5-6 hours to start seeing the color.
• Natural color – it’s more of a cool tan color, not orange at all.
• Has a very subtle smell, not strong at all
• Lasts me for about 3 days with one application, and a week with two applications over two consecutive days.
• Smaller bottle, but still lasts for a few months with regular application.
• No chemical dyes added.

This is what I love about St. Tropez self tanner

This one goes on beautifully, it lasts really well, and the color is perfect. I use the shade Dark and one coat gives me exactly the color I want. I used to use the lighter color, but it took two coats to get the color I wanted and used twice the amount of product, so I switched to dark and one coat does the trick.

• Instant color, no waiting for it to activate
• Natural color (not orange at all)
• Goes on very evenly (I use THIS APPLICATOR MITT)
• Doesn’t have a harsh, weird smell like a lot of self tanners
• Lasts for days
• The Dark color gives me the color I want with one application
• One large bottle lasts me months, applying twice a week.

This is what I love about Bondi Sands self tanner

I discovered this self tanner a couple years ago after using only St. Tropez for years and it’s VERY similar to St. Tropez. The color is almost identical (I use the shade Dark too), and I think it smells even better than St. Tropez. More like a lotion smell than a self tanner smell.

• Instant color, no waiting for it to activate
• Beautiful, natural color
• Totally streak free (I use THIS APPLICATOR MITT)
• Smells better than all other self tanners I’ve used
• The Dark shade gives me the color I want with one application
• Way more affordable than St. Tropez

One downside…the color doesn’t last quite as long for me as St. Tropez. It still stays on for a few days, but I can’t get it to last the whole week.

This is what I love about Loving Tan self tanner

I picked up this tanner after my friend Leanne talked about it and thought I’d give it a try. She recommended the 2-hour express in dark, and I love that I don’t have to wait a full day for the color to set. I can apply, get instant color, shower two hours later, and the color is there to stay. The other two above need to sit for a full day (or overnight)…if you shower this fast, it mostly washes away.

• Quick application and setting
• Natural color (not orange at all), but it is more burgundy, so a little goes a long way. I applied my regular amount the first time I tried and my legs were dark purple!! So go light on application and it looks natural.
• Goes on very evenly (I use THIS APPLICATOR MITT)
• Has almost no smell! The others have a smell, although it’s not bad, but this one has very little smell at all. You don’t smell like self tanner all day!
• Lasts for days
• Has a remover gel to take off color that gets stuck on your ankles and feet. 
• The Dark color gives me the color I want with one application, but be aware this is VERY DARK. Start with a smaller amount than normal.
• One large bottle lasts me months, applying twice a week.

One downside, this is the most expensive of the three!

This is what I love about Tan Luxe self tanner drops for face

I’ve been using these self tanner drops for about a year and they’re a great way to get a little glow on your face without using the other self tanners (I never use those on my face…they don’t go on very naturally). Just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly  after applying, or you’ll wake up with bright orange palms that stay that way for days. I wish I didn’t know from experience…

• You mix with your moisturizer at night and wake up to a glowy face
• 2-4 drops in your moisturizer is all you need, so the bottle lasts for months
• Easy to apply and it’s streak free
• The smell is good! It has a bit of a “tanner” smell, but not bad at all.
• The color “Dark” gives me a perfect amount of glow using 2-4 drops.

To get the best long-lasting results with self tanner, here’s what I do.

• Take a shower in the morning and exfoliate your entire body.
• Get out, dry off, and apply a very light layer of lotion to your entire body (any kind will do). Add a bigger layer of lotion to the areas where the color might settle — elbows, hands, feet, and ankles.
• Once your lotion is settled in, apply 2-3 pumps of the foam to your mitt and rub in a circular motion as you apply evenly to your body.
• For the dark color, I do just one of color on my entire body, letting the first coat dry for a minute or two before applying the second coat.
• Toss on a lightweight robe or some loose fitting clothing you don’t mind getting color on (although it does come off in the wash without a problem!) and let it dry for a couple of hours.
• You do not want your body to get wet for the next few hours — I try to not even wash my hands for as long as possible.
• Go to bed that night without showering, then shower in the morning when you’ve hit the 24 hour mark. You’ll see some color come off, but don’t worry, that’s just the instant color. The rest of the color is activating.
• If you want a bit of a darker color, get out of the shower and repeat the application again (without the exfoliation and lotion part).

I usually do this for 2 days in a row to get a nice base color, and then I can apply about once a week for touch ups and to keep the color.

If you need a quick dose of color for your legs…

During the winter, I RARELY do this full body routine.

I just do one quick layer on my lower arms and my lower legs and my neck/chest area when I’m putting on something that shows my legs and some of my arms.

It gives you a quick, instant tan that dries almost instantly and doesn’t rub off on things. It’s a game changer for Sundays when I’m putting on a dress and have the pastiest legs in the land.

If you don’t like mousse, try this gradual tan lotion

A few years ago, I used this Banana Boat gradual tan lotion for the whole summer. If you’re nervous about the mousse, this is a good alternative.

You can apply this every day as your normal lotion and build up a nice color.

My only complaint about this lotion is that it doesn’t do as well on your hands and feet. If it gets in between your fingers and toes and the lotion just sits there, it can turn dark orange. So whenever I put it on, I go back with a washcloth and wipe between all my fingers and toes to avoid build up.

Also it has a pretty “self tanner” kind of smell! But overall, it’s a good option.

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