Test Drive: L'Oreal Sublime Bronze SPF 15

It's been a sad little beachless summer over here at BITNB, and consequently I am paler than the Cullens. Now that I'm on a two week vacay, I've desperately (but safely!) been trying to impart a little glow. Enter L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Lotion SPF 15, which is genius to me because you can be outdoors, not get burned, yet still get a (faux) tan.

The Experience

I usually apply my self tanners at night - stained sheets be damned! - because I hate walking around all day with the yucky self tanner feeling and smell. This actually had a nice fresh fragrance that only slightly took on that DHA odor we all know and hate later in the day. The consistency felt like straight sunblock - very rich. It definitely took a few minutes to dry, and I wouldn't recommend wearing your tightest fitting jeans when you have this on. 

I went about my business and by nighttime I was golden brown - seriously, the color that develops is A-Mazing. No orange in sight, it's a lovely natural looking brown shade that even shows up on pale skin. If you need to look tan in a hurry, this is your formula.

The Verdict:

For $9.99 this is a no-brainer. The tan that develops is beautiful, natural looking and rich, and you have the added protection of SPF 15 if you plan on being outdoors all day. Available at drugstores nationwide.

Choose Your Self Tanner Wisely

I just read a startling little blurb in the current issue of Allure, on newsstands now. So everyone has been preaching for years to not tan and use self tanner to get a golden glow to avoid skin damage. Well, as it turns out, a new study shows that dihydroxyacetone, or DHA for short, can cause increased free radicals, which leads to skin damage. 

The problem here? DHA is the active ingredient in basically ALL self tanners because it's what turns your skin tan! The first thing I thought when I read this was you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. Can't a girl just get a safe tan anymore?

Fret not, there's a fairly simple solution to this major problem. Look for a formula that contains antioxidants that fight free radical damage, such as green tea, vitamin C or acai berry. Two self tanners I've talked about here contain antioxidants: Mystic Tan Sunless Tanning Lotion and Kardashian Glamour Tan. All the more reason to scoop these two up! A budget-friendly drugstore option is new Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Daily Moisturizer, which contains antioxidants and vitamin E.

New Line Alert: Kardashian Beauty

Do those Kardashians ever sleep? Everyone's fave reality TV family now has their hand in beauty, with the launch of Kardashian Glamour Tan, a moisturizing self tanning gel with antioxidants and vitamins A, C and D. What's really interesting about this self tanner is it's currently the only one available with Imudulin, an ingredient responsible for stimulating vitamin D synthesis, which can help lessen the look of lines and wrinkles. 

Kardashian Glamour Tan is available as of today at Sephora. I have yet to try it, but I wonder if it can live up to my beloved Shiseido Brilliant Bronze Tinted Self Tanning Gel in Medium Tan that I can only seem to find at Amazon and Macys since the whole no more Shiseido in the U.S. thing. 

Lord knows those Kardashians love their tans, so I think this product could potentially be a winner. Pick it up at Sephora.

Test Drive: Mystic Tan Sunless Tanning Lotion Face +Body

Friends, I am sick and could not get out of bed this morning. I think it had something to do with the fact that I was tailgating in the rain Saturday for ND's scrimmage game. For those of you who don't know Mr. M is an MBA student at Notre Dame and I'm pretty much along for the ride. We're moving back to NYC this summer, which I'm thrilled about. Then it's back to ND until Mr. M graduates in May 2011, and hopefully moving back to the NYC area permanently where we can buy a house, have a huge pile of pets and babies (Mr. M loves when I say this) and live happily ever after. 

But back to the beauty. I am addicted to self tanner because I am a true beach girl (grew up about 10 mins from Ocean City, NJ) who loves to be tan. When I got into the beauty business everyone was force feeding sunblock down my throat, and now I am weening tanning out of my life. When Mr. M and I went to St. Lucia in December I even sat in the shade half the time. But let's be honest, most people look better tan, so that's where a good self tanner comes into play. Read on for my thoughts on Mystic Tan Sunless Tanning Lotion Face + Body.

The Experience:

Right off the bat, I love that you can use this on both face and body without incurring a breakout situation. I started by squeezing a dollop onto the mitt and rubbing in circular motions until evenly dispersed and blended. The tanner is tinted so you have an idea of where it's going. Once I had slathered from head to toe I waited about five minutes to dry before getting dressed. Major plus: very minimal self tanner stink. You can wear this during the day without that awful smell creeping up on you. Other huge bonus: not a hint of orange in sight. The color is very natural looking and ends up developing into a lovely bronzey brown shade. I started off major pale and was completely fine. A not so plus: you won't get dramatic color from just one application. You'll definitely need to use this either twice a day (reapplying after four hours) or for several consecutive days. 

The Verdict: 

I say buy if you're looking for a super natural self tanner that gives great color, with minimal stink. Since it works on both face and body the $38 price tag seems a little more reasonable. I had no streaks and a nice little glow going on that really takes the edge off of pale skin that hasn't seen the light of day in awhile. Ditch the mitt though and use your hands, just be sure to wash thoroughly with soap and water post application. Pick up Mystic Tan Sunless Tanning Lotion Face + Body at Sephora stores and the Sephora website.

