If you were born with beautiful olive skin and can tan faster than it takes me to drink my morning smoothie (my sisters), then don't even bother reading this. If you somehow got the Irish part of your mom's genes and can't tan if your life depended on it, keep reading. This is for you.
Sadly, the second scenario is me and I am not made to be in the sun. But, I have found a way to combat this terrible issue with a foolproof version of an at-home spray tan. Now, I have several versions of my at-home tan because there are different occasions of life. Duh. A few examples are: wedding szn, summer pool party, date night, just working on a Monday.... A lot of looks we are going for here and not all need the same approach.
If you follow me on Instagram then you already know how much I love and use the Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer every night. It's actually a lotion so while I am working on the tan process of my skincare, I am also getting a full coverage of essential lotion to make my dry skin more bearable. I barely dab my body off so I'm still very wet, but not dripping all over the bathroom floor. I will then slather this lotion all over and let my body air dry completely before putting on clothes. No smell, no stick, just a super soft glow. I wouldn't say this is going to give you max color, but over a few nights it's going to be a subtle bronze. I love it as a natural look!
My most typical go-to spray tan is the foam and mitt. I used to do this before bed, but because fake tans are sticky (no getting around it) I started doing in the morning and by 2pm I'm a bronzed goddess looking for my next outing to show off my cute legs.
The only foam I use is Isle of Paradise because it doesn't smell. It delivers a perfect shade that isn't too dark and it doesn't transfer. Note that I said it doesn't make me too tan... know your limits. My coloring isn't made to be 13 shades darker than I started at breakfast. I simply like a hint of a tan so my cellulite looks like it just got there this past year and not from 10 years ago.... I love carbs. Another time.
After covering my body with the foam using my mitt, I want to make sure I got it in all the right spots so I will go back in (once dry- I wait an hour or so) with my gradual tan lotion The Butter and coat my entire body. I like using a gradual tan because this is going to give me a healthy glow as opposed to a regular lotion.
Now we turn on our blow dryer and let that lotion dry up a bit. Wash hands, prob a few times, and then add that gradual tan lotion to your hands (I actually use Jergens for this part). I hate lotion on my hands and I can actually stand Jergens, so I work this into my hands and let that dry a bit.
After 4-6 hours you look like you dropped 10 lbs. That's the magic of a tan.
A quickie I like to add after my shower is the Tan-Luxe Wonder Oil. But I must warn you, this is not for the fair skinned lady. You will be dark in the exact spots you have rolled this puppy so please mind when you add this and know you're going to have some color!
Now we need to move on to the master class. The wedding szn look is something we need to master, so we have to bring out the big guns, quite literally. My SIL got me the spray gun (similar) last year for Christmas and it's been a life saver when I need an airbrushed glow! I jump in the shower and start that gun up and give myself a professional spray tan in 5 minutes. Glowing!
An important part we need to always remember is our face. I don't want to put a body mitt on my face so I will work my Isle of Paradise drops into some face lotion (about 2-3 small drops) and I swear to you, I've never looked better. I actually like to do this the night before my body bc I sleep in the face tan (be sure to wash your face in the morning)! Side note: I use these drops every 2 days regularly to make sure I never look too much like a pale women who hasn't been outside in days.
P.S. a favorite kit I think is a good value!
XX, bailee
The Snob Edit