How to: Flawless Self Tan

Achieving the perfect tan for your wedding day doesn’t have to be difficult or scary. With these tried and true application tips, products that have passed the test, time after time, and a little practice, you’ll be glowing like a Grecian Goddess just in time for your “I do’s”.

PRACTICE & PLAN:

You’ll want to plan a few “practice tans” beforehand so you can work out any kinks and perfect your tan for your wedding day. Try to do at least three full body self tan application once every two week leading up to your wedding day.
The tan you plan to wear on your wedding day should be applied before going to sleep two days before your wedding. This way you can buff away any little flaw on day two and wake up with the perfect glow for your big day!

WHAT TO WEAR:

I prefer to wear loose clothing. Grab your man’s old t-shirt and some loose sweats or lounge pants but make sure they are open at the ankle. Traditional sweats can rub against your ankle and may cause imperfections in your tan.
Toss your hair up in the beloved messy bun and remove any jewelry.
Place an old/spare set of sheets on the bed to sleep on. Even though 99% of self tan brands claim to wash out of clothes and sheets easily, it’s best to have “tanning” sheets, as I call them - just in case.

PREPERATION:

Exfoliate! I have tried (what seems like) every body scrub on the plane and have settled on the fact that you just can’t exfoliate with a body scrub before you self tan and here’s why; Almost all body scrubs have some sort of moisturizing ingredient that’s left on the skin after it’s rinsed off. While this is great any other day, it’s not ideal when you’re prepping for a tan. You need CLEAN dry skin prior to applying your self tanner in order to get a smooth, even finish. But, since exfoliation in KEY to the perfect tan, here are a couple of my favorite ways to buff away dry dead skin in preparation for the glow!

Get yourself an exfoliating glove or a dry body brush to sluff of dry skin. This is the perfect way to exfoliate the skin with leaving any moisturizing elements behind that act as a barrier for your self tanner. Focus on areas like ankles & feet, wrists & hands, elbows, knees, underarms and the cleavage area.

Next, barrier cream. This can be any gentle lightweight body lotion and should be applied with a VERY thin layer to all of the exfoliated focus areas mentioned about including a light layer between fingers and toes and on your cuticles. Essentially, anywhere on your body that’s extra dry and might tend to soak up the self tanner formula more that others, causing a darker outcome. These two are my faves!under

APPLICATION:

Application technique is crucial for a flawless at-home tan and the more you practice the quicker you’ll master your skills. I’m going to break in down in a few sections: Body, face and hands.

BODY:

My all time favorite self tan formula is a mousse. Trust me, I’ve tried them ALL and I’ve found the mousse to be the easiest to use and gives the best results. To apply the mousse you’ll need an application mitt to protect your palms from getting dark and to ensure an airbrushed finish. These two are the best of the best, IMO.

To start, dispense 1-2 pumps of the mousse onto the mitt and “squish” the formula into the mitt before applying to the skin. Then begin buffing in a circular motion starting on your lower leg. Work your way all the way up to the top of your leg then use the little that’s left in your mitt to lightly buff in small circles around your ankle and onto your foot (don’t forget the sides of your feet!). Repeat on the other leg then work your way up your torso bust and décolletage.

Next, start at your booty and work your way up your back stop when you can’t reach any higher. Then reach over each shoulder to get your upper back. If you have a long torso and feel there might be a gap, you may need to someone to help but I promise it always “meshes” together and looks just fine.

Now the arms, start at your shoulder area and buff in the same circular motion all the way down the arm stopping at the wrists. Do the same to the other arm and then lightly buff your wrist area (not the hands) with whatever is left on your mitt, if shouldn’t feel saturated when buffing your wrists and ankles. Then add a half pump to your mitt and very lightly go over your arm pit area (no one wants white underarms, am I right?)

Ok so now you’re done with the body and you have your face and hands left. The goal is to have a seamless transition in color from the rest of your body to your face and your hands. We’re aiming for a diffused tan look on the face and hands that’s just slightly lighter than the rest of your body. Trust me, done this way will all look absolutely seamless in the end!

FACE:

I’ve tried many self tanner for the face and struggled to find something that didn’t yield too dark of a color, didn’t irritate my skin and gave an even finish. Let me tell you, I have FINALLY found something that I feel is literally mistake proof and gives the most gorgeous results - oh, and it’s super easy to use!

Tan-Luxe Face Illuminating drops is most definitely an absolute must have - even if you just want to maintain a year-round glow to your face! They come in light/medium and medium/dark, I get the medium/dark, of course, go big or go home, right!?

All you do is mix about 4 drops with your favorite face moisturizer and apply all over your face and neck (don’t forget behind the neck and a light application to the ears, it’s all in the detail babe!)

Lastly…

HANDS:

I discovered this method for self tanning my hands and well, it’s a game changer! Before this method, I was using my almost dry mitt to lightly buff my hands and fingers and while that worked out ok, it never turned out perfect and I knew there was a better way! The Illuminating Self Tan Water form Tan-Luxe is phenomenal for hands!

Tan-Luxe The Water Hydrating Self-Tan Water Light - Medium

To apply, hold your hand over your bathroom sink or a paper towel, spread your fingers far apart and mist the tanning water on your hands from about 10 inches away just until your hand is covered. The mist will lightly fall between your fingers making sure you don’t end up with white/light spaces. You can also do the same to your feet. I swear, this gives the most airbrush finish and it’s pretty much fool proof.

Now that you’ve applied self tanner from head to toe, it’s time to air dry. I try to wait a least 15 minutes before wearing my loose clothes but if I’m in a rush, I’ll use my hair dryer on cool air to help speed things up.

That’s it, You’re ready for bed! If you want to stay up and watch Netflix, I just recommend that you cover your couch or chair with the spare sheet you plan to sleep with. As mentioned, practice really does make perfect and you’ll find that once you get this down, the process is pretty quick.

I hope this helps you achieve the perfect glow for your big day or for your next special event. Let me know how it goes in the comments below and if you have an amazing tanning tip - do share!

How to: Flawless Self Tan

How to: Flawless Self Tan

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