Good gradual self-tanners?

viola

Can anyone recommend or give a review of any gradual self tanners you have tried? I have heard that coppertone endless summer and fake bake are good, but jergens not so much. (Actually I don't think fake bake is a gradual formula now that I think about it.)
I'm trying to find one that:
1. Does not look orange
2. Does not streak (I realize the application has a lot to do with this but I'm looking for something easy to apply without causing streaking)
3. Ingredients that will not clog the face
4. Is suited for pale skin
Thank you

rouquinne

i've had good results with the Jergens one, but i'm testing more of them and just bought the one from Vaseline. by the end of the week, i should have some idea how well it does - i'm going to a luau-themed party on Saturday night!

Curly Girl Fla

I have tried so many tanners in the past I don't know how many years. The one I keep coming back to and I feel is the absolute best is one I get on Ebay-Famous Dave's Moisture Tan. This stuff is awesome-no fragrance at all & minimal of the signature tanning scent after, absorbs instantly, very natural color, the best moisture I've found, no streaking (unless, as with all of them, you apply it haphazardly)...I used to use gloves to apply, but don't anymore because it washes off hands thoroughly, easily. My biggest problem is with how tanners fade-uneven, splotchy--I have no such issues with this, and one application does last me a 5-7 days. Here's a link to one of his sales:
http://cgi.ebay.com/WHY-SUN-BAKE-FAKE-IT-W-FAMOUS-DAVES-2-BOTTLES_W0QQitemZ230119417577QQihZ013QQcategoryZ31776QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
The bottle lasts a long time. I usually get 2-3 bottles, sometimes with his scrub which is nice, too, and I don't reorder for a couple of months. Oh-he ships super fast, very good customer service, too.
Happy experimenting !

ETA: he also does have a face and fair skin formula. I'm generally fair, but find his regular formula to be not too dark, and I do use it on my face (prone to breakouts, but it has no negative effects)

rouquinne

not liking the results with Vaseline after day one...

Kaia

I'm using the Aveeno one for fair skin, an I'm liking it the best of the gradual tanners I've tried so far. The results are VERY gradual, but that means you can miss a spot a few times with no major disasters. I've been using it 2 weeks, and I see a difference in color now. Nothing drastic or fake looking, just like I wanted.

viola

Thanks for your replies. Curly girl fla: I'm an ebayer too, and I remember seeing the Famous Daves brand, and I thought, you mean like the ribs? Good to know about the low breakout potential for the face. My face is pretty clear, but i have to be really careful, especially about things that have oil in them.
Bailey: Does Aveeno have a face formula, or have you tried using the body formula on your face?
Rouquinne, thanks for posting negative results. Helps to know what to avoid.

rouquinne

well... i noticed that i bought the "medium" Vaseline body lotion instead of the "light" one, so that could be part of the problem. i am EXTREMELY pale!

i'll post more in another day, when i've had a chance to continue trying it...

SweetPickles

I've tried a bunch of these and my hands down favorite is the Dove Energy Glow. After that, I like the Coppertone. Jergens comes in dead last because it STINKS, literally. Blech.

wavy~me~curly

Yep, I like the Vaseline Light to start with and then move to the Medium later in the summer, to fake a tan on my legs. (watch out for ankles/elbows)
Jergens Medium for the Face I can use less of and still get away with it, so I've never tried their Fair color. These brands seem to smell the least, to me. I'm a PPP, too.
sweetpickles, which Coppertone?

SweetPickles

wavy~me~curly wrote:

sweetpickles, which Coppertone?

I think it's called "Endless Summer" or something like that.

wavy~me~curly

Thanks SweetPickles! Yes, I remember that Coppertone in the copper bottle, it IS another good-smelling and not overly-concentrated (orangey) one. I used it two summers ago. I was thinking of the one with the two tubes you mixed...
The Vaseline is about the cheapest stuff out there (Target) I think that's why I switched last summer, but maybe I'll look for the Coppertone.
I agree about the Jergens smell - seems to me all of their body lotions are strongly scented.

curlylaura

Last summer I used Garnier SummerBody. It's pretty much the only one that doesn't turn me orange. And it doesn't smell bad either. I've bought some more this year along with the Garnier SummerFace. Same thing but a facial moisturiser with fake tan.

viola

Thanks for the great replies.
A couple of different CVS trips and I could not find the coppertone. I decided on the Aveeno fair. It's not specifically for face, however. After the first app., I like the very subtle color, although I was out in the sun the day before; wore sunscreen, but I can believe I may have still gotten a teeny bit of non-fake color. So I don't know for sure. If this color I got was from the bottle, I am quite pleased.
Face is ever so slightly spotty, and I don't know if it's light sun frecking, skin unhappy with the self-tan/non-face lotion chemicals, or time of the month. Too early to tell.
cheers

goldilocks777

Do you guys use self tanner on your face, or do you stick to bronzers? I'd like to try the gradual tanning lotions, but had a disasterous experience with self-tanner a while back and am scared :-) I don't have the patience to be careful with application, so anything that really "stains" gets streaky and spotty.

Anyway, that was rambling and off topic -- what I really want to know is, how far do you go up with the gradual tanner lotions? Do you do your neck, hands, etc? Do you have somebody else do your back? Does it not matter because the color is gradual?

rouquinne

while preparing for this Hawaiian-luau theme party on Saturday, i've been using it EVERYWHERE!

and i've found that the body lotions don't work that well on my face and maybe, i should've gotten a facial self-tanner instead!

:roll:

darn!

cara4curls

I'd use one, but the smell even just opening the container just about knocks me out. But strong fragrances of most types really bother me and I tend to get splitting headaches from them. I personally cannot even imagine putting this stuff on my body!
I did try a regular selftanner a few years ago, but it stunk to high heavens, even with repeated showering. Even my husband commented on it. End of experiment. Also, on my face, that self-tanner made me look dirty, dried out my skin, as well as making it break out. Not good!
As you can see, I take a pass on anything that even whispers "self-tanner".

rouquinne

i tried 5 different ones before the luau-party.

and you can read all about it in my June column!!!!



(yes, more shameless self-promotion from me!!!)

mandyv

I tried a tanner last year but found it drying, esp on my calves. Anybody else has this experience?

blondeandcurly

Curly Girl Fla-
Your description was so convincing as well as the website i just ordered some!
Very excited to receive it!

southernbelle08

Oh, man. I used the Coppertone gradual tan a couple days ago, and I am now having to wear longsleeved t-shirts and pants in 100+ degree heat. UGH. I have these weird streaks and splotches all over. I'm going to attribute that to the fact that I was just careless when I applied it, but I still wish it would have been as gradual as it claimed to be. I only did one application, and the splotches are significantly darker than my real skin color. The actual color itself wasn't that bad, though....not too orangey. I was just hoping it would be more gradual. How long does it take for this stuff to wear off?

Curly Girl Fla

blondeandcurly wrote:

Curly Girl Fla-
Your description was so convincing as well as the website i just ordered some!
Very excited to receive it!

I just now got saw this and was wondering if you liked it? I was vacationing at my sister's last week, and she thought my tan was natural & looked great-not too dark, or orange. I ordered some for her before I left, and she just emailed me that she loves it-like nothing else she used before and she will be getting it again. A big factor for her is the tanner odor-she agreed-totally unscented at first, and just a little of the tan scent later. Her only issue was that it took about six hours to work on her. It usually works in about 2-3 on me.

stefathena

i love Neutrogena Build-A-Tan. it's subtle and hasn't streaked for me.