While I wouldn’t say that I’m tanorexic, so to speak, and I never verge on the orange side of way too tan, I have to admit that I do enjoy my summer glow. It makes me look and feel healthier, sexier, thinner, and looks great against my favorite brightly-hued wardrobe pieces. But does it really have to be summer to rock a summer glow? Is being tan strictly a seasonal thing? Technically no, but there is something to be said about using self-tanner in moderation in the off-season!

Gradual self-tanners help you get and maintain that subtle glow without showing up at work one day looking an entirely different shade than the day before! Moisturize with a gradual self-tanning lotion and skin will be nourished, soothed, and firm while slowly but surely building an even sun-kissed tone. Let’s face it – unless you’re heading out to the tropics for the holiday season, you have no reason to look like you’ve spent a week at the beach in one go!

From left to right: St. Tropez Tanning Essentials Everyday Gradual Tan, Sisley-Paris Soleil San Soleil Self Tanning Lotion, purminerals Get a Little Self Tanning Lotion, and La Prairie Gradual Tanning Lotion.

- Alex Gambardella

*Guest beauty post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! from my friends at TheFind.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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E! already reigns supreme with their coverage of Hollywood glamour on the red carpet, and now the network has been lending its name to beauty brands (like Stila!) and fashion labels (like Adrianna Papell!) to help we non-celebrities channel our inner fashion icon. The latest hit from the E! Live From The Red Carpet collection is its collaboration with Xen-Tan.

The Perfect Blend Shimmer Bronzer is designed to help us get our glow on without visiting a salon, and aims to make it easy enough for us amateurs to get a streak-free, natural-looking tan from home! It even has a dial to help customize your tan, so application is disaster-free. Red Carpet frequenters Audrina Patridge, Holly Madison, Karina Smirnoff, and E! correspondent Lisa Rinna all swear by the spray-on blend because it delivers a natural-looking glow that still makes an impact from afar and in photos, and doesn’t have that yucky canned-tan smell of many bronzing mists. If it’s good enough for the notoriously unforgiving red carpet, I’m certainly willing to give it a try!

- Alex Gambardella

Guest beauty post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! from my friends at TheFind.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

As much as you may crave earning that “authentic” summer glow while basking at the beach or lounging poolside, it’s vital to remember that the only way to tan safely is by doing it completely sun-free! Sure, fake-baking definitely has stigmas associated with it, and of course, no one wants to look orange and streaky (unless you’re dressing up as Snooki for your next costume party), but self-tanner doesn’t have look fake.

In fact, if you’re not in a hurry to go bronze in one spritz, and especially if you’re trying to avoid that jarring suddenly-tan contrast that often comes with an overzealous spray tanning session, opt for a gradual self-tanner to help deepen your color in a more buildable way while you moisturize! Gradual tanners are great because they’re subtle but still give great, natural-looking results. Streaks or mistakes don’t show because you’ve built the color over time, allowing you to get your tan on without going overboard in one session, and some, like Too Faced’s Tanning Bed in a Tube, give you a subtle instant glow that washes off, while also building your gradual tan at the same time!

Also pictured: Shiseido Daily Bronze Moisturizing Emulsion, St. Tropez Tanning Essentials Gradual Tan Mousse, Clarins Delectable Self Tanning Mousse, and La Prairie Gradual Tanning Lotion.

- Alex Gambardella

Guest beauty post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! from my friends at TheFind.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

Looking at my pathetic white legs the other day made me finally spring to buy a sunless tanner. I’ve never used a sunless tanner before, mostly because of the fear of orange palms and streak marks. As trial and error has progressed, it seems that sunless tanners are getting better at lessening a beginner’s chances of messing things up. Call it Sunless Tanning for Dummies, if you will.

After looking through the plethora of sunless tanners one evening, my very impatient self chose Neutrogena’s MicroMist Sunless Spray Medium Shade, which makes your skin 2 shades darker than you current skin tone. My reasons for choosing a spray was that there was less of a chance I would miss a spot making it blatantly obvious to others that I got a tan the fake way. Also? Spraying was faster than slapping on a lotion. The only downside was that the directions stated your tan would only show up 2-4 hours after application.

So I hit the shower first, making sure to wash off all my lotion and also exfoliate my skin. Exfoliating makes it less likely your sunless tanner will streak and helps slough off the dead skin cells, which tend to soak up the tanner and create dark spots.

I felt very strange positioning a bottle resembling a small can of hairspray at my legs. However, application was very easy and the tanner went on without feeling greasy. Prior to spraying and being a sunless tanner virgin, I was a little nervous about whether or not the spray would puddle or drip off my leg. However, just as hairspray does…it stayed put. It only took about 2 minutes to dry completely, feeling a little tacky at first. The scent reminded me of floral scented hairspray, as well. The scent wasn’t bad, however I do advise you not to spray it without having the windows open first. I unintentionally got quite the aerosole high.

When I didn’t notice any difference in two hours, I sprayed on another coat (I am very impatient). At that point I decided what the heck, and also sprayed my arms, shoulders, and back. For tanning your face, you just spray it into your hands and rub on. I was worried again, that I would look like a Sunkist, but the spray quickly absorbed and with washing my hands right away, it did not change the color of my palms.

Upon waking the next morning I quickly ran to the bathroom to get a look at myself and was very happy to see a lovely bronze color on my skin. My legs were no longer snow white and there was absolutely no evidence to the untrained eye that I used a sunless tanner.

It’s been about 5 days since I sprayed on the MicroMist and my tan still shows nicely. I’d say it was well worth the money.

Neutrogena MicroMist Tanning Sunless Spray: $10.99 (save 8%) at drugstore.com

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Tags: sunless tanner, Neutrogena MicroMist, spray on tan, self-tanner

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts