My Top 5 Affordable Self Tanner Products

Self tanners are either hit or miss for people. You either hate them or you love them. I am one of those people you love them. Why not get a tan, sans harming your skin? To me, it’s a win-win… As long as the tan looks good and is natural. Self-tanning has a bad rap, but I think that the new self-tanners are starting to turn that reputation for good. To me, the most important thing when choosing a self-tanner is the smell, the application, and the price. For example, if it smells awful, I probably won’t buy it. If the self-tanner applies super streaky and takes 30 minutes to do, it won’t rank high on my list. If a self-tanner is $50, but I only get 5-8 uses out of it, what’s the point? I am all about convenience nowadays. The easier and less time it takes, the better. I typically apply self-tanner at night so A, it doesn’t get on my clothes, and B, so it has time to develop the color. In the past, I’ve been a fan of the instant-color tanners, but the develop-color ones have been growing on me. I don’t necessarily have one favorite self-tanner, but what I use just depends on how much time I have, if I’m being honest. Ready to hear my favorites?

one // Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer

This is my most recent self-tanner purchase. I bought it after reading multiple blog posts about it and after seeing so much advertising, I decided to go ahead and get it. I was a little skeptical when buying this… How could a self-tanner work on wet skin? How could a self-tanner like this even work in general? After using it, I have got to say that I am impressed. While the color isn’t instant, but rather gradual, it is great. Why not kill two birds with one stone by moisturizing and tanning when you get out the shower? I am impressed with this and don’t see why I wouldn’t use this in the future. The price is great at $10, there is virtually no smell, and the application is a dream.

two // L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Salon Airbrush

This airbrush self-tanner used to be my ultimate favorite back in high school. (I guess I’m old now if I say “back in high school…”) I love this stuff because A, it’s gradual, and B, it gives you great color. This self-tanner can also be found at Target, just like the Jergens tanner. The mist is so fine that it gets evenly distributed and the application is not as hard as you’d think. When I wear this one, I get so many compliments on how tan I look! I haven’t used this one in a while, but I still consider it one of my favorites. It only takes me about 5-10 minutes to apply this one.

three // Fake Bake Flawless Darker

This is my holy grail self-tanner. While this is the most expensive out of all five, it is so worth it. I bought this self-tanner about two years ago and it isn’t even halfway gone. In order to use this self tanner, you have to use a mitt, but don’t worry- it comes one! Different from the other self-tanners, this one isn’t as quick and convenient. The directions say to put on gloves and to moisturize your elbows and knees before starting… I’m honestly not all that great at doing the “pre” steps to self-tanning, though. This tanner is supposed to be applied at night as the color “sinks in” better… or something like that. While this one might leave some stains, they always come out- that is one of their claims, that it is easier to remove from sheets than makeup! So you apply this at night and then you go to sleep, wake up, shower to rinse off the color guard, and you are good to go! The reason I love this tanner so much is because it gives the best color. I think that this one has some green undertones or something to counteract that dreaded orange color. This tanner also fades really well. I am a big fan of this tanner! Note: I used to use the regular version of this self-tanner, but ever since switching to “Darker,” I haven’t looked back!

four // Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer

I purchased this self-tanner after reading that Caitlin from Southern Curls and Pearls used it. It is a great self-tanner as it is gradual, easy to apply, and honest fun to apply! I don’t have anything negative to say about this tanner, but it just isn’t the most convenient to apply a foam everyday, at least in my opinion.

five // Tan Towel

Just like the airbrush spray, I haven’t used this self-tanner in a while, but I still consider it one of my favorites. These towels are incredibly easy to use and they work so quickly! I love these because of the convenience. I think that these would be great to bring if you were traveling. I think that the smell is a little funky, but the results trump the smell.

I hope y’all enjoyed this post! Make sure that you are keeping up with me in Europe by following my hashtag #sallyjetsets and by watching my Vlogs on my youtube channel!