The Best Self-Tanner For People Who Hate Self-Tanners

We get it. There are many reasons to hate sunless tanning. It can look streaky or patchy, have a strong chemical smell or even give away its faux-glow status with an unnatural orange hue. But if you’ve noticed any of these issues when you’ve self-tanned in the past, that doesn’t mean you should give up on sunless tanning forever. It could simply mean that your sunless tanning game could use a little practice. Or, even more likely, it’s time to find a better self-tanner. Enter L’Oréal Paris Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Water Mousse, the perfect product for newbies and experts alike. Find out why this foolproof self-tanning mousse looks completely natural (even on pale skin), and then learn how to prep your skin, apply the mousse with confidence and make the colour last for the best fake tan of your life.

The best self-tanner for skeptics

Even if you know every trick in the book for building a beautiful faux glow, your knowledge will be wasted if you don’t have the right product in your arsenal. To fall in love with sunless tanning, you need a self-tanner that’s easy to apply and give you a natural colour and finish. The answer? L’Oréal Paris Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Water Mousse. It’s a lightweight water mousse that’s completely streak-free and provides buildable colour so you can choose the intensity of your tan. It also dries down quickly, so it won’t transfer pigment to your garments. But what truly makes it the best sunless tanner around is the formula, which is enriched with coconut water and vitamin E to hydrate as it tans. (Plus, it has a delicious coconut smell. Yum!)

Your toolkit

• A skin scrub, dry brush or loofah
• Moisturizer
• A tanning mitt
• L’Oréal Paris Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Water Mousse

How to self-tan: Prep

Once you’ve found your perfect product, the next important part of self-tanning is how you prepare your skin. In the shower the day before, carefully dry brush on dry skin or exfoliate damp skin with a sugar scrub or loofah. Pay extra attention to rough, dry areas like the knees and elbows, as dry skin tends to absorb sunless tanner at a faster rate. Shave the day before as well, since self-tanner can collect as tiny specks in freshly shaven hair follicles, and then moisturize your entire body. On the day of application, skip deodorant or wash it off prior to self-tanning and add a bit of moisturizer to any areas that are prone to patchiness, like the knees, elbows and backs of the ankles and between the toes and fingers.

How to self-tan: Application

You’re now ready to start applying your mousse! Always use a tanning mitt for application so your palms don’t turn dark, and work in a methodical fashion—bottom to top. Using a circular motion, rub L’Oréal Paris Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Water Mousse over every inch of your skin, taking care not to miss spots or leave extra product to collect in certain areas. When self-tanning your face, blend the product into your hairline. Let the mousse dry before getting dressed, and avoid showering for eight hours to allow the tan to deepen.

How to self-tan: Light or deep?

Since L’Oréal Paris Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Water Mousse has a buildable formula, you can apply it multiple times in a week to intensify your tan. This format is perfect for pale skin because it allows you to customize the shade without going straight to dark in one shot. Now all you have to decide is if you want a subtle glow or noticeably tanned skin.

How to self-tan: Make it last

Now that you have your perfect natural-looking tan, you want to make it last for as long as possible. Moisturized tans have way better longevity than tans that are left to dry out, so moisturize with a rich body lotion or oil every single day and even apply a layer of body oil as a barrier before getting in the shower. To ensure that your tan fades evenly without speckles or patches, gently exfoliate every couple of days. Also feel free to reapply a new layer of self-tanning mousse after a few days to keep your colour going strong.