1) Exfoliate- Before applying tanner, you need to prep the surface. In the shower, use a loofah and shower gel to gently exfoliate your skin (especially your legs which tend to be the driest)
2) Apply tanner - When you're fresh out of the shower at night, make sure you dry your skin completely before applying tanner. You don't want any moisture left behind since that can cause an uneven tan. Use a streak-free tanner like Loreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Lotion. Start applying on your legs first. Squeeze little drops all over the fronts of you shins, then use your hands to gently rub in and around to the back. You want to cover all areas evenly and not leave things "too" wet. If the lotion isnt rubbed in enough, remove some by gently rubbing a cloth over your legs. You want to keep rubbing until your legs feel slightly sticky but not actually wet. Make sure you don't see any streaks left behind- the built in bronzer helps you see where/what you are applying so you can avoid streaks. Next cover your arms, chest, shoulders, and neck using the same method. Leave your face for last- only put a small amount of tanner in your hands and rub together to coat hands evenly, then apply all over your face. Don't get too close to your eyes (it's ok to leave a little white line like sunglasses under your eyes and across the bridge of your nose- it looks more natural and if you try covering it all and going close to your eyes, it is more difficult and tends to leave spotty areas).
3) Wash up- After the lotion is rubbed in everywhere and you are sure there are no obvious streaks, wash your hands (especially in between fingers and around nails) and wrists. The bottoms of your wrists tend to be the whitest parts of your arms, so if you dont wash up there you will have an obvious brown line where your writst meets the palm of your hand. Pat hands and wrists dry with a towel so you dont rub off lotion in other areas of your arms.
4) Let dry- before putting on your pj's and getting into bed for the night, make sure you are completely dry. This will help avoid getting tanner on your clothes as well as avoiding streaks on your skin.
5) Sleep - Applying tanner at night is best because you are lying still and won't be sweating. Tanner can kind of make your pores feel clogged up at first and can make you sweat. So you don't want to apply during the day while you're running around because you can end up with sweat making nice little white trails through your tanned skin. lol
6) Spot removal - Once you wake up, check your skin for any spots or streaks. Even the best application can sometimes leave streaks. If that happens, no worries! Take a pumice stone and soak in water. Apply a little shower gel on the stone and GENTLY rub on the spotty area. You will only need to rub 3 or 4 times very gently. The pumice stone is abrasive enough that it takes the color right off. Rub once or twice and check your progress- you don't want to take all the color off, just the excess color. Use carefully on sensitive areas like neck or face- some people recommend a loofah for taking off color but I have found youhave to rub more/harder to get the exess color off. Using the pumice is easier on the skin- even though it is more abrasive, you can use it gently and it requires only a few rubs until the color is gone. If you have spots on your legs or ankles (or other "tougher" areas) use the pumice stone with baking soda. If you have extra color around your nails, just try soaking them in lemon juice and then polish them with a clear or nude color.
7) Bronze - If you have sensitive skin on yoru face and don't want to use self-tanner because it causes breakouts, just apply the tanner on arms, legs, etc. Then on your neck and face, use a powder bronzer. To give that silky glow, use a moisturizer first as a base for your makeup and then apply the bronzer last.8) Enjoy your tan- you are now tan in a healthy, non-threatening way! Tans can make us feel more confident, cover up scars/stretch marks, even our skin tone and actually make us look thinner, so enjoy your glow and go strut your stuff, ladies! :)
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