The following is a guest post by the gals at pnwlittles.
Alright ladies, not everyone has been blessed with a natural Jennifer Lopez “glow” but don’t we wish! We’re strong believers that everyone looks healthier, and feels better with a little color. Unfortunately neither of us were blessed with that naturally. We’ve both have used tanning beds in the past. As we’ve gotten older and wiser, we’ve decided we want to protect our skin and bodies and stay away from the tanning beds. Don’t get us wrong we love the way a tanning bed tan looks, but you can definitely tell when those beds have been abused. Not cute.
A nice natural looking tan and protected skin, yay! Alright enough of the rambling, let’s get to it!
We reviewed four of our favorite self-tanning products for y’all. From drugstore to high end. We did demos on our arms, including before and after pictures.
Jergens Natural Glow Foam v. Loving Tans Foam
Whitney used Jergen’s Natural Glow Foam in dark from the drugstore which costs roughly $12 on one arm. On the other arm she used Loving Tans Foam Tanner in dark as well, which costs roughly $40 depending on if you get the 2hr express, which I did not.
Jergen’s Natural Glow Foam has been a popular drugstore choice for many years. I know I’ve used Jergen’s Glow Daily Moisturizer lotion multiple times in the past years, and know plenty of people who have as well. Jergens used to have that strong unpleasant scent that I’m sure many of you are familiar with. Well they’ve stepped up their game and the scent is gone! When the foam first came out I was ecstatic to use it! I love foam tanners that don’t wash off the same day. The tanner has a nice tropical scent to it.
It comes out a nice light brown color, and applies well. It’s not sticky nor does it stain your clothes. It also gives you instant color that progressively darkens, but not too much. This is a relatively light tanner, and we recommend two coats if you’re wanting your tan a little darker. It still won’t be THAT dark, so don’t be afraid to try it. I usually apply before bed and wash off the next morning. For this demo we applied during the day and I showered that evening and it was fine. We recommend waiting at least 8 hours before rinsing.
Claims: 7 days
Reality: more like 3-5.
Verdict: Overall I definitely think this is a great drugstore option especially for the price. I’ve repurchased multiple times.
Loving Tan is all over Instagram and I’m sure many of you have heard of it. I kept seeing beautiful bronzed girls pop up on my Instagram feed, advertising loving tan. I finally caved and bought it, as well as the exfoliating mitt and application mitt. I’m a sucker! But hey I wanted to get the “full” potential of what this product could do. My first thought was dang this product is dark!! They offer medium, dark and extra dark options, and I went with the dark. Was trying to get my money’s worth. Don’t worry though once it’s rinsed off its definitely not as dark as when its first applied, but it is dark. It’s the darkest out of all the tanners we are reviewing today. If you’re wanting something more natural I would definitely recommend the medium. This product has a subtle scent and blends SO well! After this product is rubbed in you can’t even tell anything’s on your skin. Which is a huge deal for self-tanners. This is the least sticky of the tanners discussed. Once rinsed you look like a bronzed goddess who just got back from vacation in Aruba.
Verdict: This is great tanner but is a little overpriced in my opinion. It does last longer than the Jergens.
If you enjoy this post be sure to check out Rosegold & Peachy Makeup Look
LA Tanning Foam v. St. Tropez
Coral used LA tanning foam in dark on one arm from the drugstore which costs roughly $10. On the other arm she used St.Tropez tanning foam which costs $42.
LA tanning foam is relatively new to the market. We had known of people who had used it and loved it, so we decided to try it out. The product comes out a nice medium brown, and applies moderately well overall. It also has a nice summer scent. This product does have a little hint of orange to it.
Veridict: For it lasting 3-5 days, not stinking, costing $10 and being available at the drugstore. We feel this is overall a great option.
St. Tropez is one of our all time favorites! It’s the first tanning foam I ever used, and I even used it at my wedding. It will always be my #1. It doesn’t have a strong scent, applies and blends well, doesn’t stain my clothes. Plus it looks the most natural and lasts longer than any other tanners I’ve used. If you’re looking for a high end self-tanner and haven’t tried this one out, we definitely recommend it! But as you can tell on the pictures there wasn’t much of a difference between the LA tanner and St.Tropez on Coral’s arm.
Verdict: Itdid last longer, blend easier, and didn’t come with an orange tint. Both are great options.
Please keep in mind that everyone’s skin reacts differently. Just because a product worked one way for one of us, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work the same for you. Also don’t forget to shave and exfoliate prior to applying self -tanner. Keep your skin hydrated and use SPF over these tanners. The tanner itself does not protect your skin from the sun.
We hope this helped you fellow caspers out there! 😉
Coral and Whitney are the bloggers behind pnwlittles. They are both currently stay at home mommies in the beautiful state of Oregon. Coral has a beautiful 9 month old daughter, and Whitney has a spunky 9 year old son, and a sweet as can be 4 month old daughter. They love how social media connects people from all over the world, making you feel like best friends with someone you’ve never even met. They also love the love and support you get from mommies of all backgrounds.
They launched their very own website and lifestyle blog pnwlittles, sharing all things beauty, children, DIY, recipes and more. Go check them out!
“We want to thank Ana so much for letting us be a part of her wonderful blog.”
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Blog: pnwlittles.com
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Email: pnwlittles@gmail.com
Thanks for the review. I worked at a tanning salon and tanned way too much so now I try and stay out of the sun but love that summer glow. 😊
Haha I used to do the tanning beds as well, but have changed my ways 😀 *virtual high five*
What a great review/comparison. I have tried a few of these myself, Jargons didn’t last on me very long at all, St. Tropez was beautiful but I wanted it to be a little darker, then I bought Loving Tan and it’s really great, definitely dark enough… I even bought the ultra dark, and it is really dark, but still looks natural. This was a fun post! 🙂
Its great to hear you’ve tried these as well! I’m totally wanting to try Loving Tan, it sounds like its a great product 😀