While I’m well acquainted with fighting areas of hyperpigmentation (remember that whole series I did on my melasma with weekly photo updates on how Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective was working?), I’m not so good with the self-tanning. I embraced the pale long ago, and I fully admit that I’m not speedy enough at application to regularly self-tan.
So, as soon as I got Amy’s question, I ran to my friend Sinead Norenius! Sinead is a total sweetheart, and she’s probably the biggest expert on self tanning in the US. I kid you not. She started as a beauty blogger with Self-Tanning Queen, but soon formulated her own self-tanner line with Beautisol. More recently, she’s a co-founder of iFabbo, an amazing organization pulling together beauty and fashion bloggers around the world.
She’s definitely best known for Beautisol. I snagged the pic above from her Facebook page (I know, I totally stole it!), and it probably looks a little familiar to you. Beautisol is the self-tanner that is frequently on HSN, and when on air they’ll tan half of their bodies so you can see the difference. It is amazing how natural this self tanner looks! Beautisol has been reviewed twice on 15 Minute Beauty (the first Beautisol review was by me, the second Beautisol review was by my cousin, Ellery). While I don’t usually self-tan, I fully admit that I’m currently thinking that I’ll do it in preparation for a vacation to Florida next month!
Anyways, now that you know why I immediately ran to Sinead with this question, here’s what she had to say.
Yes, keeping a “faux glow” while using lightening ingredients / products can be a bit tricky for sure as they tend to exfoliate the skin and tan off a lot faster than usual!
I usually advise my readers to self-tan their face more often than they would their body. I also recommend that they use a self-tanner that is specifically design for the skin on their face vs. their body especially if they are going to be reapplying it more often. (Beautisol offers two formulas – one for Normal-Dry-Sensitive Skin and one for Normal-Oily-Acne prone skin) It is just the nature of the beast but I do it all the time. I self-tan my body every 4 / 5 days but tan my face every other night and put it on last so I still have color a day or two later!
I hope that helps!
I’m a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!
thank you!
I have a little something to add, because I self-tan from spring through the tail end of summer and I always have a few "spots" I'm working on, or trying to fade. I apply self tanner in my usual manner. Immediately after I apply, (and wash my hands!) I take a q-tip dipped in my toner of choice and remove the self-tanner from the particular spot. This way, the spot doesn't get darker with the self-tanner and helps the skin look more even when self-tanned.