The Self-Tan Tundra

We all know and love to hate it. The tundra of tanner. Streaky hands, smelly skin and an orangey complexion encompass the aura of any fake tan victim. To most, they’re just happy to not look pale, but is this hyper fixation fulfilling its purpose, or is it masking what insecurities lie underneath?

Self-tan Blindness

Whether your “blindness” comes in the form of how you do your eyebrows, makeup or hair, your perception of how things appear will always be skewed. No matter how bad self-tan looks, some assume it is better than being pale. Those streaky hands don’t look so bad at the moment, but someday, looking back, it could be cringy to think about it.

Better Suggestions

Often, when self-tanning, the color we choose isn’t best suited for our skin tone. Every person has different pigments and applying super dark tanner to fairer skin might have a contrasting effect than the one you’re hoping for. Undertones play a huge role in how a tanner might present itself on your skin. For example, tanners with cooler undertones are better for fairer skin. In fair skin, red and pink undertones are dominant, so warm-toned tanners will develop more orange on the skin. A violet or green-based tone is best to help prevent that unnatural orange. If you want something more tailored, “Technocolor” by Bondi Sands is a tanner that specifically adapts to your unique skin tone, delivering the most natural results. They offer different tones depending on the skin you have!

Try this to avoid that: Use a makeup brush to apply the tanner on your hands. This keeps the tan even around the crevices and applies a softer amount to avoid too dark of a pigment.

Stressful Stains

This may not apply to all, but basking in self-tan while you sleep is a method for many. When we let our tans sit throughout the night, we accidentally tan our sheets too! It’s not the cleanest route to sleep in sheets covered in self-tan. A better option is to use or buy a blanket you don’t care about and sleep on top of your comforter with that underneath for the night. This eliminates the transfer of tanner onto your fresh sheets. Another option is a sleeping sack. This mimics the function of a sleeping bag but is specifically used for nights when you want to sleep with your tan on. The “Tan Fan” sleep sac “helps put stained sheets to bed,” by keeping the self-tan on you rather than your sheets.

Love The Skin You’re In

The confidence that comes from a tan, whether that be fake or by the sun, is one like no other. However, this “desire” to be tan shouldn’t affect your overall confidence. It’s important to love the skin you’re in and embrace whatever skin type/color you have!

What are your self-tan horror stories? Let us know by tweeting us @VALLEYmag on X!

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