New Solerra Tanee Tan Line Corrector

This is so genius I can't believe no one thought of this until now. Tan lines are always a major problem for me in the summer. I try to untie my bikini top so I don't get them, but then there's always the risk of indecent exposure. Now with Solerra's Tanee Tan Line Corrector you can correct tan lines without flashing the entire beach. 

Solérra Tanee Tan Line Corrector is a super affordable, ($5.99) multi-use tube that fills in tan lines with Solérra’s sunless tanning formula. It also contains beneficial ingredients like aloe leaf extract to smooth, soften and moisturize skin and walnut extract and caramel, which are natural colorants.

All you have to do is squeeze the tube to dispense the formula and apply to tan lines, blending the edges. Repeat after four hours if need be to completely cover the tan line and then voila! Strapless dresses can be worn without crazy white striples on your shoulders and neck. 

I've talked about Solerra before, specifically about the self tanning mitt, which I absolutely love. Check out more on that here. 

Availability: Solérra products are available at Solérra.com, Drugstore.com, Beauty Brands Salon, Spa and Superstores and fine salons and spas throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Get a V-Day Glow

It's already February lovelies; can you believe it? I can almost feel spring in the air, but first up, it's almost Valentine's day. Roses, candy, candlelight dinners and...hopefully not pale skin. Here's the buzz on two of my favorite new glow inducers for body and face.

The Solerra Instant Bronzing Mitt gives a warm golden tan immediately, while also developing a lasting tan over the course of a few hours. I'm big into self tanner as most of you know, but I absolutely dread the application process. This single-use, four layer mitt makes it a snap. Simply rub the mitt over your body from head to toe (you'll only need one mitt) let dry for a few minutes before getting dressed and in four to six hours, you have a lasting tan minus the stink. The Solerra Mitt uses patented Invisicare technology, which is resistant to wash-off, while allowing skin to breathe and perspire as it normally does. Head over to the Solerra website for ordering info.

NARS' famed Orgasm hue is now available in a liquid luminizer for the perfect candlelight sheen day or night. There seems to be a little confusion that this will replace blush, which it definitely won't. It's meant to be worn on top of blush, on cheekbones, brow bones, decollete or anywhere else you want a peachy pink golden sheen. My favorite way to use is right on cheekbones, dabbing on in a C-shape from temple to cheek. Pick it up at Sephora.

Fake a Tropical Getaway with Too Faced

I always have a nightmare of a time trying to find a facial self tanner that I like. They're always too orange, make me break out, stink, or are just all around unpleasant to have on. That all changed when I discovered Too Faced Tanning Bed in a Tube for Face. This super lightweight, tinted-with-a-hint-of-shimmer formula provides a natural looking tan gradually and evenly, plus it has a delicious cocunutty scent. Even though it's tinted with shimmer, I actually like to use it at night because I'm a slave to my daytime routine. In a few days you're left with a gorgeous tropical glow.

I like to amp up the tan for nighttime, or on days when I'm just feeling pale and lackluster with Caribbean in a Compact in Sun Bunny. This is the perfect bronzer for anyone with light to medium skin. It looks so natural with an ever so slight shimmer. I dust it on around the hairline, forehead, bride of nose and hollows of cheeks.

Even if you were stuck at home during the holidays, everyone will think you just came back from a fab island getaway!

Beat the Winter Blahs

It's about that time where the weather starts to take a real turn for the worst - cold, gloomy, rainy/maybe even snowy and factor in daylight savings, and now we're waking up in the dark and coming home from work in the dark. I don't know about you but all that cold and dark just makes me feel blah. My favorite pick me up is a little (and I do mean little) dose of self tanner and bronzer - i.e. the goal here is to look warm and glowy, not like you just came back from Aruba.

My favorite new self tanner for the body is L'Oreal Sublime Glow Luminous Bronzer, an instant bronzing lotion with a hint of shimmer and self tanner in one. The Sublime line as a whole is pretty good, but I love this so much because it's super versatile. I usually like to apply self tanner before bed, leaving enough time to dry of course because I hate the tacky feeling and the stink, but this has neither. It's perfect for an instant boost, like when you forgot to tan your legs and you're wearing a mini dress that night, and the shimmer is soft and natural. Plus it reminds me of the very pricey Shiseido self tanner that I can no longer rationalize buying at the moment.

Moving along to the face. Bare Escentuals Warmth is the perfect non-bronzer bronzer. It's technically a tawny colored mineral powder meant to warm up the face and it does just that, without looking too brown, orange or harsh. It provides a sheer, warm glowiness that is perfect for the winter when you don't want to have a super dark tan but the pink blush just isn't doing it. Lightly buff it around the hairline, jawline, bridge of nose and cheekbones, then top with a little blush on the apples. I also like to dust it over my eyelids, it just perks up your whole face.

It sounds weird but when I'm feeling especially blah I even forego dark nail polish in favor of either a nice neutral pink like Essie Mademoiselle, a bright orange red like Sephora by OPI High Maintenance, or one of the new magenta shades. Check out my post from September for some recos.