Looking tanned makes us happy. There, we said it. Our clothes look better. Our skin looks younger. Our arms and legs, more toned.
Despite our love for the bronze however, you couldn’t pay us to bake under the rays to get it! Not a chance. We did enough sun damage in our youth, thank you very much. And no one stays out of the sun better than our founder, Cathy! Did you see the gloves she wore on a recent run? Michael Jackson, channel us now.
But that’s not to say we don’t keep a healthy glow. Far from it. After years of experimenting with sunless tanners, spray, gels and lotions, we’ve narrowed down a few of our favourite formulas.
Making our list are those that are easiest to apply (a mousse most often), do not streak (repeat, do not!), leave us looking orange or smelly. For application, we always use a mitt for even, smooth coverage. That’s after we’ve exfoliated our skin, except our ankles and feet! Using the mitt, we’ll rub-in some moisturizer so the tanning product blends better.
Most often, we’ll do all of the above at night time before bed. In the morning, we’ll take a quick rinse shower, apply more moisturizer, and we’re off – looking bronzed and beautiful!
If you’re ready to get your glow-on, here are our top-5 formulas:
Jergen’s Instant Sun Mousse
Where drugstore brands go, this mousse by JERGENS is it. It’s light and airy texture dries super quick (a minute or less) and gives streak-free results when applied with a mitt. Another bonus, unlike other JERGENS formulas we’ve tried, this one doesn’t have a strong odour.
Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Mousse
The brand that never disappoints, Vita Liberata gives a deep, delicious bronze without any parabens, sulfates or Phthalates. For longer lasting coverage, we like the 2-3 week pHenomenal tanning mousse. It goes on evenly without streaks, and doesn’t sweat-off during workouts.
The Organic Pharmacy Self Tan
A homeopathic and holistic-based brand from the UK, this formula by The Organic Pharmacy contains beet-sourced DHA, the active ingredient for tanning, along with aloe vera, coconut oil and jojoba among other clean ingredients. Gives a nice, even glow with added moisture too.
La Mer’s The Face and Body Gradual Tan
The luxe of skincare, this lotion by La Mer delivers glowing, radiant, colour without looking ‘too done’. Steak-free and face-friendly too, it contains La Mer’s coveted nutrient-rich ‘Miracle Broth’, oh yes. So good, it’s in our beauty kit at all times.
L’Oreal Sublime Instant Tan
For the quickest way to get a rich body glow, L’Oreal’s Sublime Bronze is a drug store winner. Preferring the medium shade, we’ll add just a pinch to our moisturizer before lathering it on. And although it doesn’t stain clothing, be careful with whites, and allow a few minutes of dry-time.