I’ve pretty much lived my life as a pale girl. I’m a natural redhead, and my skin tone definitely goes with the ginger stereotype. I’ve considered getting spray tans, and self tanning has always made me nervous… and then I found the product that’s a huge game changer for me.

The St. Tropez express bronzer is #1 on my list of my 25 Nordstrom picks under $50. It’s amazing. It’s so easy to use, even for a first time user like me. It’s a summer favorite for me, and I highly recommend it. I suggest picking it up during the Nordstrom sale that ends August 4. I bought two bottles last year and I’m so glad. It’s on sale for $49, which is an amazing deal. This bottle is 13.5 oz. The largest size normally is 6.7 oz, and is $44. It’s currently $5 for double the amount of product. The sale ends Sunday, so hurry and snag it while it’s available.

So, my routine. First, I shave my legs and exfoliate my whole body. I love the Ulta body scrubs. They have so many delicious scents, and they’re on sale pretty often. I use a mitt to exfoliate. It really helps get any dead skin off and make your skin smooth. I also exfoliate my face using the Korres kiwi exfoliating scrub.

Once I’m out of the shower, I moisturize my skin. Again, I love the Ulta body sorbets. They’re so moisturizing, and they dry quickly. I finished up my body yogurt by The Body Shop, and the Ulta sorbets are a great (and more affordable) alternative. When self tanning, making sure the areas that will grab onto the tanner are moisturized is really important. This includes the elbows, knees, armpits, ankles, and hands. I usually let this set into the skin for about 30 minutes after applying.

Once my skin is moisturized and completely dry, it’s time to self tan. I apply the St. Tropez self tanner all over using a mitt (I just use an affordable one like the Ulta mitts. They’re affordable and I’ve never had any issues with them. I put the self tanner on everywhere except my face and hands. My back is a hard area to reach, so I use an applicator that makes it a lot easier. I’ve seen applicators like this one that look really interesting, but I haven’t tried them yet. If you have please let me know your thoughts!

Like I said, I leave my face and hands for last. I apply the tanner to my whole body minus these two areas. I let my body dry completely. It sets within 1-3 hours, depending on the amount of desired tan. I apply my face for half the time of my body. I set a timer for half the total time, then apply the self tanner to my face, then set another timer for the rest of the time. I apply the color to my hands with 5 minutes remaining. I do not want orange, cheetoh hands, so 5 minutes is enough for me.

Once the desired time has passed, it’s shower time. It says to only use water to rinse the tan off, so that’s all I do. Then I get out of the shower, dry off, and moisturize again. Voila, a tan! Just kidding. It takes a few hours to fully set. I usually self tan at night, and by the morning I’m a bronze shade.

I love the St. Tropez self tanner because I can let it set for about 30 minutes, then put on a bath wrap or clothing. I’ve even gone out in public with this self tanner on and it doesn’t look terrible. It dries pretty quickly, it doesn’t get sticky, and it doesn’t end up being patchy. I really enjoy it. I’m very, very pale, and this product works really well with my skin. I love that in 1-3 hours I can achieve a tan. It took me 28 years to finally be able to get a tan. Ginger problems, right?

The photos I took of the process are a little hard to differentiate (my apologies, I took them in my bathroom with terrible lighting with my phone), so I’m going to post some photos (all taken directly from my Instagram) with and without self tanner. Most are outside, so they’re in daylight and you can really tell a difference.

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