Indoor, Outdoor, and Self Tanning

So summer is right around the corner and although being tan is not a necessity, personally it is something that makes me feel more confident. It gives me more options in colors I can wear without being washed out which is always nice. Those lilly dresses always look better with a tan! I have done many different methods of getting a tan and I wanted to share with you my techniques and pros and cons.

I want to start out with saying I am pretty pale skinned so my normal tan in the summer without any help is red because I burn so easily. With that in mind lets get started.

Before this year I decided I could not tan to save my life and self tanner would be a great easy alternative. I tried gradual tanners, lotions, and towelettes here are some of my favorites.

Self Tanners

This is the Neutragena Build a tan tanner. This is one that takes awhile to get a nice tan. I did not like this very much because it was very greasy, had to be applied everyday if I wanted a tan to show up and did not last very long before tan faded.








This IS the Jergens Natural Glow. This is hands down one of the best self tanners I have ever used. It was easy to apply and was easy to make even. Also It did not have a bad smell when it was applied which is always nice. It did take awhile to dry which made my sheets become discolored which did not make my mom to happy, but I love this product and will always go back to it when I need a self tanner. This also lasts pretty long and builds on very well to get a nice dark tan. 

This is the Banana Boat Summer color, this is one my mom randomly decided to pick up one day and try. The first time we got it, it was the lightest color which did not do anything (remember I am really pale so thats sad). Then we got the next one at the medium color and it did give a pretty nice color. Although the large downfall is that it did not last very long and had to be applied a lot to keep the color on. 

Tanning towels are another type of self tanner I decided to try. These are the Loreal Paris sublime bronze towels. These were great! They are so easy to apply because you literaly are just rubbing a towel all over your body. I never had any issues with streaking but I will say that my co workers who tried it said that they had some streaking issues when using this product so it may have to do with the skin type. The downside to this product is that depending on the body type it may take more than one towel per use which can get pretty pricey when there are only six towels in a box and your paying almost $8 per box. Like I said though I loved this product and would go back to it if I needed a nice fast faux tan. 

When I am putting on all of these products I have listed I always use Ocean Potions ever glow lotion right after application. This is a very subtle gradual tanner that helps even out the self tanner. I also will use this tanner after outdoor tanning because it helps keep my skin moisturized which helps my tan last so much longer! 

Along with using the ever glow after applying the tanners I always recommend using some sort of glove to apply the self tanner. If you do not then you will get orange palms or orange in between your fingers that is hard to get rid of! For this I like to use the St. Tropez application glove. It works so well and to reuse you just throw it in the washer and its just like new. You can buy these either with the St. Tropez lotion or on amazon seperatly.




Outdoor Tanning

This is the typical tanning method since it is free and does not take much product unless you want to get that tan faster. I will say I always recommend using a sunscreen that helps you tan, but still has SPF because skin cancer is real and the last thing you want is to burn!

The sunscreen I recommend is going to be the Hawiian Tropic sheer touch. This product comes in many SPF. The version I have that is pictured is the shimmer effect (has sparkles) which is supposed to help with tanning, which I agree definitely helps my tanning ability. If you are not into looking like a vampire from Twilight than I would recommend getting the version in the brown or white bottle. This product smells like coconuts and is drys very well also. I would recommend 30 SPF for someone who burns easily like me.



This product is the Banana Boat Tanning Oil spray. This is the product I will use after I have a noticeable base tan. The one I have is 8 SPF which is a very low amount, but it does come in 15 SPF which may be more beneficial for some skin types. This is a  tanning oil so it will attract the UV rays which means you should not stay out to long with this product on without other protection. All of that aside I love this product and it does help with darkening my tan.




Indoor Tanning
This is something that many people would not even think about doing, but for some people it is an easy way to get there tans going. I recently started indoor tanning to hopefully keep me from burning on vacations this summer. I will say I only use the level 1 tanning bed for five minutes to refrain from burning. Since I have not been doing this very long I do not have many products I recommend, but if anyone has products they love or hate just comment below!

First product is goggles!! These are mandatory to have in most tanning salons so for the most part you have no choice. If you do have the choice make sure you are wearing them because the light can cause many eye issues like cataracts or possibly making you blind. Don't let them try and sell you those really expensive ones though because they will all work the same as long as you have a pair.





When you go into the tanning salon you will see a wall of tanning lotions you can purchase, thats fine to buy one but those are $50+ which is a little much. The one I have been using is European Gold Dark Star 100x which is less than $10 at Walmart! Also it came with a free pair of goggles which saved me an extra $5. I love this product and it works just as well as those expensive products at the salon. I have heard this from many other people at the salon also. It also helps from the fading of your tattoos which is great!




After I tan in any way I always use the Ocean Potion Ever Glow right after to keep the tan last longer. I would always recommend you have some sort of after tan procedure with a lotion because that will just make your tan look so much better for longer!
I hope you got some good tips on products for having a gorgeous tan this summer! If you want more tips or you have some leave them in the comments id love to see what I can do to make my tan better!


XOXO Carissa Ann