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How do you feel about having a tan? Because as much as I go on and on about the importance of sun smart behavior, I have a confession to make: I love it when my skin looks tanned. Might be because I grew up in the 80s when being a bronzed beach babe was the look to go for, might be because my natural complexion is less porcelain skin and more sicklish-yellow, whatever the reason, I am constantly torn.
Torn between knowing that the long term effects getting a tan from the sun aren’t good for me – and I have my fair share of hyperpigmentation and sun damage to show already – and at the same time longing for this sun kissed look. On my face, and especially as I got older and went through two pregnancies that graced my legs with scars, spider veins and similar unsightly changes, on my body as well. (More info: The different types of hyperpigmentation explained)
The solution? Self Tan. Which I was really bad at until I sat down and worked out a routine almost impossible to get wrong. So today let me share my Ultimate Beginners Guide on How to Self Tan and what I think of the Coco and Eve Self Tanner products I am using at the moment, the Coco and Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam in Dark and the Coco and Eve Antioxidant Face Tanning Micromist.
Tell me in the comments: Do you prefer having a tan or do you think the paler, the better?
The problem with self tanning
I have tried self tanner several times before, but was never happy with the results: Either I ended up with weird streaks or my legs didn’t change color at all except for dark patches around ankles and knees. And if I managed an application that was, in dim lighting and if I took out my contacts, even enough to not make me look like a zebra, it more often than not turned into a shade of orange that made me look like an extra at Willy Wonka’s factory.
It was only the fact that I knew people that seemed to effortlessly self tan year round that made me reluctant to simply give up, so I turned to them and said: “Teach me your ways”.
How to prepare for the perfect self tan
The first mistake is to approach the self tanning process unprepared. No matter if you tan your legs or your face, you need a clean, dry and smooth surface. Don’t attempt to tan directly after hair removal, especially if you epilate like I do. Instead, exfoliate the night before you plan to self tan, either with a physical exfoliant like a body brush or, what I prefer on my body as well as on my face, with a chemical exfoliant.
I have been using the innbeauty Project Body Bright & Smooth Body Serum that combines both AHA as well as BHA, so gives me a smooth surface and helps with ingrown hairs and Keratosis pilaris. (More info: How to get rid of Keratosis pilaris and The benefits of acids in skincare explained)
In addition it contains Tranexamic Acid and a Vitamin C derivative that have absolutely no effect on self tan, but will make the skin look more even over time. For me around three times a week is a good frequency to keep my legs and the backs of my arms smooth, but depending on your skin it could be used more frequently. (More info: The benefits of Tranexamic Acid in skincare explained and The benefits of Vitamin C in skincare explained)
I exfoliate at night and then moisturize the next morning to make sure my skin has no dry patches. Moisturizing right before self tan is not a good idea, so if you don’t want to self tan again at night, as I do, I would recommend moisturizing at least three hours beforehand.
How to best apply self tan
The second mistake I used to make is to get whatever was on offer in my local drugstore as self tan – while there are amazing affordable ones out there, quite often the product used limits the results you can achieve. Take the orange color for example: It depends on the self tan you chose and no hack with application can change this outcome. Good thing there are so many reviews out there by now that can help you pick one that leaves you golden, not Oompa-Loompa.
Another important feature to look out for when you pick a self tan is checking if it has a guiding color, meaning if the product itself leaves your skin dark when applied even before the tan starts to develop. That way you can see where you already applied tan and where you didn’t, reducing the risk for streaks tremendously.
You also need to use the right tool: a tanning mitt will help spread the tan more evenly and protect you from dark palms. I have tried several different ones, ranging from very cheap from my drugstore, can’t recommend, over the St Moritz version (1 mitt for 6 €) most of you will be familiar with and that worked pretty well over to my latest one, the Coco and Eve Soft Velvet Tanning Mitt (1 mitt for 11 €). To be fair, the main difference between the St Tropez one and the one from Coco and Eve is convenience, as the thumb prevents it from sliding around when you move up and down your legs – both work equally good in how they distribute the product on the skin.
