My name is Ashley and I hate being pale. LOL… but seriously!! When I was in high school and college, I went to the tanning bed sporadically when I had an event coming up or during cheerleading seasons. Now, knowing just how unhealthy tanning is, I haven’t been in a tanning bed since before my wedding (two years ago)! Over the past two years (and with some experimentation with sunless tanners over the last 9 years), I would say I’ve finally mastered how to give myself a natural, brown tan without the tanning bed.
When I was in high school, I sometimes used Jergens Natural Glow (everyone’s used this stuff at one point; am I right?) on my legs, especially during cheerleading! It helped give my legs a little extra color, but I hated everything about it– the feel, the sticky residue on my skin, and the smell. Who wants a lotion that smells like that? Fast forward to college, my friend Kelly and I went all out and purchased a professional spray tan airbrush system together and had “shared custody.” Once a week, you could find Kelly and me in my college apartment’s bathroom spraying each other with the Luminous (see photo above). It worked really well, but it was a lot of work. It also was quite difficult if you didn’t have a perfectionist on the other side of the airbrush pen! Therefore, Kelly and I stopped using this system after we graduated from college (2011).
This was from our trip to Baltimore Harbor in the spring. My tan here was from Fake Bake! One of my favorite things about Baltimore (other than their loss to the Steelers on Christmas Day) was the food!
Fake Bake and my “softball shades” (knock off Ray Bans)!
This was a real tan from the tanning bed and the Bahamian sun on my honeymoon. As you can see, the color is very comparable to my sunless tan!
Over the last few years, I’ve dabbled with self-tanning products and I think I’ve finally mastered the Art of the Tan. Everything is better with a nice tan and you won’t be able to convince me otherwise! My make-up, clothing, and bathing suits all just seem to look better with a tan! I have 3 products I want to discuss today that I believe are the absolute best on the market and (even better) all very inexpensive! A question I am commonly asked is, “Do you go tanning or do you use sunless tanner?” followed by, “What kind do you use?!” Today, I’m answering that on the blog and sharing all of my sunless tanning secrets! I’ve tried the good and the bad and this is my honest review.
As many times as you see bloggers endorse this or read outstanding reviews, DON’T BUY IT. It’s way overpriced and much too orangey! I am not impressed.
I give it a 10!
A few years ago, being the Amazon shopper that I am, I discovered Fake Bake Flawless. A friend of mine had loaned me her Fake Bake 60 Minute Tan to use for an event and I loved it. I did some research after using it and ended up finding Fake Bake Flawless, an even better and newer formula. There are two types of Fake Bake that I use– Flawless and Flawless Darker. I always use “Darker” when I have more of a natural tan from the sun. The only difference is that the formula is, obviously, darker. I can use this one year round and it gives really nice color; however, if you have very pale skin, I recommend the standard Flawless formula. Prices for these fluctuate all the time, but they’re always somewhere between $8 and $20.
This glove isn’t included, but I highly recommend!
A glove comes in the package, but it is not of the best quality. I use this one. This is one of the better gloves I’ve used and it has a thumb hole! I spray the Fake Bake formula on the glove (10-15 pumps) and rub it on each body part. The formula is dark brown so it’s easy to see where you’ve applied it. I do apply it everywhere, including my face. After you apply it, you may be a little afraid of your 5-shades-darker reflection, but rest assured, once the applicator is rinsed off, you will be left with a natural tan. The longer you leave it on, the darker your tan develops. I usually leave it on at least 8 hours or overnight. Unfortunately, if you get wet at all, your tan is ruined. The scent of this stuff is less than flattering, but after your second shower, the smell is gone. It’s that typical spray tan smell. It may rub off on your clothes, so I opt for black sweatpants/shorts and black tee on Fake Bake days. I never wear it out for fear of getting a water droplet on my skin and looking like an Oompa Loompa in public.. lol. Once, I rinse it off, I am left with a perfect, dark brown tan!
I give this a 10, too!
The other self-tanning product I am recommending is Rodan + Fields Essentials Foaming Sunless Tan. A friend of mine sent me a bottle to try after I’d heard great things about it and I love the natural, even tan I get from it! I’ve been using it for the last 2 weeks and am loving my results. This product is foaming and doesn’t tan your skin right away, so there is no need to wear a glove. It spreads and rubs into the skin easily, so the fact that the applicator isn’t colored isn’t a big deal at all. It has a slight scent when you are applying it, but doesn’t leave much of a scent at all once on the body. I love that! Another thing I love about this product is that it doesn’t get into the pores on my face and legs (after shaving) or leave any residue. It works extremely well on my face, leaving it with a very even, natural glow.
My natural-looking brown tan after 2 applications of R+F Essentials, about 4 days apart.
Like the Fake Bake, R+F Essentials leaves you with a brown, not orangey at all, tan! The more you use it, the darker your tan develops. I love that you can see your tan developing as you leave it on; since there is no applicator color, you know exactly how dark you are at any given time through the developing process! I’m never in a rush to rinse this stuff off because it doesn’t feel like I have anything on. I’ve gone out grocery shopping with it on my skin and it’s not a big deal at all! Since you are using your hands to apply, you will need to wash them post-application. If you’re like me, I don’t want white hands when the rest of me is golden brown! I use a baby wipe to wipe off the palms of my hands only. I’m looking forward to trying more R+F products after seeing how awesome the sunless tanner works. Thanks to Christina Martin for letting me try the self tanner!<3 You can reach out to her via FB if you have any questions about R+F products.
When it comes to which product is best for you, that’s a personal preference. Both are very different, but produce very similar streak-free, golden brown results. If you have any questions about my favorite sunless tanners or how to apply leave us a comment below or reach out on social media (@venturealamode)! And be sure to tag us in your sun-kissed photos! Rock that tan, babe!
xo,
Ashley
PS. Our giveaway ends this weekend. Enter now if you haven’t yet!
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