Self Tanner Tips: Ocean Potion Ever Glow Xtreme Self Tanning Lotion

Disclosure: I received complimentary samples to facilitate my review. Additionally, affiliate links have been used in this post. All opinions are strictly my own. Your results may vary.

I’m going to do a little feature on my, personal, Summer Beauty Must Haves. This post is part of that series.

I mentioned the other day that I don’t tan. I simply burn, peel and freckle. So I tend to use a lot of sunscreen and just never get any form of tan. I’m basically vampire white. And while I happen to love vampires, I don’t want to look like one during the summer. If I go swimming, I don’t want to blind everyone with my white legs. So I like to use a good self tanner like Ocean Potion Ever Glow Xtreme Self Tanning Lotion.

Some self tanners can leave streaks or an orangy glow, though. I have a couple of self tanner tips that I think might come in handy for you this summer. My first tip is to find a good self tanner that isn’t going to smell funky, leave weird streaks or make you look like you’re wearing day-glo hunting orange… on your face.

I’ve found that the Ocean Potion Ever Glow Xtreme Self Tanning Lotion has a really nice color. It’s for all skin types so I’m not having to match the right shade for my skin. It builds as you apply it, which can be done twice per day. Once you get the color you want, just maintain it once per week or so and you’re good to go. And it has a great mango lime fragrance that is mild and not overpowering. In fact, once I put it on, the overall fragrance dissipated fairly quickly. Once you’ve picked out the type and brand of self tanner you like the next step is to prepare your skin.

Exfoliate! Don’t skip it!

The bottles tell you to apply to clean, exfoliates skin. There is a reason for this. Self tanner clings to and builds upon your skin. If you have dry, scaly patches you’re going to end up with one funky looking self tan. Not to mention, that dry skin patch is going to slough off and once it does, that tanned portion is gone. So you have an uneven mess. I also recommend shaving your legs before you apply the self tanner so y ou don’t remove any. Shaving exfoliates a little too ya know?

Exfoliate your skin using a salt scrub or Moroccan Black Soap and a good Kessa Exfoliating Glove. Trust me, these work really well. The Kessa glove can also be used to remove any tanner that is out of place or once you’re tired of it.

Shake it up!

Ok, once your skin is clean and exfoliated it’s time to tan! Make sure your skin and hands are completely dry. Shake your Ocean Potion Ever Glow Xtreme Self Tanning Lotion or self tanner of choice to make sure it’s all mixed and ready to use. I shake any lotion in case there’s settling of ingredients.

Apply and work in small sections!

I like to work on one part of my leg or arm at a time. You can use your bear hands but remember to wash them right after use or you’ll have self tanner between your fingers. Not pretty. Squeeze a quarter sized amount of self tanner on your hands and begin rubbing it onto your leg, arm, etc. I like to rub mine in a circular pattern. For me, this helps minimize streaks. Rub it into your skin. It will feel wet for awhile.

Let it dry!

Do NOT put any clothes over the applied self tanner for at least 15 minutes. Wear shorts, a swim suit, your undies, whatever so you don’t touch the self tanner while it’s wet.

Careful on the knees, elbows and ankles! Seriously!

Self tanners tell you to be careful when applying to knees, elbows and ankles. This also applies to knuckles, wrists and armpits. Just like with dry patches of skin, these areas will accumulate a ton of tanner and you will have big, dark patches. Again, not pretty. For the armpits, unless you want to stand with your arms up for 15 minutes until it drys you need to be careful. It will make weird marks until it dries.

Ok so to recap these 5 self tanner tips:

To remove any self tanner that got in the wrong spot or if you just aren’t happy a Kessa glove will really remove it pretty well. At least it does for me. Just exfoliate the self tanner off and begin again.

You can’t really tell in the photos below but after 3 days of using I had a pretty good looking self tanner tan going. It looks light in the photo. I just couldn’t get the lighting right with all the rain we’ve been having but my legs really are a lot darker and more brown looking in the after photo. And it was pretty even too!

Lastly, enjoy your tanned look without the damage from the sun!

If you’d like to try out , it includes the following great ingredients:

It costs around $5.49.

Have you tried Ocean Potion Ever Glow Xtreme Self Tanning Lotion? What did you think?