For years I have been buying self tanning products because I am naturally quite pale, and although I can tan with a bit of effort, my skin never seems to tan evenly. I always seem to buy loads of creams and try them on my legs first for a few weeks but then give up either because the smell is atrocious, or the tan isn’t even enough or too orange. Though there are plenty of products out there to tan the face, I’ve always been too scared to try them — until now.
In one of my sample bags from Sephora that I got around Christmas or New Years time, there was a little sample of the Tarte Maracuja Bronzing Serum. When I first saw it, I thought it was interesting, but was hesitant to use it. But a week or so ago, I decided to test it out. It was wonderful. I put it on at night after my normal routine, and then woke up with a slight glow. It wasn’t an obvious tan, but there was something different. I decided to use it again that morning, because I was planning on staying at home. After I applied it, I went to set the bottle down and then crash! The glass bottle fell on the floor and broke into so many pieces, and with it all of the product sat there in a puddle. I was so upset! I wanted to try it out a for a while before I invested in the full size!
I wasn’t sure I wanted to dish out the $56 for the big bottle just yet, so I looked at some other options. I remembered hearing great things about the Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster from Anna (Vivanna Does Makeup) and Allison Anderson, so I decided to try it out. The great thing about this one, is you just add it to your moisturizer and mix it in so that becomes a tanning cream. I used it twice a day all weekend, and by Sunday night I had an obvious (to me) tan, and after a bit of prodding, my husband said that he did in fact notice a difference too. Now after three days I wasn’t a bronzed goddess, but I had a healthy glow. In fact, it was the same amount of tan I had after we spent a week in California two years ago when I had been spending 8 hours or more outside in the hot California sun, and this time there was no UV damage to my skin!
I plan to use it once a day for the rest of the week, and then less to see how it maintains the tan. Even though I have really sensitive skin, I haven’t noticed any adverse effects yet, which makes me really happy. I doubt that my skin will react in a negative way now since I have been using it consistently, but we’ll see.
Have you tried the Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster or the Marajuca Bronzing Serum? Thoughts?
Are you a fan of self-tanners? What do you use to tan your face?
