Here Comes the Sun: Your Self-Tanning Guide

Take a look at the calendar. Yep, you're right to blink twice—it's time to break out your bathing suits because Memorial Day is upon us. At this point, the bikini diet is a lost cause, but it's never too late for the most important summer-prep beauty product: self-tanner.

PUT YOUR HANDS UP!
“And extend your arms outward, stand with your legs apart…” No, no! You're not getting frisked your getting your tan on with Fusion’s GlowFusion AirGlow. The company celebs love have come out with a new product that promises to us have us mere mortals glowing like a starlet. The AirGlow package comes equipped with a micro-nutrient tinted formula and (thank goodness for the 2nd amendment) spray gun, which sprays a mist of golden grace. Sound hard? Check out this handy guide.

SPRAY AWAY Prefer to leave the gun work to the pro's, but like the idea of an at-home spray tan? Don’t fear the mist! Take solace in the Bliss of knowing there is an answer. Bliss offers a Tan for all seasons, the new product that promises a streak free shine in the half the time (and sans the smell!) If lotion sets you in motion there are plenty of great tried and true products.

LOTION PROMOTION Clarins’ “Best of Sephora” nominee Gelee Auto-Bronzante Express (French for a fast and fab) is an instant body gel, whose lightweight and oil-free composition is ideal for any mademoiselle's face and body. Too Faced’s “Tanning Bed in a Tube” is all the amenities of a tanning salon without skin damage (and creepy men with no hair on their bodies). It’s a classic self-tanner lotion that gives you an instant bronze and gradual darkening.

TAN IN A BOX Want to look like you vaca-ed in St. Tropez, but don’t have the time/funds? Fake it with the St. Tropez Instant Tanning System! The 3-step process preps your skin with a body polisher and moisturizer and then finishes you off with the tinted self-tanner. Our friends across the pond at British Vogue report that two of our favorite pirates swear by this stuff.

TOWEL-ON TAN So there’s the spray, lotion and gel, but for those who march to the beat of your own drum, the good people from Tantowel have simplified your life. Two towellettes are all you need for an even head-to-toe glow. The tan lasts 5-7 days and, when you see shades of your former self reappear, just reapply. -Gabrielle Katz, Sephora

Posted in Expert Advice , sun