[Disclaimer: I do not do not do not condone people tanning in salons, so consider this your warning! To combat my pale-skinned woes, this past week I hopped in the tanning bed at the maximum strength for the maximum time allowed.. twice.]
I still use a self tanner on my face at least four times a week during the colder months.
Just for a quick reference -- this is what my skin currently looks like via mirror pick selfie (taken yesterday night). This is also what I look like after a long day of classes in my pajamas before bed. So there's that.
I've been switching between three different types of self tanners on my face, two of which are from the same brand. All three have a different tint/color to them, so I swatched them below.
First is the St. Tropez Tanning Essentials Self Tan Bronzing Lotion for Face. [This little cutie is a "trial" size!]
This is definitely a lotion-like consistency. It's a very thick and rich, velvety texture. It absorbs into the skin pretty quickly, and almost feels moisturizing (which is especially nice for the cold weather!). If I use too much it can feel a little greasy, but a small amount goes a long way.
I'm not gonna lie -- it has a self-tanner scent. But it's so hard to mask that scent when it's in a product that I don't really hold that against it. I notice a slight tan immediately after I put it on, and it gets darker as the day goes by. This lotion is pretty easy to build up day after day without looking too orangey.
Nexr up is bareMinerals Faux Tan Face Gradual Glow Sunless Face Tanner. Another product made specifically for the face, so it's relatively "gentle."
The consistency of this tanner is much runnier than the St. Tropez lotion. It's almost a gel-like liquid-y texture, and is very thin on application -- not lotion like in the slightest. It doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy, but it doesn't moisturize it either.
The smell is probably the least "tanning lotion" like out of all three. Not like it smells good, but it's more pleasant. It has a pretty noticeable immediate tan effect, but it's harder to build this color up for another application for some reason -- I think it may have to do with it's consistency.
Last out of the three is St. Tropez Tanning Essentials Bronzing Mousse. This one is actually a body tanner and not specifically for the face, but it works nonetheless.
It's an actual mousse! The top of the bottle (which is a pump) is definitely like a can of hair mousse. It comes out very foamy and starts to turn into a liquid almost immediately. It's an extremely fast drying tanner, so you have to rub it in QUICK!
Basically no moisture, but that's to be expected with a foamy product. The immediate payoff is basically non-existent. A little color is left on the skin after it absorbs, but it's hardly noticeable. But on the bright side it's probably the easiest to layer. The smell is probably the most pungent and self-tanner-like of the bunch, however.
With all three swatches next to each other, you can really see the difference in color each tanner leaves. [Side note: I don't know why the middle color looks like a big bruise when photographed!! It definitely does not look like that in person.]
The St. Tropez lotion (on the right) is a more golden bronze color, the bareMinerals gel (in the middle) is a definite brown-ish bronze, and the St. Tropez mousse (on the left) is a more yellow bronze. I obviously left a little bit more product on my skin for the swatches than I would if I were applying it on my face, but this is a good depiction of their true color.
I left the tanners on my hand to develop overnight, and I'll take a photo of it tomorrow morning and post it! I'll look diseased for class (and probably the rest of the week), but what can ya do. The things I do for beauty..
xojaybee
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