Self Tanning Routine

I love being tan and having bronzed skin, however I wasn’t blessed with the tan gene- nor do I want to get skin cancer or premature wrinkles from getting to much sun..so I started self tanning at home! I’ve had my fair share of self tanning fails- who hasn’t?! After lots of practice and trying different products, I’ve found my favorites and have a regular self tanning routine!

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The photo on the left is before and on the right is after

Supplies Needed:

Sugar and/or loofah

Self Tanner - Purchase Here Applicator Mitt - Purchase Here

Morphe Brush (M439) - Purchase Here

Big Towel (if you use a white one you can just bleach it if any tan gets on it!)

Baggy Pajamas

Tanning Spray - Purchase Here

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The Process

Step 1: I do this about once every other week, it will last even longer then that but I prefer to do it about every two weeks. In order for your tan to look good, you need to take off your old tan or just buff off all the deal skin cells and gunk on your body. Along with exfoliating you need to shave, which also exfoliates your body! If you apply a tan onto skin that hasn’t been shaven it will be splotchy and not what you want! You can buy specific body exfoliators but one of my beauty secrets is to use sugar, yes just plain sugar! Sugar is a natural exfoliator, I just pour some into a bowl and then add a little water to it and rub it in circular motions all over, next I wash my body with a loofah, and then shave!

Step 2: Do NOT moisturize your body, if you’re moisturized the tan won’t stick to it- you want to use dry skin. If you’re nervous about getting splotchy apply a little body butter or lotion to you knees, feet, elbows, and hands to make sure the tan won’t stick as much to those areas!

Step 3: The tanner I use has a color guard, which means it goes on dark which I really like because then I can see exactly where I’ve covered and where I haven’t. First, I grab my mitt and put a few pumps of tanner on it and start rubbing it on my arms and to my chest/neck, use circular motions and always pull/rub towards your heart instead of away! To prevent streaks, use a mitt- seriously a mitt is a game changer!! After I’ve rubbed the tanner on I will dab over everything to ensure there is no streaks. I will apply it to my back and stomach as well- I like to stand in the bathroom and look in the mirror while I do it because I can see if I miss any spots. I also use my Morphe brush to rub the tanner over my elbows to do extra blending, this isn’t necessary but I like to do it for extra blending because you can never be to blended!! I do not put the tanner on my face, because I do have sensitive skin I don’t want to break out and I exfoliate my face a few times a week and it would just rub off the tan. I have a foundation that’s the same shade as when I’m tanned so you can’t tell that my face is lighter unless if I’m not wearing makeup.

Step 4: Then I apply the tanner to my legs, I put a few pumps on it and following the same techniques, rub with the mitt and then go over and dab everything with the mitt to ensure there’s no streaks. I will use the brush over my knees and around my ankles. I rarely get more tanner on the mitt when I get to my feet, I like to be careful to not put to much on my feet because I want it to look even. Make sure to get in between your toes and l like to even bend my toes to get in the knuckles so I don’t have white spots there. After I’ve done my whole body I will grab my brush and a little bit of tanner and blend on my hands, remember a little goes a long way and bend your fingers as well to get in between the knuckles.

Step 5: After my tan is completely applied I like to hang out and make sure that I am dried completely before putting on pajamas, I wear loose/baggy pajamas (if you don’t want till it’s dried completely you will transfer tan onto your clothes) and I don’t crawl in bed right away, I’ll hang out and work on the blog, watch some tv, get on social media, do laundry, etc while waiting to completely dry. Then I’ll put on my clothes and get into bed, if you’re worried about transferring to your sheets you can always lay a towel down, (use a white towel because you can just bleach it if any tan gets on it!!) but if you’re completely dry it shouldn’t transfer at all.

Step 6: Leave the tanner on for as long as possible, but make sure you’re not getting wet otherwise you’ll get water streaks in your fresh tan!! Seriously you can leave it on for 24 hours, the longer the tan is on the longer it sinks into the skin! I leave it on over night and I’ll take a shower in the morning unless if I’m just hanging around the house I will leave it on all day and take a shower later!! When I take a shower, I like to take a quick one because I only want to wash off the tan residue not the actual tan! I wash my body, but I don’t use a loofah because exfoliating would cause the tan to come off sooner!

Step 7: After I shower, I moisturize my body and to do this I use my tanning lotion (linked above) to continue to add a little color to my skin and then I will use my spray tan on any spot that I feel like lost color (typically my legs, arms, and chest!) the spray dries pretty quickly and I’ve never had issues with it transferring to my clothes but I wait and make sure I’m completely dry before getting dressed!

*** I repeat step 7 after every time, or almost every time, I shower to keep up on my tan (totally optional, but it allows the tan to last longer!)

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Tips and Tricks:

If you get it to much tanner on your hands, wash your hands and then apply a whitening tooth paste and let it sit for about a minute or so and then rinse off! Your hands will feel a little tingly/minty but it helps remove some tan! (Be sure to not let it run down your arms though, you don’t want streaks)