I have to confess that I am a complete self-tanning newbie. Self-tanning brings back images of my high school classmates sporting a strange orange glow in the middle of winter, so I was reluctant to try it. But I would like to be able to hit the beach without my pasty thighs blinding all the nearby sunbathers, so when I got the opportunity to try Beautisol’s Self Tanning System I was cautiously optimistic.
Okay, actually I was a little scared. The sample I have is the “Dark” or “Summer Glow”, which I was worried would turn me oompa loompa orange. I got up my courage by looking at the before and after galleries on Beautisol’s website, and watching the helpful videos from Beautisol’s creator, Sinead, the “Self-Tanning Queen”. She didn’t look like an oompa loompa, nor did her assistant in the video, so maybe it would turn out alright.
I started with a test patch on my upper leg, just above the interesting tan lines I’ve been inadvertently cultivating (and covered by my shorts if anything goes wrong!). I let the tan develop for 3 hours, shorter than the development time recommended, to get an idea of how quickly the color would appear. After 3 hours, my test patch was noticeably darker, but not quite as dark as my natural tan. I did another test patch overnight, and a bit more color did develop, but not to the point of being overly dark. I was pleasantly surprised–more like shocked, actually–at how close the self-tanning color was to my natural tan. And thus I hatched this fool-hardy plan: to self-tan away my unwanted tan lines!
Here’s my less-than-awesome-in-a-strapless-dress bikini tan line:
my tan lines :/
I applied the product to the bright white areas of my skin, rubbing it in and then feathering it out into a light application over my shoulders. I let the self tanner work overnight, and here’s how it looked in the morning:
my tan lines after self-tanning with Beautisol Summer Glow overnight
I had a few little splotches in the morning, which I attribute to my amateur application technique. Even so, the splotches were less of a contrast with the rest of my skin tone than the bright white strap lines I had before. Overall though I was really pleased with how it turned out! It seems to be lasting well, too – several days later I still don’t see any signs of those white strap lines returning.
The self-tanning BeautiKit also includes “Go Slough Yourself” exfoliant scrub, to prepare your skin for the self-tanner. With diatomaceous earth as an exfoliating abrasive, Go Slough Yourself means business. If you overuse it I’m sure you’ll end up irritating your skin, but with occasional use it left my skin feeling invigorated and renewed (and it has an refreshing summery orange-citrus scent). I’ve been looking for a good exfoliant scrub for a while, and I was very excited to find one that worked so well! If you’re looking for a good scrub but don’t want the self tanner, you can buy Go Slough Yourself a la carte.
Self-tanning like a fine brioche!
The active ingredient in many self-tanners, including Beautisol’s, is dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA is a sugar-derivative (from sugar beets or sugar cane) that reacts with amino acids in the dead protective outer layer of the skin. This reaction, which is similar to the chemical reaction that produces the brown crust on breads, produces colored products called melanoidins in similar shades as natural melanins. This reaction can apparently produce some stinky byproducts, although I wouldn’t know from personal experience because Beautisol’s self-tanner didn’t have any noticeable odor while it was working. Beautisol’s formula includes a number of ingredients they call their “Smell-Right Technology” to neutralize malodorous byproducts as they are produced. It seems to work, because while the self-tanner has a somewhat medicinal generic product smell right out of the bottle, that fades as the product dries on the skin.
One last note: an order includes two pairs of latex gloves, but you’ll need to grab some gloves at the drug store before you finish out the bottle. You might want to try some nitrile gloves instead of latex; they are a little thicker but they don’t leave that powdery residue on your hands.
Want to get yourself some “summer glow”? Order Beautisol’s Self-tanners and Go Slough Yourself scrub from the Beautisol website.
