Tis the season to don a bronze glow....however, there are some serious dangers associated with allowing your skin to bare the elements. Even then, who wants unsightly tan lines? So what is a girl to do?

Self tanner and bronzer of course! But, I am certain you dont want that orange-y look...I know I dont and some self tanners unfortunately tend to give an orange glow.

Alot of the self tanners today do not make you look at all like an orange. They can give you a subtle bronze glow or a deeper bronze glow it is all in the choice of tanner and the application. We can talk about bronzers another day, today we are going to focus on good self tanners and the professional application of them to get you the best most even bronze glow.

So, what to buy? Well, I used to be a major sun worshipper and still love the way a tan looks, however, since I am a little older now - I still love the look but am not willing to take the risk of skin cancer or even of premature wrinkling and sun spots. I have tried just about everything including going to the tanning salon and doing the "Mystic Tan" which I must admit works, but it is expensive and it is extremely hard to breathe in there! I have tried expensive tanners and drugstore tanners and hope you will find my experience helpful.

A list of my favorites - that I have gotten the absolute best results with...in all price ranges. (A tip also, if you want to try a more expensive tanner dont go spend full price, buy it here on ebay that way you can try it and just pay a fraction of the cost.) I do sell cosmetics on ebay, but I also have a buying ID with feedback greater than 300 - so I do quite a bit of shopping here too!

On the more expensive side

Fake bake and Clarins gel. Two of my absolute favorites, and you can get them on ebay. They give an extremely natural look, don't streak and are easy to apply.

Bargain basement

Jergens Natural Glow. I am not kidding. You can get this stuff at the drugstore and it is awesome and inexpensive.

Now for the application (getting no streaks)

Be clean shaven - but do not do this right before you self tan! It can irritate freshly shaven skin.

Apply regular body lotion to the area that you are going to tan, even baby oil will work. This application will keep you from getting streaks and keep the tanner from being darker on dry spots of your skin. It will glide over your skin with a base of lotion or baby oil.

There is nothing pretty about tan palms...I know from experience that it is pretty creepy looking! You can either wear latex gloves or was your hands THOROUGHLY after the application, focusing on the palms and the skin in between your fingers.

Apply the tanner by first working on a small area. Do it gently and in an even manner. Rub the product in generously, reach out to other areas by swirling - but in a gentle and even rub. Try not to go in an up and down direction because it wont look as even if you do. Dont forget your back, either have someone help you or you can try to use a sponge.

The downside to self tanner is quite honestly, the smell. The majority of self tanners have a very distinctive - and not so pleasant smell. I recommend putting it on an hour before bedtime and then waking up and getting directly into the shower. In all fairness I would say Jergens probably has the least offensive smell.

So, bronze away and keep that pretty skin healthy!

Was this guide helpful? Please let me know...if it was not helpful I would like to know that as well. I try to write my guides based on the questions I get from customers. Let me know if there is something that would be of more value for you and thank you for taking the time to read!