Thread: tanning lotion -- recommendations?

so having not had much chance to get into the sun this summer, i'm kinda (quite) pale lol. and it's not something that fits me too well..
i'm going into town tmoro and was thinking about buying some tanning lotion stuff. a friend of mine recommended a Nivea (i think it was) cream that tanned the skin little by little over several days, that was a nice brown (Not orange!) color. but my boyfriend doesn't like the smell of that one very much lol. so i'm wondering if you gals know anything else that works nicely, is relatively long-ish lasting (i'm not looking for a spray-on/wash-off tan stuff. i prefer a natural effect, and am definitely staying clear of orangeyness)
what's your go-to? :)

Loreal Sublime Bronze. The closest thing I have found to the Hawaiian sun.

isn't that stuff toxic?

where d'ya hear that, toria?

I love tanning bed in a tube by too faced - but I wouldn't wear it with a light colored costume. It is a wash off formula - very sparkly and 'evening' but it tans you gradually too, if that makes sense! In terms of the daily tanning lotions, I used to use Johnson's holiday skin, but I had to take a break and exfoliate every couple of days to stop it going patchy. I also used to use and LOVE the Lancome gel formulation - I have their mousse now and can't be bothered to use it!

I've had really good luck with Jergens Natural Glow. It's one that gradually darkens as you apply it over several days, which really minimizes streaking, etc. It DOES have a particular scent that tends to stick with you (on my skin at least), but I don't think it's an unpleasant scent...just different. :)

thanks gals! :)
i ended up going with the first one that i came across that looked ok and that my bro didn't wrinkle his nose at when made to sniff (hehe). it's Garnier "bodysummer". wasn't very expensive, and is moisturizer as well, so i'll test it out and if it works, yay, and if not well it won't be a huge loss ^^

I use California Tan Odor Neutralizer and it really helps cut the smell of either gradual tanners or spray-ons like Mystic Tan. I've only been able to find it online. You wait a couple of hours after applying tanner to let the DHA interact with your skin, then use the spray.

ohh, interesting, thanks for that tip!

i like the dove stuff, as the "active ingredient" is in a low dose, so it's gradual, you dont have to be so carefull, and it's really a body cream

i've tried the proper spray stuff (lancome etc), but i found it foul smelling AND difficult to get right;

I'm a combo lady these days...weekly (mostly) VeraSpa spray tan, followed by Jergens Natural Glow Express a couple times a week after showering. If I'm still feeling a little too pale, I'll add a temporary bronzer for performances. Another good one is Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel - very light and pleasant smell.

Just a word of caution.... I have UV gel nails and I find that they stain REALLY quickly with the lotions (no matter what brand). Even washing immediately doesn't help at all. I've resorted to using a plastic glove to apply... which seems silly for a moisturizing tanner, doesn't it? ..l;,