I did a post a while back on my fake tanning routine, and now I've given this tan a run through and feel like I can properly review it for you. So here goes nothing.

I originally picked it up because it said "Compare to St. Tropez" on the bottle, and the packaging is really nice. I swear to God I'm a marketer's dream (which is ironic since that's what I'm studying... anyway). Last summer I raved about Banana Boat's Sunless Tanning Spray, but I think that Equate might take the place as far as holy grail status goes.

This applies with a tinge of color which I love because it makes it easier to see spots you've been over, and it makes it easier to see where you still need to rub product in (if I didn't mention it in my routine, I spray, rub in, and repeat until I think I've got a good coverage going). It's a green based tan (very similar to St. Tropez and other high end brands) so you don't look orange at all, which is obviously a huge plus. I've found it applies quite well as a face tan too, when first sprayed into hands and then put onto the face. *Disclaimer: This is not formulated to be a face tanner. However, I do not have sensitive skin and have done this with all my other spray tans as well. Take that advice with a grain of salt.* Within the first two applications, I haven't noticed a whole lot of streaking or patchy-ness. A few here and there in the usual trouble spots (knees, elbows, ankles) but this is quickly remedied with a quick spot spray and some lotion. For now, I don't think I'll go much darker than what the tan has shown to be now (2 applications, 3 days apart) as it develops to be quite dark even after one application. Or maybe that's just me with my ghost skin...

Downfalls of this tan... First off: it's a messy application. I would definitely advise you to use this in the bath tub/shower area so you can just rinse it down after because it will get everywhere. Secondly, you will definitely smell like fake tan - for at least 48 hours. I've found that that's the stretch time, after showering a second time after application I don't notice it anymore.

Other than that, I don't have any complaints about this tan. It's hard out here for a girl like me (aka pale and always streaking with any other tan I've tried) to find a good fake tan. Now that I've got two on rotation, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape for the upcoming seasons.

Have you tried this tan? What did you think?

xx

Tessa

First off, let me apologize for being an absolute shit blogger these last two weeks. My life is insanity, so it happens. And I'm sorry that I've failed at my New Year's Resolution for this blog but hey, new week and we're back on track. Now on to the real post....

When you're as pale as a ghost (I've only mentioned it about 500 times, right?), fake tanning is really your only option to catch up with those who actually have pigment in their skin. I know last summer I raved about the Banana Boat spray tan option, but I recently picked up a new choice and we'll see how it goes. In the meantime while we wait on my evaluation of that, I'll give you the rundown on my full fake tanning routine.

PREP
    Well let's just start with the obvious here: I always shower before applying a fresh tan. I know some people like to wait, but I'm a morning shower person, thus this gives my tan ample time to develop before I wash it off the next day. I also like to exfoliate for a couple days leading up to tanning, and usually shave my legs the day of because (1) I'm super lazy when it comes to shaving my legs, (2) your tan will fade the next time you shave and (3) it's an extra step of exfoliation to ensure that my skin is fully prepared to take on a spray tan. My current go-to exfoliator is Soap & Glory's Scrub of Your Life - it's foaming so it's not too harsh, but still delivers great results. Not to mention it smells really good. I've also been a fan of Tree Hut's offerings in the past. [Soap & Glory Scrub of Your Life not pictured, because I am a terrible blogger].

SPRAY
     I don't know how much detail I need to go into here. It's pretty self evident I think. My all-time holy grail spray tan is Banana Boat Summer Color Self Tanning Mist. My only complaint about this product is the smell, it says citrus but it's not great and it also lingers around for a while. Other than that it delivers great color and I've never had a single problem with streaking. However, a new one caught my eye when I went to pick up a new bottle for the upcoming season (because I'm realizing that my skin is as white as my Vans and it's not a cute look). I mostly bought it because it said it compares to St. Tropez, which I've somehow held off trying thus far. Anyway, it's Equate's (Walmart) version of their spray tan, but they also offer a mousse and a lotion, which may be tested later depending on how well I like this stuff.

MAINTAIN
     Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. I can't say it enough. If you want your tan to last, the best way to maintain it is to moisturize, and not exfoliate but I think that goes without saying. I'm the laziest person when it comes to moisturizing, so it takes a lot for me to actually follow through with this step on a daily basis. Some of my favorite in my line up are Soap & Glory's The Righteous Body Butter, Jergen's Original Formula in the cherry almond scent, and pretty much anything from Bath & Body Works.

If you have any recommendations, I'm definitely open to them. Do you have a tanning routine? What's in your line up?

xx

Tessa