Battle of the Sunless Tanners!

This summer, I've tried several different self tanners. I own a tanning bed, but I stopped using it two years ago because I decided that if I got skin cancer from something I did to myself, I'd never forgive myself. I also had a few friends who discovered melanomas on them, and one of them wasn't fortunate enough to beat his and passed away quickly after discovering it. Skin cancer is more common than people realize. It is also deadly, and more people need to understand that. I know many people who think they can just get it removed and all will be okay. That's not always the case. It can spread fast, all over your body, to your organs, to your brain. It is deadly. Please consider this the next time you're laying by the pool or in a sunbed. Okay, enough of the mom preaching.....let's talk about sunless tanners!

I have tried sever this summer. I've tried drugstore brands all the way to VERY expensive brands. I'm going to review them each in a pro/con fashion. These aren't particularly the BEST or WORST sunless tanners out there. They're just the ones I've purchased and tried.

Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer

 PROS:
~Fairly good basic tan
~Easy application
~Does not stain your hands if you wash them immediately
~Did not stain my clothes
~Did not have to be washed off like many other tanners
~Scent was not as bad as others
~Inexpensive ($7.00-$9.00)
~Available in different shades (note that the link takes you to only one of the shades)
~Did not streak, but this depends on how careful you are when applying it

CONS:
~Not long lasting
~Had to be reapplied often, resulting in running out and having to purchase frequently to maintain the tan
~Not moisturizing at all...don't expect it to replace your lotion
~I didn't feel like it gave buildable coverage, even when applying every day for a week (I felt like I got to a certain shade of tan and that was it, no matter how much/how often I applied it, and I had the darkest shade)

OVERALL VERDICT: This is a good product if you want an inexpensive self tanner. If you want to get super dark, this isn't for you. I felt the price was good for the quality of the product. It did not streak and gave a natural color.

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer

 PROS:
~Gives a natural tan over time
~Available in different shades (note that the link takes you to only one of the shades)
~Tolerable scent
~Inexpensive ($7.00-$9.00)
~Did not streak, but again this depends on application
~Did not stain clothes

CONS:
~Tan was not as good as with the foam
~Much more difficult to apply compared to the foam
~Very thick
~Color was not buildable
~Firming? Yeah right....
~Not moisturizing at all...in fact I felt like it dried my skin
~Did not give a deep tan

OVERALL VERDICT: If you prefer a lotion application, then you will like this better than the foam. I did not like this at all. It was hard to apply because it was so thick. It dried my skin and didn't give me the tan I'd hoped for. Maybe the non-firming lotions are better....

Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse

PROS:
~Gives an instant, immediate tan (It really was awesome....IMMEDIATE color)
~Tan lasts longer than drugstore brands
~Easy application with mitt sold seperately
~Tan builds quickly
~Very natural, deep colored tan
~Tolerable scent
~Available in different shades

CONS:
~Poor instructions....you MUST rinse it off between applications
~Tan does NOT last 2-3 weeks as described
~For best results, you must use a tan mitt, sold seperately
~Will stain your hands if you don't use the mitt...and the mitt actually leaks through onto your hands
~MUST be careful around knees/elbows or you will leave dark stains
~Stained my clothes, bed sheets, pajamas, even after rinsing it off
~Due to the poor instructions, I did not rinse the product off the first time I applied it...we went to the circus....I sweat like a pig in the hot circus arena and it stained my white shirt SO BAD, but a pro here is that it completely washed out! I was AMAZED that it came out! So that's a pro I guess, but it's a con that the instructions were so bad that this occurred....
~EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $54.00!!!!!!!!!!!!

OVERALL VERDICT: I loved the immediate tan. It was natural and dark. Very buildable. I felt like I had to use a lot of the product, though, each time I applied it, and at this price, that's not good. You MUST have the mitt. Don't try to use your hands and wash it off. That's not possible. I was stoked that it came out of my shirt (it was a pretty expensive Wildfox tee...I was livid when it ran all over the shirt...but it is good as new now.) It didn't come out of my bed sheets or pajamas though. Not sure if I used stain remover on the shirt and not the other things as I wasn't as worried about it coming out of them. It doesn't last 2-3 weeks. That's absurd anyway as your skin exfoliates itself everyday. Not sure how they can claim it lasts that long. This is a fairly new product in the US and when I returned it (yep....I took it back....too expensive and it was taking too much product to keep the tan up...) the Sephora chick didn't have anything good to say about this product and also reiterated my "your skin exfoliates itself" thing, too. She said they'd all gotten a sample of it and none of them had even tried it. They all stuck with their St. Tropez tanner....my next review.

St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse

PROS:
~Natural, buildable tan
~Smells like roses when applying (turns into self tanner smell later)
~Fairly easy application with mitt, sold seperately
~Well known product with great reviews
~Available in different shades
~Better instructions than Vita Liberata
~Highly recommended by youtube and blogger gurus

CONS:
~Did not give an immediate tan, but it did give a natural, buildable color
~Must use the mitt to apply as to avoid staining your hands
~Not as smooth of an application as other mousses I've used
~STAINS! If you don't rinse it off, it will stain your clothes and it DOES NOT WASH OUT! I forgot to rinse it off, went to Crossfit, and it bled all over my sports bra and did not wash out, even after several washes and several stain removers.
~You must REALLY rinse it off well.....any trace amount left on you will stain your clothes (I felt like the Vita Liberata rinsed off much better than this)
~Smells good when applying, but as the day progresses, begins to smell like self tanner...the worst of all I tried...even after rinsing it off
~Did not give me as dark a tan as the Vita Liberata, even with consecutive applications
~Expensive (around $45.00)

OVERALL VERDICT: This is probably my favorite of all of them, even though it stained more. I think I like it because it didn't take as much product to cover my entire body, thus saving money in the long run because I won't have to purchase as often. It has a greenish tint to it, which doesn't show up on your skin. The sales girl said that was to give a more natural tan. It does give me a more olive toned tan. It's not as bronze as the others, but I think this makes it more natural, as she said. It is expensive, but you really get what you pay for when it comes to tanners. The mitt was better quality than the Vita Liberata. It didn't leak through to my hands like theirs did. The mitt is a must have if you choose this. St. Tropez also has a lot of different products you can find on the Sephora site.

St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion

PROS:
~Gives an instant, immediate tan
~Rinses off completely in the shower (hence the name....)
~Wonderful if you just want a tan for a special night out or event
~Inexpensive ($18.00)
~No scent (I've read some reviews that said it smelled bad...maybe they've changed the formula since then because it had no smell to me)
~Dries quickly (so apply it in small amounts at a time)
~Did not come off on clothes (however...I didn't sweat with it on....I feel personally that it would streak if you wore it and got really hot and sweaty or if you got caught in the rain...I haven't experienced either of those scenarios...just my opinion)

CONS:
~Could possibly transfer onto clothes, furniture, etc if you get wet or sweat
~Can be streaky if you aren't careful
~Dries very quickly which can be a bad thing if you don't blend it well

OVERALL VERDICT:  This would be a great product for someone who needs an immediate tan for an event or a date, but I'm leery that it would transfer onto clothes and streak if you sweat or get wet. So...use it in winter I guess. LOL


I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to hear your opinions on these and other self tanners!

XOXO, Jenn