Self-tanner and I have a love-hate relationship. I love how it gives my skin an even, glowing tone, but I never seem to get the application right. (And I never know if I’m using the right formula for my skin—too dark? too light? too streaky? too orange?)

Winter is my favorite time to test out self-tanners. Since my legs are always covered, it’s the perfect opportunity for trial and error without the world being privy to my self-tanning mishaps.

Makeup Bag intern, Monica, sampled some St. Tropez favorites after hearing about the new Aromaguard formula that helps mask the unmistakable aroma of self-tanner (DHA activating on the skin). Here’s her report:

I was dying to try St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse and Intensifier after hearing them boast a complex that reduces the tell-tale “tanning” aroma. I excitedly applied both products but was disappointed when I began to smell “it” in all its glory immediately after application and for the next several hours. Fortunately, I had a pleasant surprise in store! While most tanners’ scents tend to linger on my skin until the last drop of color disappears, the scent of these products was gone without a trace after just one shower while my tan remained fully intact.

The Intensifier (similar to a gradual tanner) and the full-strength Bronzing Mousse were equally easy to apply, with helpful tint guides and lightweight, quick-dry formulas that were totally transfer-resistant. Interestingly, I felt as though both formulas achieved the same color with just one application, but I actually preferred the Mousse; my tan was more even and natural than the color I got from the Intensifier.

While I’d prefer a tanner with no scent whatsoever, technology just isn’t there yet. Until that day, these St. Tropez formulas make a great compromise – if I handle the odor for a few hours (until I get a shower), I’m rewarded with a pretty tan sans the stink for the rest of the week!

St. Tropez has an essential guide that offers step-by-step tips for a perfect tan every time:

10 Steps to the Perfect Tan

1. If you’re a tanning junkie, exfoliate regularly to avoid build up. Several layers of tan can result in an uneven result.
2. Waxing or shave more than 24 hours before tanning.
3. Give yourself a good all-over polish and apply plenty of moisturizer the night before your tan to get your skin as silky as possible. The most common cause of a patchy tan is dry skin, so it’s crucial to moisturize problem areas (wrists and hands, elbows, knees, ankles and feet) immediately prior to self tan application.
4. Keep palms tan-free – try using latex gloves or our applicator mitt when applying, then simply sweep the backs of the hands with self tan diluted with moisturizer. Our Tan Remover– which you can use for up to four hours after tanning – removes any unwanted tan.
5. When you’re applying your tan, make sure you’re covered all over. Don’t worry if you go over the same area twice – the tan will only be patchy if you miss a bit, not if you double up.
6. Make sure you don’t rub in your gradual or self tan. Gentle smoothing is all you need, then you can let the product do its work. Rubbing may make the finish uneven.
7. Try to avoid washing your hands for as long as possible in the development time – a minimum of 2 hours. Try a hand sanitizer or wipes instead.
8. Your tan won’t get deeper the longer you leave it – once it’s been on for the required amount of time (check the pack) it will have given you the natural-looking golden color you’re after. For a deeper tan you should re-apply on successive days – 2 – 3 days in a row will give you a really deep, rich bronze tan.
9. After you’ve applied your tan wear loose, dark clothing and avoid tight-fitting underwear. Anything that’s pressing on skin may result in a patchiness.
10. The hands and face will fade quicker than the rest of the body so apply Rapide Face to the face and the backs of the hands to keep your tan looking fresher for longer. For a color boost for the rest of the body, try using a tan intensifier every 2-3 days – but don’t forget to polish and moisturize, too, or your color won’t fade evenly…

St. Tropez tanning products with the unique Aromaguard formulation are available online at St-Tropez.com.

I love everything about self-tanners except for the lingering “aroma” many leave behind, so I was elated to hear that this new St. Tropez Everyday Perfect Legs self-tanner boasts a special technology that reduces the odor by at least 70% percent! I’m dying to get my hands (and legs!) on this new addition to St. Tropez’s extensive self-tanning range.

Tell me, do you have any tricks to rid yourself of the telltale tanner smell?

Available from St. Tropez for $45.

Hooo boy. Testing self-tanners is hard work, friends. And time consuming!

