How To Apply Self Tanner // My Routine

To start this off, I have an extremely fair and sensitive complexion. My whole family does except for my mom. She can stand outside for 5 minutes and get tan unlike me, I can walk outside and turn burnt. My dad is so strict about skin care because of his step dad having stage 4 melanoma cancer. Stating this, I always always wear sunscreen when I'm out in the sun for a while. And the most embarrassing thing is that all my friends can have a gorgeous sun tan while I'm over here white as snow. They all lay out and I still tell them to this day how bad it is for their skin.
Like most fair people, I dreamed about looking tan but of course that thought never crossed my mind  simply because I cannot tan naturally. When I was about 12, I begged my mom to let me get a spray tan because we were going to the beach.  She convinced my dad to agree because it's way better than laying out. That's when my love for fake tanner started.

Other than a spray tan from the salon, my all time favorite self tanner has to be the Fake Bake Flawless liquid self tanner.
Step 1: exfoliate
I always exfoliate and shave before applying self tanner or going to the salon. It is so important to prep your skin to make the tan go on smoothly.
Step 2: moisturize
I always moisturize after exfoliating to replenish my skin because it is so dry right now. I always wait about 15 minutes after applying lotion before I go in with the Fake Bake. If your skin is not dry feel free to skip this step and do what is best for your skin. A tip to keep your tan lasting longer is to keep hydrating your skin on the daily. I use this or this because I love the smell and they never fail to keep my skin hydrated. Another tip: I apply extra lotion to my elbows, knees, ankles, and feet because they are more prone to dryness.
Step 3: apply self tanner w/ mitt
Having a mitt makes the tan so much easier to apply. What else would you use? I use the mitt that comes in the box. I love the Fake Bake tanner because you can see the spots missed and adjust the color you want. If you want a lighter color only apply one coat but if you want a darker color you can build it as you want. I prefer to start with my legs and go up. I also go over my face lightly with the mitt but sometimes I just match my foundation. TIP: go over your hands, knees, feet, and elbows last so there is very little product on the mitt and this will make the areas look more natural
Hopefully this helped you get your tan on for this spring and summer. This routine would work for many different self tanners. Please let me know some of your favorite tanners.

I am linking some of my other tanning favorites.

Have a good week and thank you so much for reading!