Nothing like the last day of the month to bring you my Elle Apparel Monthly Edit! If you aren't familiar with this, it is where I round up 5 of my favorite products and tell you all about why I love them. These are usually products that I have used for a very long time. In order for a product to make my edit, it has to be a product that I would buy again once it runs out.
Since summer is around the corner and we will be spending most of our days at the pool and beach, I thought I would dedicate April's Edit to my very favorite tanners/bronzers. My days of tanning in the sun are pretty much over. I'm too busy with my kids now to actually lay out. Also, I'm a lot more health conscious than I was in college. I used to go tanning all the time trying to get "the perfect tan", but the reality is...my skin just doesn't tan very well. I'm more fair skinned and burn easily. I wished so bad that my skin wouldn't burn, but I've actually grown to be really confident in my own...well...skin. I think fair skin is beautiful! And with so much damage that the sun can cause, it just isn't worth it to expose your skin unprotected. But I prefer to have a little color on my skin. I've tried and tested so many tanners and bronzers over the years, and keep coming back to these 5 tanners. I love LOVE them! And here is why:
FakeBake Flawless: This sunless tanner is fantastic! There is so much that I love about it. It comes with rubber gloves and a mitt to help get even coverage. I put on the gloves, then the mitt on one hand (the tanner can soak through the mitt, so don't skip the gloves). The bottle is a spray bottle, and I spray the tanner directly onto the glove, and rub it in circular motions on my legs, arms, etc. The color that develops has a slightly green undertone, which might sound weird, but makes for a very natural looking tan. I apply this at night (it dries in 5 minutes), sleep on it, and then shower off the bronzer in the morning. It does get on my sheets and pajamas, but doesn't stain, so I always do it the day before we wash our sheets. It doesn't streak! It is such great coverage and the best part is that it's only around $15 on Amazon! The tan lasts about a week and comes off very evenly as well. I use this every Saturday night. I don't always use it on my face, but when I do I don't break out. I just spray a very small squirt into my nighttime lotion, mix it, and apply. I always apply it an extra day before an event, because my face is pretty tan the day after applying it, so I like giving it one day to fade a bit.
Coppertone Gradual Tan Sunless Tanning Moisturizing Lotion: I couldn't love this lotion more. If you've read my blog for a while, I have referred to this lotion a handful of times. In college I wanted a body lotion that would give me some color that I could just wear as my normal lotion after getting out of the shower. So many gradual tan lotions stink...and I tried a lot of them! This one has a clean fresh scent and develops a nice subtle tan. I just apply it with my hands and then wash my hands. I use it every morning after I shower. The longest I've gone without using it in about 7 years is maybe 2 weeks. Have I sold you yet? They stopped carrying it at Target, so I usually just order 4 or 5 at at time online so that I can get free shipping. I do go through bottles pretty quickly since I use it every day.
Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Pressed Powder: A good face bronzer is such a must. I've tried more expensive bronzers, but this one works great and is reasonably priced. It's not too dark, which I like. If I want a darker tan, I just use a little more than normal. I use this to contour (below my cheekbones, sides of my nose and forehead), then go over my whole face lightly with a big fluffy brush to help even it out.
Norvell 360 Eco-Mist Sunless Spray: This is another sunless tanner that I really like. This one is closer to $20 and is a spray, so you get more of an airbrush effect. I used this once, and then didn't use it for a while, because it does get all over when you apply it. I stood in the shower to spray it on, and it was all over the shower walls when I was done. But I have just started applying it with my mitt instead, and that is much cleaner. I love the color that develops, nice and dark, but still very natural, and it lasts close to two weeks!
Physicians Formula Bronze Booster BB Cream: This is a liquid face bronzer. Not the kind that develops overnight, just makeup that you apply in the morning. I love to use this when I want a dewey effect on my skin and don't want to use too much of my pressed powder. I apply my normal concealer, and then this darker concealer to contour. It is very concentrated, so a little goes a long way! It absorbs fast, so work kind of quickly. Sometimes I will add a bit to my normal concealer and put it on that way.
Shop all of these tanners below. And if you haven't seen my previous Monthly Edits yet, make sure to check out my February and March Edits for more reviews of my favorite products!
