Beauty
03.09.17

My Self-tanning Routine

A question I frequently get asked by you guys is ‘What is your ethnicity?’ If you didn’t know or if you’re new here, I’m Lebanese! Being Lebanese, I have naturally olive skin and, when I’m in the sun I tan very easily (and get extremely dark). Alex always teases me and says I get tan walking to the car! But really, I do haha. I’ve never really been a fan of self-tanner (minus my freshman year of college, but that’s a whole other story probably best not revisited), mostly because I didn’t need it. However, the older I get, the more I realize how important it is to take care of your skin and not spend hours baking in the sun. So, recently I’ve decided to start dipping my toe (or whole body) into the world of self-tanners and thought I would share my routine.

STEP ONE // EXFOLIATE

I start by exfoliating my body! I’ve learned it’s best to use an exfoliant without oil. This step is important to remove any dead skin and help the self-anner apply evenly!

STEP TWO // HYDRATE

Then, I apply a little bit of moisturizer to my whole body. Don’t forget you hands and feet here (white hands and white is a no go)! Personally, I do this step first because my body skin has been so dry lately. My skin seems to be soaking up the lotion instantly and this ensures a smoother application of the self-tanner. A lot of people say to apply the lotion after the tanner, but for me applying it first works best – it’s just personal preference! If your skin is feeling hydrated you can opt to lotion up after you apply the tanner.

BYOB tip: I like to rub a little extra lotion on the more problem prone areas, which include my feet, ankles, knees and elbows.

STEP THREE // APPLY TANNER

I’ve learned that having a mitt to apply the self-tanner is a total must – I’ve been using this one. I put my mitt on and start applying the tanner. This and this are my two current favorites! I love the tan they give and the product is a darker color, so it’s easy to see if any spots were missed. I prefer to start with my legs and work my way up. I like to apply the tanner in front of a mirror so that I can double check how everything is looking!

What are your favorite self-tanners?

Hopefully this post is helpful for anyone looking to get their tan on this spring and summer!