Summer time means laying out on the beach and getting the perfect deep bronze tan while tossing back a few cocktails with your friends. Well, unless you’re working all day like me and just get virtually no sun. I’d like to call myself a ~sunless tan~ pro because, yes I’m that girl that looks like I’ve been to Mexico all year round. I’ve tried all the self tanning products you can imagine (high end and drugstore), so I’ve ranked them for you so you can stay away from the streaks and get to the perfect glow.
10. Tan Towels
This product really did not give me the results I was looking for. My main problem with the Tan Towels is that I was incredibly streaky after each use. This was primarily due to the fact that you can’t see where you’ve applied the product when you rub the towel onto your body. This meant I was strutting around town with bright white streaks down my legs… not the best look.
9. Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer
Jergens moisturizer is every middle schooler’s dream, and really a big throwback for me. I guess I started the self tanning a little early but this product was part of my peak tween years. It works well but I wouldn’t go back to it. The tan I did get was a little orange-y but it took many days and countless applications to achieve any color.
8. Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs
This product is great if you’re in a pinch. The classic, getting ready for an event and you look in the mirror 5 minutes before leaving and you realize you look pasty white. Well, I don’t know if it’s thaaaat classic, but it keeps happening to me. The Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs is really great for a one night tan. It only stays on until you wash it off, so it isn’t an ideal product to apply everyday.
7. L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Mousse
Well, I just checked the L’Oreal website and it seems like this product has been discontinued, and for a good reason. For a long time in my life this was my go to product. I loved the mousse instead of a lotion or spray, loved the color and loved all the comments I got about my color. The only downside was that I was occasionally streaky and more of an orange tone than deep brown. I ended up saying goodbye to my orange-y days caused by this product.
6. Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Self Tan
If you don’t know and love the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola bronzer then you’re truly living under a rock, or maybe I’m just too obsessed. But you can imagine how hyped I was to hear they were releasing a self tanning product. The product is super easy to apply and dries quite quickly, but the little color there is fades away fast. With a lot of layering many days in a row, the color is great. But I just don’t have time for that.
5. St. Tropez Misting Spray
A sneak peek to #1 on the list, I love St. Tropez and many of their products. This one however, isn’t my favorite and sadly isn’t on my re-buy list. The color is great and the tint is perfect but the application process is simply a bit of a nightmare. My bedroom was a cloud of mist for at least an hour after applying and the spray bottle made it difficult to get even coverage. Although I basically snuffed my roommate out of the room for the night, I’d use it again if necessary.
4. Fake Bake
I actually loved this product. Fake Bake got me a good golden bronze on the first use and the tan stays for about 3-4 days. It’s not at all orange and gives consistently even coverage. My only complaint, because of course I’ll have at least one, is that my bottle was super leaky and ruined one of my wallets. A really sad day in my life.
3. Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam
Bondi Sands is a current hot topic in the world of self tanners. It’s an Australian product that recently was made available in the U.S. The smell is amazing and unlike other tanners I’ve used, a great coconut scent that brings me straight to summer time. This product didn’t last as long as others that I’ve tried, but I definitely will give it another shot when I run out of my go-to.
2. St. Moriz Tanning Mousse
This is a great product if you’re ballin’ on a budget and looking for a really good duplicate of my #1. St. Moriz has a green tint to it so there’s no chance you’re going to be orange. I genuinely only have great things to say about it and the only reason I stopped using it was because I found myself reapplying it every day. But if my time wasn’t ~so valuable~ I’d be right back to tanning everyday.
1. St. Tropez Mousse
The long awaited #1 product, my beloved St. Tropez. I will admit that it took me a long time to actually jump on the band wagon with this one because I really couldn’t convince myself to pay the $40 for a tanning product. But once I did, I can confidently say I’ll never go back to my orange streaky days. This product literally takes me on a 10 day trip to Mexico in 1 hour and I absolutely love it. Sorry that I’m fully gushing right now but me and St. Tropez will be together forever.
There ya have it people, my list of the best tanning products finally ~revealed~. If you’re looking for my friends and I on a Thursday night, you can find us all applying our St. Tropez and getting that necessary weekend glow. I always strut to class on Friday’s beaming because I know my tan looks great.