I will start this by stating that I am pale. Not ghostly white pale but pretty fair skinned. Basically, the only way I look tanned at all is through artificial means. I have tried many self-tanners over many years. Vita Liberata is worth every penny they charge. I use the face the body lotion, body mousse, bronzing powder. All of it. By some miracle, my pale skin does not turn any shade of orange. Magical.
Also please be aware that your self-tanning experience will be affected by other factors. Not just the bottle you buy. You do need to exfoliate your skin first. Use some kind of mitt or gloves to apply the tanner. Vita Liberata sells one. So do other companies. Use any mitt, just use a mitt. If you rinse the mitt really well right away you can use them several times. Also if you love hot baths the tanner will wash off sooner. Quick warm showers will keep the tan longer. If you exfoliate your skin after fake tanning it then it will fade very quickly. My favorite way to exfoliate prior to fake baking is with these gloves. You can turn your hands into little scratchy sponges. You can use the back of your hand to reach that hard to reach spot on your back. Also a reason to buy the self-tanner application mitt. You can extend your reach and apply with the back of your hand using the mitt. Try it now. I won’t judge. Reach the back of your hand to the middle of your back. It reaches way farther than if you reach back there like you were trying to scratch an itch or fasten your bra.
You know how your legs basically never tan in the sun. They just don’t. Even if you lay out on the beach. As it turns out your dry skin acts kind of like sunscreen. All those layers of dead skin block the UV rays a bit. If you were to scrub the heck out of your legs and put on some oil you would tan better. The dry skin can foil your attempt to fake bake as well. Think about what you’re doing, apply this expensive stuff over dry dead skin cells and it will just flake off and fade quickly. Exfoliation will extend the life of your fake tanner. You also need to moisturize the next day and in the days after to keep the tan looking nice and fresh. If you apply then forget about it the tan will fade faster. Moist healthy skin will flake off more slowly.
About Vita Liberata specifically. The smell is fine. It isn’t the normal weird unpleasant self-tanner smell. I strangely like it. It is faint. The product is organic. No DHA which some people are allergic to. That would be unfortunate to find out the hard way. You don’t have to use a lot of this product. A thin layer is fine. It does indeed dry fast. No sweating or jumping in a pool for 6-8 hours. I always put it on before bed for this reason. I also have white sheets. I love a bed with white sheets. This has not messed them up. That said, I do make sure I let it dry completely and wear pajama pants, not just shorts. I wait an hour before entering bed. I also don’t get under too many covers and keep the temperature cool. If I were to sweat in bed there goes the tanner and the sheets. If you live without AC take this into consideration when fake tanning. If it’s 90 degrees at night, I’m sorry and use dark sheets. 🙂
One note about the set tanning bronzing powder. If you put it on over a layer of foundation guess what? It won’t tan your skin! Some Sephora reviews are negative and I am guessing these people didn’t put it on bare skin. I brush a little on in the summer when I don’t have other makeup on so I can get the tanning effect. Just for trips to the grocery store or when I am at home. It doesn’t make you super tan but it helps if you do walk around fresh-faced sometimes. It’s more natural color than a bronzed goddess look.
What is your go-to self-tanner?
Julia