Studio 5 Beauty and Style expert Holly Stone offers a Rate & Reveal of some of the top sunless tanners out there…she also helps out with a little how-to.
Applying Sunless Tanning Lotion
Shower and exfoliate the skin (a washcloth or loofha is the best option for this).
Using gloves, apply lotion in circular motion to desired area.
ALWAYS allow a minimum of 30 minutes drying time before getting dressed.
Preventing Sunless Tanning Accidents
When you start thinking about all the things that can go wrong, it’s not surprising it can take someone years to work up the nerve to use a sunless tanning product. Fortunately, most sunless tanning accidents can be easily prevented. Here are the most common problems and how to keep them from happening to you:
YOU ARE AMAZINGLY ORANGE.
YOU ARE AMAZINGLY…THE SAME?
YOUR HANDS ARE ORANGE, ORANGE, ORANGE!
YOU HAVE STREAKS.
YOUR KNEES AND ELBOWS LOOK DIRTY.
YOUR FACE LOOKS TOO DARK.
You are Amazingly Orange
How to Prevent
Exfoliate your skin before applying a sunless tanner
Do not believe sunless tanning package instructions that suggest: "Apply additional coats every three hours to obtain desired color." Sunless tanners can continue to darken for several hours; never reapply a sunless tanner for at least twelve hours when it’s a product you haven’t used before.
Don’t use products that are too dark for your skin tone. If you are very pale, stay away from all dark and extra dark products. Start with light products, then work your way up to medium.
Don’t use too much of the sunless tanning product. Typically, you will need anywhere from one to two ounces for a full body application. Start with one ounce if it’s a product you haven’t used before
You are amazingly…the same?
How to Prevent
Don’t skimp on the product. With your average sunless tanning lotion, you will need one to two ounces for a full body application.
Don’t swim, bathe, exercise, or apply any lotions to your skin for three hours after applying the sunless tanner.
The active ingredient in sunless tanners [dihydroxyacetone] degrades once it has been exposed to air. Depending on the package design, it will hold up from two months to a year after the package has been opened. So never buy a sunless tanner which was previously opened; it could be a dud.
If you have medium to dark skin, don’t bother with light sunless tanners, especially the drugstore/supermarket variety. They won’t contain enough of the active ingredient to do anything for you.
Your hands are orange, orange, orange!
How to Prevent
Wear gloves.
If you aren’t going to wear gloves, have a nail scrubbing brush handy, because you will need it to wash the palms of your hands. Regular hand washing alone isn’t going to do it.
Use a Ziploc baggie as a glove
You are amazingly streaked.
How to Prevent
Do not exercise for three hours after applying — perspiration is a killer. Be warned that even mild perspiration will cause an effect.
Do not take a hot shower or bath before using sunless tanners. Semi-warm is best. No long showers or baths either!
Do not apply sunless tanners in an up and down motion. It’s especially easy to screw up on the legs. Use an overlapping circular motion. Go around your leg, not up and down it.
Exfoliate! Exfoliate! Exfoliate!
Make sure your product is thoroughly mixed. Shake it up. If it is in a tube, knead it.
Resist mightily the urge to go back over areas you imagine you have missed.
Your knees and elbows look dirty.
How to Prevent
While you are in the shower, rub your knees and elbows with a wet cotton washcloth to get the dead skin off.
A few minutes before you apply the sunless tanner, apply ordinary skin lotion generously to your elbows and knees. Tissue off the excess.
5-10 minutes after you apply the sunless tanner, rub lotion onto your knees and elbows to lighten the effect.
Your face looks too dark.
How to Prevent
If you are applying a sunless tanner to your face and neck that is not a "for the face" type, apply a lightweight lotion to your face and neck first, letting it soak in for ten minutes. This prevents the sunless tanner from gathering in areas with fine lines..
Your freckles and moles will darken along with the rest of your skin. In fact, some colorless moles may become significantly darker. This is a sad fact of sunless tanning.
Holly’s Favorite Sunless Tanner.”
Savage Bronze
A chocolate scented sunless tanning mousse that is an overwhelming favorite with sunless tanners users. Sold exclusively in Sally Beauty Supply retail locations, it is finally available online from tanforless.com for $13.95; retail price averages $8 – $12. Sally Beauty Supply stores carry the Savage Bronze line during Spring/Summer only.
Coppertone Endless Summer Sunless Tanning Gradual Tan Moisturizing Lotion
Darker than most gradual sunless tanning products, so if you are very light-skinned, this will be the only product you need. The scent is suitable for both men and women. Available from drugstore.com
for $8.99; up to $11.00 retail at Walmart
L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Lotion, Deep
L’Oreal has come up with something unlike any other drugstore product: a transparent, easy to apply formula that is moisturizing without clogging pores. Both the medium and deep versions are effective. Color is unusually long-lasting for a drugstore product. Available from drugstore.com 
for $6.79; up to $10.00 retail at Target, Walmart or Walgreens.
Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Foam
Fast drying with minimal fragrance. One of the few drugstore brands that works well for light to medium skin. Available from drugstore.com for $8.99; up to $10.00 retail at Walmart, Walgreens.
Holly Stone is no stranger to business and the beauty industry. Starting as a model at the age of 14 she decided that she preferred to be behind the scenes rather than in front of the camera. She choreographed fashion shows, selected models for events and assisted her agency with make-up.
Her skill for make-up artistry quickly became recognized and the demand for her talent launched a career that would take her all over the country. She received a bachelor’s degree, and took a position as VP of Merchandising for Overstock.com. There she learned the business skills of resourcing, buying, marketing, and negotiating. She moved on to train in Los Angeles at AWARD, a leading make-up artist school in the west.
Today, with her business skills and her passion for the art of make-up, she manages a successful career as an educator and a veteran make-up artist of 16 years. She works in various media with actors/actresses, models, brides, and photographers. She is a consultant to several cosmetic distributors, spas, and salons where she teaches application and technique. She is a nationally recognized educator of cosmetic application and is a personal image consultant to people ranging from high position corporate figures to the every day woman.
Holly is the owner of Re-Creation Studio, School of Media Make-up Artistry and a regular contributor on Studio 5. For information about her classes, visit www.learntodomakeup.com.
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