Favorite Self Tanners

​Today I'd like to talk about self tanner. Some that I really love, or I'm really enjoying so far. Also, will mention a few that I don't really care for or they just didn't do well for me as the others. I use self tanner quite a bit, if you ever see me really tan then it's usually a "faux tan". I'm a big fan of "spray tans" like the booth spray tans of Mystic Tan or Versa Spa for all over tan. I usually do that for events. The others I'm going to list is for at home use.

​I will only apply self tan with a mitt and a large kabuki brush on the face and neck. My preferred formula is mousse but there are some lotions that I like. In general though I'm gonna go for a mousse if I can. I'm not a big fan of sprays, its just too messy and easy to screw up on myself. I do not like gradual tanner especially in a lotion because I don't like have that added step at night and I forget to do it. So I'll do it once, maybe twice if you're lucky, and then just stop.

So to get to the point lets talk about my favorites:

St. Tropez Mousse: I like this in every mousse formula except the Dark. All the others I'm good with.  This is my go to and holy grail self tanning product. I like some of their other formulas as well. I recently tried their sheet mask thinking it was gonna be a disaster. It actualy worked out well but don't rub it in with your hands use a kabuki brush (duo fiber) and use gloves to put it on and take it off. The mousse is a very golden based tan. Which is why I love it so much. It stays on as well as any other self tanning product in my opinion.

Tan Physics Formula 12: I really like this. It's a lotion but I still use a mitt with it. It's a very subtle color. It applies evenly though which is why I love it. 

LA Luxury Tan Mousse: I found this at Wal-mart and bought the travel size which is more like 2 or 4 oz I think, and didn't think much of it. It was very inexpensive and I definitely think it's a hidden gem. I got medium deep because I like a noticeable tan. It was the best color to go with I think because it wasn't crazy dark. This has cosmetic black bronzers infused with it, which really freaked me out at first. However, it was a great color. It's also an even application for me and dries very quickly. It gives a slight bronze look immidiately but gets darker over night. Yes I use all my tanners at night. 

Vita Liberta Mousse: This is a popular one and while it's not my number 1 choice it is very good. Mainly because it's the best golden shade and it applies very easily and evenly. It's definitely more of a high end self tan but the formula reflects that as well. 

Tarte Brilliance: I've used the lotion in this and mainly on the face and it did very well. It's a more subtle color and has more of a glow to it. Like literally sunkissed skin. They also put out a mousse and I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to give it a whirl yet. 

Like I said I use tanning mitts to apply all these and for the face and neck I used a big kabuki brush like the Morphe M439 Deluxe Buffer. It's not massive but it's bigger than most buffing kabuki brushes for the face. Actually I learned the brush technique from Jaclyn Hill. It won't ruin the brush either, or it hasn't mine anyway. 

There are some others that are really popular that I've either not tried or didn't like. One of those being Loving Tan. I love the color of the 2 hour express but I have the hardest time applying it. Especially with their mitt. It looks very patchy and streaky on me so I'm not the biggest fan of it, even though everyone else loves it. Also not a big fan of Jergens lotion self tanner. I just don't care for it due to the smell and the color. 

So that's it. That's my favorite self tanners currently. I don't think any of them stay on longer than the others. I just don't buy into that because it's not been my experience. If you want the most even tan and longest wear then I recommend a booth spray but bear in mind to pay attention to directions and use barrier cream on the hands and feet so that they don't look atrocious. That's my only problem with spray tans, they're hard to look good on the hands and feet because your need to watch how you use the barrier cream. I hope this was helpful.