We’ve been using one self-tanning moisturizer or another for the last five weeks, and we’re finally ready to share our findings. First of all we have to say if we learned anything over the last month or so, it’s that our legs have no business in the free world without some color to signify they are alive and well and capable of standing on their own two feet (HA! We joke!). Seriously though, legs as white as ours should be given a citation for indecency, or at least disturbing the peace, if seen in broad daylight.

We really have a love/hate relationship with self tanners. We love how they give us color without having to go in the sun, but hate how they smell. The active ingredient in self-tanners does not like our skin. At all.

(Let it be noted that we are not trying to achieve a deep, dark, Hawaiian Tropic tan here. We’re only trying to protect the children in the neighborhood from having their retinas burned to the core by our blindingly white limbs. Also, we like to walk down the street without people pointing in our direction and laughing hysterically.)

For this little experiment we tested 5 self-tanners that we haven’t tried before, most of them new to the market, all reasonably priced. Here’s the lowdown:

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer

We’ve been using Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer for a few years now and while we really love how it has a formula for fair skin and does a great job of giving us natural-looking color, it stinks to high heaven. We’ve gotten around this by applying it at night and washing it off in the shower the next morning.

When we saw the firming version of this self-tanner, we had to give it a try because who doesn’t want firmer thighs, right?

After using this religiously for two weeks, our legs seemed a tad bit firmer but we thought we’d get other opinions on the state of our legs. We took a quick walk around the house and got the following responses:

15 year old daughter that wanted to go out with friends, even though she’s grounded: “You’re so hot, Mom. Nobody has legs better than yours.”

4 year old daughter that’s obsessed with skin: Says nothing. Just giggles, lifts up her shirt and rubs her bare belly on our thigh.

36 year old husband that barely glances my way before continuing his very important task of KEEPING BOTH EYES ON THE GOLF CHANNEL because we all know if you look away from golf, you might totally miss something: “Looks good, hon.”

Ya. So. Asking for loved ones’ opinions doesn’t really work. After this, we decided to stick with our own opinions and not ask anyone else for their thoughts.

Est�e Lauder Body Performance Naturally Radiant Moisturizer

At $35 per bottle, this is the costliest self-tanning moisturizer we tried this month, but OH. MY. GOD.

Incredible.

This looks and feels like moisturizer, smells nice, and instantly gives our skin a glow thanks to the pearlized formula. As with all self-tanning moisturizers, color develops gradually over a few days but leaves us with a very natural looking hint of color.

This can easily take the place of your daily moisturizer, which can’t be said of the other products here, as it leaves our skin soft and hydrated without feeling sticky.

Sally Hansen Smooth Glow Stubble Reducing Daily Moisturizer

We found this new self-tanning moisturizer by Sally Hansen at Rite Aid, but can’t seem to find an image or link for it anywhere.

While this is hard to rub in (takes forever) and leaves us feeling kind of sticky we have to admit that the “stubble reducing” ingredient, whatever it may be, does seem to work. And because it’s for all skin tones, our tan developed a deeper color than with some of the others.

L’Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer

Aside from a strange Lipton Iced Tea scent, L’Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer didn’t disappoint. With vitamin E, mango butter and sweet almond oil, this left our skin super soft.

The light-capturing micro pearls gave us an all-over shimmer while our tan gradually developed. This also comes in different shades so your tan is more natural looking.

Prescriptives Sunsheen

When we first tried Prescriptives Sunsheen we literally jumped up and down with excitement.

We have never before found a self-tanner with instant color that blends well and doesn’t make us look like we’ve been on a carrot and pumpkin diet for the last 18 months.

In addition to the instant summer glow in just the right shade of tan-ness, we also love that this has SPF 15. Just because you have sleek, tanned legs does not mean you are protected from the sun’s harmful rays.

If you don’t already know this, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States with over 1 million cases diagnosed each year*. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

If that isn’t reason enough to bust out the SPF, how about this: your chances of getting skin cancer DOUBLES if you’ve had five or more sunburns in your life. (Cough. Choke. We reached our quota before we even entered fourth grade.)

Please be careful this summer and protect yourself.

This concludes today’s lecture. Now go forth and self-tan!

(May is Fake Bake Month at Beauty Addict. Check in all month for Kristen’s daily self-tanning tips and product reviews.)

*Skin cancer facts from The Skin Cancer Foundation.