Get a Glowing Complexion With This Sneaky, Self-Tanner Beauty Trick

Fake a tan for your face with these tips for glowing skin

By Erika Stalder May 28, 2015 10:55 PMTags
ESC, Self Tanner Carly CristmanJenna Williams

Look at the instructions that accompany many tanning products on the market and you'll find a whole mess of high-maintenance requirements: Wait overnight for the tan to develop; apply petroleum jelly to your hairline so as not to tan strands; keep away from furniture, significant others or any surface on which you don't want self-tanner to transfer.

While these tips may work, they certainly aren't suited for the girl or guy who wants to acquire a Jennifer Aniston-grade, natural tan on the fly. (And isn't that pretty much all of us?)

Jenna Williams

So we turned to self-confessed self-tanning junkie Carly Cristman, a vlogger and E! Style Collective member, for tips on how to make complexions glow with a faux tan when on the go. And as it turns out, it really is as easy as one, two, three.

Darken up: "Applying self tanner under foundation helps keep your ‘tan' consistent, since it develops around the time that foundation can wear off, midday," she noted. To start, Carly applied a shot of self tanner directly to her face. While she finds that a spray is easy to use, any type self-tanner will do. Try a tanner loaded with skin-saving SPF, like Australian Gold Continuous Spray With Instant Bronzer.

Blend in: Quickly thereafter, the YouTuber applied a liquid foundation directly onto the end of an angled foundation brush and dotted the product onto forehead, cheeks, chin and nose. For this technique, we like Topshop The Foundation, which features a dropper applicator and silicone. The latter ingredient blends to a silky finish. Carly then blended the foundation thoroughly to create even coverage and prevent a self-tanning ‘stache from forming. "Be sure to blend down to the neck and behind the ears to erase any hard lines around the jaw," she said.

Glow on: Finally, to add luster to her newly-darkened shade, Carly used a large, fluffy brush to apply bronzer to the parts of the face where the sun naturally tans most—forehead and temples, bridge of nose, jawline and center of neck along the throat. To keep from going too dark when adding bronzer to an already-tanned face, try a product with several gradients of bronze, like Too-faced Beach Bunny Bronzer, which allows you to control the level of glow depending on the shade of your all-over tan.

Not wanting to stop your sunkissed look at the neck? Check out the video below, in which Carly shares her tips for getting a natural-looking body tan in just a few quick minutes.

Watch: Learn How to Apply the Perfect Self Tan From Head-to-Toe