Self-tanning lotion accident

[Calista]

Not sure wether this is a skin-care or makeup topic...

Yesterday I applied some self-tanning lotion. I have done this before, but only when I was already tanned and wanted to keep that tan as long as possible. This used to be quite easy as it didnŽt matter that much if I forgot a patch of skin.

Now I did it on untanned skin for the first time. I missed some patches of skin on my feet, and it looks really yukky. I donŽt want to redo my whole body, as the tan is just the way I wanted it. Is it possible to redo the missed-out patches only, or will that look even worse?

Oh, by the way - I mixed the lotion halfŽnŽhalf with sunscreen, cause I didnŽt want a really deep tan. Was that a smart idea or not?

[aisling]

I usually find that mixing the slef tanner with some body lotion (or alike) is a good idea, easier to spread and less possibilities for unevenness.

I think you can try to very, very carefully even the patches out. One idea could also be to try to smooth out the edges by removing some of the fake tan, believe it or not but you can usually do this with nail polish remover and then add some more fake tan. This way you'll hopefully not get any borders.

Good luck!

[Stephanie]

You should be fine mixing 50/50.

I think Morguebabe (?) from TLHC posted a while back that mineral oil helps break down the self tanner. That and lots of exfoliation. Next time, try putting a bit of regular lotion over the dry spots first to buffer the tanner.

[red*dyes*back]

i just read that lemon juice actually helps get rid of self tanner when applied wrong or spotty. have you tried the new ones out there that already have the lotion and do the "tan" more gradually? my sister in law uses dove's energy glow and she's been raving about it all season.

[Amber]

I tried one moisturiser product that already had self tanner in it, and wasn't impressed. I just didn't see much of a difference to my skin, even after using most of a bottle - there can't have been much tanner in there, I guess. Next time I'm going to mix it up myself!

(It was Johnson & Johnson "Holiday Skin", by the way) ;)

[Kuchen]

Yes, there's a "new generation" of moisturisers-come-self-tanners that you're supposed to put on all the time. I was amused by this refreshingly honest review of them:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1793599,00.html

I just bought some L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Gel; I hadn't meant to tan, but it turns out that my sunscreen has the wrong ingredients, so now I have a tan. And it needs evening up. I'm not sure if gel will lead to a more even application or not though.

I'd heard tooth paste worked to take off self-tan disasters, but I reckon there's better advice available in this thread :happy:

[snowbear]

Yes, there's a "new generation" of moisturisers-come-self-tanners that you're supposed to put on all the time. I was amused by this refreshingly honest review of them:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1793599,00.html
Oh, the reviews are awesome! "Did indeed achieve a brief, healthy glow. Thereafter looked as if my knees and elbows were rusting." :lafhard:

[Calista]

Hehe, I decided to just wait until the fake tan wears off by itself. IŽll be on a hiking trip in Norway for ten days soon, so after that IŽll be tanned pretty heavily anyways. IŽll carry on with self-tanner from there.

Btw, the stuff I used was the DM drugstore generic store brand. I have two bottles: a gel for the body and a lotion for the face. I wanted to try "BeBe Holiday Skin" (maybe the same as J&J?) last year, but it was sold out during the whole summer here in Germany.