My self tanning routine & how to tell what kind of self tanner is right for you

Self tanning for me has been a journey. It’s only taken me a few years to finally find the products I love and that work for me. I tried the last of the tanning items I wanted before giving my full review to you all and I’m so ready to share!

I use three tanning products in my routine and two of the three are tried and true, while the other is more of a recent find. I’ll touch base on each one and my thoughts on it, but I want to talk a little about my skin type in case you’re anything like me. I also want to talk about how to find a self tanner that works for you!

finding a self tanner

If you turn your hand over and look at your wrist, you’ll be able to see the color of your veins and if they are more purple, blue, or green.

purple – cool

blue – neutral

green – warm

Have you ever gotten a self tanner, pumped it on your tanning mitt, and wondered why it looks a little purple or green? Green and purple are sometimes added to help neutralize the undertone our skin naturally has to give off a more even, flawless, and natural tan! The best way to explain it is talking about color canceling with blonde hair. If a blonde wants to get rid of any yellow/gold tones in their hair, they will use purple shampoo to help cancel out any of that yellow/gold to get a pretty cool blonde. If a blonde wants to get rid of any orange/red tones, they will use a blue shampoo or a green toner(scary, right?) to help cancel out any that unwanted orange/red. Same goes for our skin!

My veins are very purple. I have to use a self tanner that has a purple color to it and that helps to keep my skins natural tone look natural, when mixed with the self tanner. If I were to use a self tanner with green I will have a very strong orange hue. I’ve learned the hard way many times on this haha.

If you are someone that has more warmth to your skin (pink/red/olive) than a self tanner that pumps out with a little bit of a green hue is wonderful for you! It’s not only going to give you a beautiful natural tan but it will help to cancel out any red that your skin may produce. If you have more warmth and you use a self tanner with more of a purple undertone nothing bad is going to happen! I give these examples just to give a better understanding.

I like bringing the tones up because it’s a great place to start if you don’t know what to look for in a self tanner. There are many self tanners that are a one size fits all and it can be very discouraging getting into self tanning only to be completely orange. Been there..done that..and it sucks.

Starting off I have the self tanner that I use on my face. Isle of Paradise was insanely popular last year to the point you couldn’t get your hands on it! I did a huge blog post review on their self tanning mousse and their drops that can be found here. The company saw my post and was kind of enough to send me nearly all of their products to try and this right here is my favorite.

These are the Self Tanning Drops in the shade Medium and it’s for the face and body. I first tried it on my legs and didn’t feel like I was getting an even application (user error here), so I’ve stuck to using it just on my face and I love it. I probably use it every other night and I’ll do 2-3 drops in my moisturizer. I can’t use normal self tanner on my face due to breaking out and have yet to have any breakouts from this!

You want to know how I know this is the self tanner for me? I have gone through multiple bottles of this and that is coming from someone who has never been able to finish a tanning bottle. For starters, I have never received a compliment on my tan until using this. I don’t even know where to begin with the Loving Tan tanning mouse…I truly love it that much! I typically use the shade medium and went for the dark this last time to try it out. I think dark will be my summer color while medium will be my winter. The application of the self tanner is so forgiving and the smell is non existent. Big plus over here!

For application I use a fabric mitt from Amazon that I have linked above and it’s helps to spread the product. The mitt is also double sided and makes the application very easy. I’m able to really get into all the creases and what-not without any issues. The self tanner itself is a little more purple when going on and instantly gives a beautiful glow. A major plus is instantly being able to see where I have applied and it dries right away. I’ve used both the 2-hour Express and then the deluxe bronzing and prefer the deluxe bronzing over the express.

This is the newest to my tanning routine and it’s a keeper. I really like having a gradual tanning lotion and I’ve had a really hard time finding one that didn’t turn my hands orange (even after washing them) and my body. This was a product I purchased from the influence of other bloggers and HSN having a crazy good sale, and I’m really glad to have caved. The Tan-Lux The Butter gives a beautiful instant glow and the tan that develops is very natural

Tan-Lux is a little more of a pricy line so I’m only linking the smaller bottle of The Butter for you guys. The one I have in the picture is regularly $90 and was on sale for $38…a big reason as to why I snagged it haha.

how I apply self tanner

I feel like everyone applies their self tanner different so I’ll just share what I do. I typically start on my feet and do my neck last. I personally don’t like moving my arms for a little after application so I like to touch those last. It’s like a big tanning no-no to put self tanner on the feet and hands but I never follow that rule haha. When I do apply to my feet and hands I’ll let them sit for a little bit, rinse them with a little water than apply lotion immediately to help blend what I rinsed off with what’s on my legs/arms. I also do the lotion method on my knees and elbows to keep the tan from getting darker on dry spots. I’ve done it this way for all my life and it’s worked for me.

This post does contain affiliate links.

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xx-Kendra