New year, better me. Throw away all the self-tanning heartbreaks you experienced last year and the broken dreams of the tans that could have been. This year, we are fortifying our resolutions to get glowing all year round.
Here are our five self-tanning resolutions to live by in 2023:
1. Thou shall self-tan consistently.
Life gets busy. We get it. But we are firm believers that if you feel good about yourself, it shows in your daily output. It’s easy to get all hyped about self-tanning (especially on the first week of the year!) only to have yourself back to looking pasty by mid-February. Truth is that looking good, in turn feeling good, takes a certain amount of upkeep. More importantly, it takes consistency – something that we seem to lose by the end of the year.
Self-tanning should be up there in your list of normal beauty upkeeps just as you are diligent with your skincare. The last thing you want is to be scrolling through your Instagram by year end and wishing that you put in a little more effort for yourself. Show up for you. These little habits that you do for yourself will be worth it.
2. Thou shall do the prep work.
It’s very tempting to skip the groundwork and go straight to the self-tanning part especially when you find yourself short on time. When you find yourself in a time pickle, here’s a tip: bite the bullet and wait until you have enough space in your schedule to put in the prep work. Self-tanning without proper preparation may lead to a botchy tan that will only fade terribly. You’ll be doing more damage control and you’ll waste a good opportunity to tan versus if you had just put in a pre-tanning session.
Not sure what we mean by prepping? A quick outline would be to shave/wax an ample amount of time before the session, exfoliate well especially around areas that tend to be dry (dry skin loves to absorb the product), shower, and hold off on the skincare product. Doing the necessary work will pay off tenfold.
For a detailed prep guide, click here.
3. Thou shall pick the right self-tanner shade.
We understand that picking out the darkest self-tanner is tempting for a self-tanning rookie. However, one of the beauties of a great self-tan lies in choosing the right hue for you. If you tend to be on the fair side and your skin color is that of a cool tone, don’t jump from one end of the spectrum to the other. This will lead to an unnatural looking tan that may throw off people around you. Instead, pick one or two shades from your original and start from there.
Another thing to note is to tan according to season. If it’s in the middle of winter, a super bronze look may look really unnatural. Save the deeper hues for the warmer seasons so your tan doesn’t look fake.
If you’re unsure what shade to get, we recommend going for gradual tanners first. Just mix a few drops into your skincare and let your tan develop slowly. You can layer on more until you find the shade that looks perfect on you.
Our recommendation: the Bondi Bodz Gradual Self-Tanners
4. Thou shall moisturise and read up on proper skincare.
Once you have your self-tan on and looking like fire, the tendency is to get lazy with the upkeep. Make sure to moisturise daily and exfoliate as your tan fades so that it does so evenly. You won’t end up with a weird looking tan that fades in other areas faster. The key to prolonging your self-tan and making sure it exits gracefully lies in your daily due diligence.
Another thing you need to do is to check your skincare for possible ingredients that may clash with your self-tanning product. Read labels and research on ingredients that may nullify one another when used simultaneously.
5. Thou shall invest in quality self-tanning tools.
An artist never blames his tools but in the world of self-tanning, this could lead to a potential disaster that you’ll have to carry with you for several days. Just as makeup artists know the importance of quality tools to carry out their masterpiece, the same can be said of home self-tanning. The better tools you have, the less mistakes you will probably make. Plus, self-tanning tools are not that expensive. Invest in good ones and see how it makes all the difference.
Our recommendation: the Bondi Bodz Tan-On Applicator Mitt