Regarding the best application technique there are two different recommendations: Either you work your way up with short strokes or you apply the tan using circular motions. For me only the latter worked – short upward strokes always lead to streaks – so I start by shaking my bottle, applying self tan to the mitt, distributing that tan on my leg and then work the tan in using circular motions and going upwards. First I spare my knees and ankles and as last step, using only the leftovers of tan on the mitt, brush over my knees and down wards on my feet to blend out the tan.
Depending on the kind of tan you picked, you need to let it sit for several hours. While you can get dressed once it is fully absorbed, you should avoid excessive sweating or other activities that get your body wet until you are ready to rinse it all off. Coco and Eve says it takes two hours for their tan to develop, but after two hours on my legs nothing had changed, I needed to let it develop over night to get results I was happy with.
Now I am not sure if the Coco and Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam is ideal for beginners as it has no strong guidance color. As you could see in the video linked when I applied it, there was a hint of color, but not enough to really show me where I had already applied. That being said I managed to apply it streak free 95% of the time and it gave me a beautiful golden tan that looked very natural.
If you want to practice with something else first, the St. Moritz PROFESSIONAL XL INSTANT SELF TANNING MOUSSE makes it easier to see where you already put your product, but I personally love the results I get from the Coco and Eve one more.
How to take care of your skin after you self tanned
Once you have showered off the remaining self tan, it is important to keep the skin well moisturized to make the tan stay on as long as possible. The drier your skin gets, the quicker it will flake off unevenly. As self tan can be drying in itself, you might need more than you usially do.
For me, Coco and Eve lasts around four days until it starts to fade, which is about the same as others. Once it fades, it fades evenly and doesn’t get patchy. I just wake up one morning, look at my legs and see all the bruises and spider veins clearly visible against the paleness and know, it is time to tan again – not a problem as the whole process takes 15 minutes at most, preparation not included. If you tan your whole body, that will obviously be more, but I am quite happy with tanning only my legs and my face.
How to apply self tan to your face
Speaking of face, I do not recommend using a self tan that develops like the ones on the body there. It will work fine 9 times out of 10, and right before an important day in your life you will get streaks. And unlike on your legs where you can pick the maxi skirt over the mini and cover it up, on your face it will show. No, for my face I prefer something more gradual, preferably with added skincare benefits so it doesn’t feel so much like an extra step.
I have talked about the Tan Luxe Super Glow Hyaluronic Acid Self Tan Serum (30 ml for 29,45 €, full review here) a few years ago, but as I want as little steps as possible in my summer routine, I decided to try the Coco and Eve Antioxidant Face Tanning Micromist instead.
In addition to tanning this face mist claims to hydrate and offer antioxidant properties through a variety of plant extracts, and I can confirm that it leaves my combination skin feeling comfortable if I cleanse and then apply this mist and wait.
The waiting process is needed to make sure the product is fully absorbed before you continue with the rest of your routine to provide streaks, and while the website tells you 30 seconds should be enough for that, I personally wait at least ten minutes – I really do not want to take any chances when it comes to tanning my face.
My full routine looks like that:
Cleanse and then apply the face mist once I patted my skin dry. To do that I wear a head band to protect my hair – more important if you have light hair – close my eyes, press my lips together and then spray in circular motions from around 20 cm distance. This means several pumps as it does not have a continuous spraying mechanism. Directly after spraying I take a damp cloth and lightly go around my hair line and my eye brows – damp, not wet! If I don’t do this, chances are that product accumulates there, making it look darker than the rest of my face.
Afterwards I wait for ten minutes and continue with my regular routine. The effects should be visible after around six hours, so using it overnight is a good idea, but quite frankly: If I applied it just once, the results are so subtle I barely notice them myself. To be expected with a product offering gradual tanning and making it extra fool proof, but what I did was that on the weekend, I applied it once in the mornings and once at night, which gave me a lovely sun kissed glow, and then kept it up by using the product every other night.
Neither this nor the Tan Luxe serum I mentioned before will give you a dark tan or require you to change your foundation shade, but both make you look better rested and healthy, an effect that I personally love, especially in summer when I wear lighter coverage. If that is worth the price though is a personal decision, not everyone wants to spend 21 € on such subtle effects.
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