Arcona Bronze Tinted Self-Tanner ($32) Light, oil-free bronzer/self-tanner creates radiant, natural looking color without the sun. Bronzes as you apply it, then deepens to a natural glow. Enjoy natural looking results with effective, non-toxic DHA self-tanning ingredient. Hydrate and nourish skin with shea butter. Protect skin from free radical damage with vitamin E and grape seed extract.

My Thoughts:

I’ve never really had to use a self-tanner before. Living in Southern California, I’m almost guaranteed to have a tan all year long. Also, truthfully, I avoided using self-tanners because of all the horror stories and worries I had heard about and had seen:

• Looking orange and not natural
• Uneven and streaky
• THE HORRIBLE SMELL
• Too dark of a color
• Difficult and annoying application process
• Uneven fading

The Arcona Bronze Tinted Self-Tanner took all those worries away! The Arcona Self-Tanner had a thin lotion-like texture and was very easy to apply. I just applied it as if it was lotion. I had no difficulties blending and spreading so I didn’t have to use a lot of product. The bronze color appeared immediately and started to deepen soon after. After two thin layers, the bronze color deepened to a color that was a little bit darker than my real tan. The self-tanner also had a light shimmer to give my skin a glowing tan. Don’t worry, the shimmer is very subtle and isn’t noticeable except when in the bottle. Because the self-tanner dried quickly, I didn’t have to worry about it staining my clothes and furniture. I also noticed the Arcona Self-Tanner didn’t dry out my skin. It actually left it looking and feeling moisturized!

It’s been over a week since I applied the self-tanner and the bronze color is still present. It’s not as dark as when I first applied it, but it’s still noticeable. The bronze color faded gradually and quite subtly so I barely noticed it. The only reason I noticed it was because I compared it my real tan.

Overall, the Arcona Self-Tanner gave me a natural looking tan; not an orange tint in sight! My friends and family couldn’t even tell the difference between my real tan and the Arcona Self-Tanner. The best and most surprising feature of the Arcona Self-Tanner, besides giving your skin a natural looking tan, is the scent. There was no hint of a chemical smell. Instead, it smelled wonderful! If you hold the bottle up to your nose you can detect the refreshing scent. It reminds me of body wash/soap. The Arcona Bronze Tinted Self-Tanner ranks as one of my favorite all-time products, and I highly recommend it if you’re in the market for a self-tanner.

A little note: don’t apply too much at once. Start off with a light layer and then wait a few minutes for the bronze color to take effect. You can layer on more if you want a darker color.

Check out the before and after photo. You can also see it compared to a real tan! PS please don’t make fun of my pale legs. This is what happens when you don’t let your legs see the light of day for nearly a year!