Beauty
March 3, 2016

How I Self-Tan At Home Before A Trip..

 

 

 

 

 

COVER-UP: Elan | BLUSH PROFILE SWIMSUIT: Top / Bottoms | HAT: Brixxton | BAG: Steve Madden (also here) | SANDALS: Valentino (dupes HERE) | CACTUS IPHONE CASE: Sonix (on sale!) | NECKLACE: Gorjana | SUNGLASSES: Revolve
 
This is a one size fits all dress – I wore it as a cover up though! The sleeves are the major selling point – wayyy too cute. 
 
That past two months I’ve had an overwhelming about of questions regarding what kind of self-tanner I use before & during trips.. I wanted to go ahead and cover that step-by-step. (I was born with a rare disease that keeps me from being able to spend much time in the sun so I swear by self tanners & spray tans to keep some color on my skin.)
 
1. The night before I go on a trip I always go to a local place that has Mystic Tan booths. I like Versa Spa and Mystic tan equally. I don’t necessarily do anything before I tan – I just make sure I’ve showered, shaved, etc. that way I won’t have to do that the next day (shaving makes your tan go away faster!). Also, make sure you don’t have super dry skin when you go to a Mystic Tan booth, but also make sure you don’t have lotion on your skin when you go to the booth bc it may not stick to your skin as well. Oh – also, I always always get the darkest shade! (If you are a fellow Tulsan, I like Tan Your Moon best!)
 
2. Now to maintain the tan while I’m on a trip, I always pack two lotions. One that is super moisturizing and another that has gradual tanner inside of it… The gradual tanner one is the one I use at night but the moisturizing one I use in the AM. This just allows for your skin to stay super hydrated while also not losing color. (And by gradual self tanner it could be drug store like Jergens or something a bit stronger like THIS one.)
 
3. If you are not big on getting spray tans or you want to do this at home — I have two self tanners that I always keep in my bathroom. The first one is THIS ONE by St. Tropez. I purchased this in Aspen and wasn’t sure if it would even work bc I have tried tons of St. Tropez products and didn’t like them, but this one made me SO brown! The next one is more affordable, it’s called St. Moriz (you can get it HERE) and every person I’ve recommended it to tells me they are obsessed. For both of these – make sure you have a mitt on hand! Do not use your hands! I always pick up new mitts when I go to Ulta bc they run BOGO sales. (I buy cheap mitts, not the expensive ones.. ie. THIS ONE.) Oh, I should explain – the reason I always buy the darker shades is because light & medium don’t do much for my skin tone. For example, Caitlin and I purchased a medium shade while on our trip and neither of us saw it show up at all. **Okay… adding this in.. I also love Xen-Tan. It makes you brown (as opposed to orange) & wears well also!)
 
Lastly, I have THIS product in my shower – it actually does work. BUT, you have to leave it on for 3 minutes and for some of us..it’s hard to find time to stand in the shower for 3 minutes trying not to get wet. But it is good stuff.
 
Okay! I hope this helps you all!!! Let me know if you have a secret weapon for self tanning – would love to hear about it!!!
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42 thoughts on “How I Self-Tan At Home Before A Trip..”

  6. You should try Erin at Innerglow (she airbrushes) in Bixby. Its the BEST tan you will ever get. Not to mention she is amazing – like tans celebrities amazing

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  14. Unless I have sunscreen on I will burn. But that stuff that you can use in the shower sounds amazing! I'll have to check out the other products that you mentioned too. Love your coverup in this photos too!! 🙂

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  15. I have St. Tropez and I really like it.. I also use Loving Tan and it is amazing!! Gives you a natural olive/tan tone and I find it lasts longer than St.Tropez!! You just have to buy it online. You should definitely try it!! I am sure you will love it. Also!! If you try the Jergens Natural Glow with the firming it's almost like a dupe for the St.Tropez one and I am sure a lot cheaper!! ♡♡

    Design The Life You Love
    @mrshaleyelliott

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  16. I've heard great things about loving tan too! They sent me their product and it did not look good at all! SO splotchy on me:( But the color is pretty! I actually mentioned the Jargons in the this post – I using the firming one also! It's so good!!

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  21. I love the Rodan+Fields foaming self tanner! It smells great, does not streak, lasts for almost a week and is affordable! I don't sell it, just use it…but I always snag a bottle when a consultant has a flash sale. Great post. Thanks for the recommendations!!

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  24. Yes I did find that if your skin is really dry when you apply it, the tan flakes off a lot faster. Maybe try it again once the "winter dry skin" goes away!! 🙂

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  25. Definitely the way to go is spray tan. That's all I'll do now. The person has seen so many bodies, I'm pretty sure it doesn't faze them. I need to buy some of the self tanner recs. I am stark white at the moment. Beautiful pics. Oh, I got the mink pink dress and it is the bomb. I tell everyone that the clothes in my closet are hand picked by Emily Gemma.

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  26. You should check TanWise self tanner out (available at Sally's)! Its really inexpensive but it is great. It has a colorguard that is still wearable so you can put it on during the day, and the color has the same type of green base tone like the St. Tropez, so you get more brown than orange. It is the only other self tanner I've found besides St. Tropez that fades with zero splotching. They have a spray and a lotion…the spray is more concentrated and you get a little darker but the lotion is easier to apply. Mitts(Or my personal fav—Powder Free Rubber Gloves that I buy in bulk…so cheap and effective!) are a must though! I love the Nivea Sun-kissed gradual tanner to keep mine up because it is soooo hydrating on my dry skin, but its not heavy. It keeps the color up without changing the tone. BEST Part is that both of these have very minimal "fake tan" smell! I cannot stand that smell so I'm picky about them haha:)

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  36. Thank you so much for this post!! I've been hoping you'd make one about how you fake tan 🙂 I have a question though… do you put any of these tanners on your face? Or do you wear a darker foundation/bronze it up to 400% hahah I've just been going a little crazy with my bronzer to match but wondering what you have been doing because I'm afraid if I bring it on to my face, I'll break out or something horrific like that.

    Thanks Emily!

    Reply

  39. I accidentally got the st. moriz lotion instead of the moose. Have you used it? I have very pale skin and while I love spray tans I just don't have to time to do the keep up. What would be your favorite at home?

    Reply

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