The summer is almost here and it is a quick reminder that I am pale and so not ready to be anywhere yet in a bathing suit. There is something about having even just a semi-tan that makes me feel better. A bronze glow just adds a little oomph, so as you can imagine as I am preparing for my upcoming vacation to Miami Beach, Florida this girl right here is needs some kind of color STAT! Now if you would have asked me in my 20’s about tanning I would have told you I did it year round, in a tanning bed, self tanners, etc. I couldn’t be dark enough – but fast forward to now being in my mid 30’s and the idea of sun tanning makes me cringe. I want to try to preserve my skin for as long as I can so indoor tanning is no longer an option or interest for me.  I am leaving tomorrow for my trip (we are celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary, yay, in our favorite place) so in preparation I visited my local Ulta Beauty in Clifton, NJ to find a self tanner. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Ulta has their own line of self tanning products and what’s even better, they are currently running a buy 2 get 2 free sale! Of course a bargain is awesome, but I wanted to see how their line of bronzing products would stack up to my all time favorite St. Tropez Bronzing Mist.

I have been using St. Tropez products for over 10 years and began using their self tanning mist during my years doing some fitness modeling. I used to love to exchange tips with other models and they shared with me that St. Tropez was a go-to among fitness and bikini girls since it gave such a natural glow but also never got streaky or ran even in hot conditions like training shoots or on the beach. I had tried so many other self tanners, some really pricey ones from department store beauty counters, but this one was like no other.

Not only did it give a beautiful finish but it lasted for a long time and smelled great. A lot of self tanners smell awful, so that was also a plus in my book. The only down side to St. Tropez products is they are pricey – running you about $45-$40 a can or bottle. While it does last you a really long time if you use it once a week or bi-weekly for color maintenance, the initial price tag can turn off some people. I wanted to test out the Ulta Self Tanning Mist to see if it was comparable and it is $10 vs. $35 – that to me makes it at least worth testing and reviewing.

As I mentioned I love a deal so when I saw the sale for buy 2 items and get 2 free I picked up the bronzing mist (which to me gives me the best application), a tanning oil to take with me to Miami to use outdoors, a tanning application mitt (super key to getting a great, even glow without self tanner hands) and on-the-go tanning towelettes great for travel to use for touch up color, especially on my face which I keep out of the sun.

And the results are in

This is a photo below (sorry it wasn’t the best quality but you can at least see the difference in color) was taken after 2 uses of the Ulta Bronze Glow Tinted Sunless Mist. The image on the left is me with no tanning and no self tanner at all. I’ve been pretty pasty pale for the winter and spring time, but after two mists I now have a golden bronze glow. As you can also see this is a very even color, no patches or splotching even on areas that are very hard to reach. The image on the left is also in natural sun light in front of a window, while the photo on the right is indoors in my bathroom. I would suggest to do this 2-3 times max, after that I think the color would be a bit too dark, but 2 applications really did the trick and gave me a warm, healthy glow.

What I loved:

• The smell was really pleasant just like St. Tropez. It did not smell like alcohol or have any foul odor.
• The color was warm, golden and bronze – not orange
• The color went on evenly with the mitt and did not dry so quickly that you didn’t have time to rub it in. It did dry quickly though after applied so that you can put your clothes on about 5 minutes after without fear of any mess
• The color does not peel off, smudge or smear even in the shower or after a workout
• The spray gives even coverage even on hard to reach areas like your back and shoulders
• The price – for only $10 you get the same color as you do for higher priced self tanners
• Felt light and weightless, not sticky or tacky

 Some tips when you use the tanning spray – make sure you have exfoliated before using so for me I take a hot shower, wash with a beaded scrub and then pat myself dry. Then I put a towel on the floor that I don’t mind ruining and then spray myself with one hand and work in the color with the mitt in the other. I like to do large areas and move quickly. After I am all done with my body I do my face and then wash my hands. I then use a blow dryer on the cool setting and blow dry my entire body to help develop the color and dry faster. Apply a light moisturizer to your skin each day after to keep the color lasting longer.

I recommend both of these self tanners so it really depends on your budget. If you want to save some dough go with the Ulta Bronze Glow Tinted Sunless Mist – it is a great swap and perfect in between vacations or during the winter months.

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