I've been thinking about trying one of those gradual tanning lotions. I'm so pale! I don't really expose a lot of skin in the summer, just arms, so really I'm wanting this for my face (although I will be applying it all over so I'll match).

I went over to makeup alley and the reviews for Aveeno Continuous Radiance were very positive, but I'm not sure about using it on my face.

I have combination skin, and I'd probably be putting it on at night and washing it off in the morning. Would it cause problems? Or is there another type you would recommend?

TIA!

I used to use those fake tanners, until I started reading that many chemicals they put iin the coloring can hurt your skin after using it a few times.....

I hope you don't use it, I heard rubbing mashed coffe beans with a little bit of water, rub that into your face after exfoliating and you'll get a nice tan.


And I think that pale skin is beautiful, just as beautiful as dark skin, so win-win situation.

I used Jergens Natural Glow on my body, it's the same gradual-tan idea. The problem I had with it was streakiness--apparently, when I apply body lotion, I rub it on in an up-and-down motion (or back and forth?), which made it streaky (stripe-y). When I realized this, I stopped using it for a few weeks until it had all faded, then tried again, trying to avoid the streakiness. It still didn't look good. I just found it impossible to apply evenly on such a large surface.

I think it would be a lot easier to apply it evenly on the face, though. It's easier to rub in a circular motion. Many brands have one gradual tanning lotion for the body, and another specifically for the face. I'm not sure what the difference is, the face one is probably less likely to make skin break out.

Sorry, that wasn't very helpful. :silly: I guess I prefer getting things that are specifically designed to be used on the face, because I'm very acne-prone.

This might not help as you were looking for a gradual tanning product, but there's a new one by Neutrogena called Sheer Body Tint:
http://www.neutrogena.com/ProductsDetails_365.asp?lProductLineID=15

It's instant and temporary (washes off with soap and water), so you could wash your face every evening and start fresh in the morning, without having to worry as much about chemicals having a lot of time to absorb into the skin. I mean, it still contains chemicals, but it might be a slighter safer alternative. (Plus, I haven't used this myself, but I've heard that Neutrogena self-tanning products don't come up looking really orange on pale skin, which would be a bonus). I imagine this would be ok to use on the face too.

Sorry if that's no help, but let us know what you do come up with. :)

That looks interesting...but what if you cry or get caught in the rain?!? Haha might not be pretty. I think I'd rather stick to the gradual ones.

If I use one brand for my body and another one for my face will I be mis-matched?

LOL Nah, I think that it wouldn't come off with water only, at least not easily...probably soap or some type of cleanser would be necessary...buy hey, I could be wrong, haha.

As for your other question, to be on the safe side, I would probably stick to the same brand for body and face, unfortunately. I know that may limit your choices tho. I guess you never know till you try some out...maybe you can get samples or travel sizes and test drive a few different ones out on inconspicuous patches of skin? The good thing is that summer is still a couple months off, so you have time to test some out. :) (Unless the Midsouth where you are is hot already?)

It's getting there! The high today is 78. Ok, that's not really too hot but I know that a lot of places still have snow, and the humidity here makes it so much worse. People have already broken out the shorts.

Hmm, I guess it probably wouldn't run in the rain. I may think about giving it a try if I can't find anything else suitable.

coneja,
I have used Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Lotion (Medium) very successfully on my face for several summers.
I have dark-blonde coloring, not bright-white, :) and it works very much to my satisfaction. I apply it on a clean face overnight, or early on a stay-in day, and the color develops in about 2-3 hours, and lasts about four days, depending on how severely I clean my face. The effect is like having my makeup foundation on before I put it on, and is quite natural, not orange.

Also, like talullah, I found that the Jergens tanner was really picky about how it is applied, but when I got it right, the tan was there in just ONE application. It did not build slowly, it just worked overnight. Maybe my legs ARE bright-white, hm?:)
I liked the color, but if I applied it unevenly, it faded unevenly.

You have to balance whether the mental effects of having a tan on occasion weigh more than the effect of tanning in the sun, or putting chemicals on your skin. For me, the sporadic use of self-tanners is a solution that works. Good luck!

Well I'm pretty much as pale as you can get, as you can probably tell by my elbows in my sig pic. The rest of me is that pale or paler lol.

I won't tan in the sun; if that were my only option I'd rather stay pale lol. I'm trying to avoid my first wrinkles for as long as possible.

I don't even want to be really tan, just...human looking! LOL Some sort of skin color so I don't look so strange in pictures. That's why I wanted to try the gradual tan lotions instead of an instant self tanner.

I guess I'm just going to have to suck it up and buy one and try it out :wacko: