Beach in a Bottle: We Test 5 Top Bronzers
By Carly Young, Special to LifeScript
Thursday, March 15, 2007

The term “winter-white” works best to describe cozy angora sweaters and the soft snowfall outside your window – not the color of your skin. But unfortunately, after months indoors, many of us look more Casper than Cabo. In my quest to become bronzed and beach-worthy, I conducted an unscientific test of five popular products that promised to turn my pallor the color of liquid gold. Read on for my top picks…

Before I dish on the goods, let’s get started with some pre-product tips. To keep your glow going longer, prep your skin before applying a self-tanner. If you apply a formula to unprepped skin, your tan will fade faster because as skin sheds and flakes off it takes the golden tint with it, often leaving streaks. “The key to getting smooth, not streaky, bronze skin is exfoliation,” explains Carolyn Brundage, founder of PrettyCity.com.

Use an exfoliator right before applying your tan. Brundage’s pick is Nyakio Kenyan Coffee and Sugar body scrub, which contains Kenyan coffee beans, sugar, vitamins A and E, and essential oils. For best results, shave or wax one day before tanning, not on the same day, says Laura Schmid, an aesthetician at Avia Spa in Santa Barbara, home of the Sunless Body Bronze treatment.

After you’ve applied your tanner, upkeep is as important as preparation. Though most formulas advise waiting four to six hours after application before showering, “waiting overnight will give you a deeper color,” says Schmid.

To preserve that summery shade, apply a heavy body lotion daily. “Keeping the skin moisturized helps to seal in the tan,” Schmid explains. She recommends Issimo Relax, which contains Shea butter, rose and essential oil.

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