How to Fake a Vacation
The exhaustive guide to a UV-free sun-kissed glow
Today’s send is in partnership with iNNBEAUTY Project. If you would like to work with The Love List, please contact Sophie Krakoff at sophie@friendsofthehousegroup.com.
I find sunless tanning and SPF hunting to be an exhaustive practice. Spray tans dye your clothes the minute to begin to sweat. They stain your shower floor. They’re a pain in the ass to apply and maintain, and once fading, look splotchy. Some sunscreens can leave a white cast, don’t lay well under makeup, and clog my pores.
This presents the color-seeker’s alternative: bake in the actual sun or (gasp) hit a tanning bed sans sunscreen, which I’m sad to tell you I did plenty of in my 20s. I’ve spent enough money on professional dermatology un-doing all that Palm Beach County sunshine to know better these days. So it seems like I’d resign to being pale.
But sometimes, you just want a tan, man! I’m not trying to brown myself like a little pig on a spit, but my legs and face look better with a little color.
Since my college years, I’ve been tinkering with sunless tanning products, sun protection, and bronzers. There is a lot of really bad stuff out there, much of which will frankly traumatize you once the color sets. So what makes a product in this category good?
Protection. If it’s a product with SPF, how strong is the SPF, how much do I actually have to apply to get real protection, and how often am I having to re-apply to maintain said protection?
Color payoff. I want a natural-looking tawny tan with pink undertones and no traces of orange.
Ease of application. I want it to be idiot-proof, so dumb I can slap it on in five minutes before running out the door.
Dry speed. I do not want to sit around naked or in loose black clothes for hours on end while my color “sets”. I’m just not committed enough for that.
Layering compatibility. I want to be able to apply sunscreen and moisturizer atop the dried product without creating smears or runs.
Wear. If it bleeds on my nice white summer clothes, it’s getting chucked in the trash, full stop.
Maintenance. How easy is it to maintain, and how well does it fade?
Below are the products I trust to deliver sun protection and subtle, authentic, low-maintenance color. Some of this stuff is a little obscure, but I assure you it is worth the hunt.
I’ll use a tinted sunscreen in addition to regular SPF. Lately, I’ve been really liking a new-to-market product by iNNBEAUTY Project called Mineral Sun Glow. Technology is always lurching forward! The brand let me test it for a while before it came out, so I’ve been using it for about two months now. The color is sheer and buildable — in the warmer months, I want my skin to breathe. It applies with your fingertips and blends in easily. It hasn’t broken me out and the product doesn’t run into my eyes and sting when I sweat, which has been an issue for me with other tinted sunscreens. On a rushed morning, you can slap this stuff on over your regular skincare and look like you have nothing on. You’ll just have a lovely, even tone and glow. They also make a Face Glaze that’s insanely good mixed with your favorite facial moisturizer for a subtle bronze. (LOVELIST20 for 20% off sitewide.)
SPF is tough because even the best products at Sephora don’t have the more modern filters that products from Korea do, so I often buy my sunscreen from legit overseas websites like SokoGlam and Stylevana, or Senti Senti in New York. Right now, I love the Bioré Watery Sun Gel, which has a thin consistency, a dewy set, and doesn’t break me out — plus it’s under 12 bucks. You have to apply a solid two fingerfuls of sunscreen to fully protect your face, so shelling out $50+ for a bottle annoys me because I blow through it so fast.
For an overall face and body glow, I love a product called Body Drench Quick Tan. It comes in an aerosol can (sorry) that dispenses a fine, even mist. I hold it reasonably far from my body when applying it. Unless I know I’m going to be in swimwear, I cheat and only tan my legs, forearms, and face most days. This stuff is super easy to apply because you can turn the can upside down to reach those tough spots, like the back of your thighs. I love misting it atop my finished makeup as a setting spray, or applying a quick spray of it as bronzer when all I’m wearing is sunscreen. My favorite pro makeup artist back in Atlanta was so impressed with this trick she added the product to her permanent kit.
If I want deeper or more lasting color, I’ve been using a product called Venetian Tan lately that has radicalized me. You apply it with a mitt and rub it in evenly, (two instructions that usually fuel my self-tanning nightmares). I don’t know how they do it, but this stuff applies perfectly every time and dries down in minutes. I can apply it to my legs for an instant bronze before I walk out the door — and more color develops throughout the day. Shout out to
for putting me onto this. They’re a great follow on IG for everyday product recommendations.
Good ol’ Jergens Natural Glow is a product I’ve been using since high school that never lets me down. You have to commit to applying it daily, but because you apply it over several days while you let color develop, you really can’t screw it up. I wouldn’t use this on my face, but it’s great for body.
has recently been sharing her love affair with its sister product, an in-shower moisturizer applied when skin is still wet. I bit and tried it, and I do like it, especially for maintaining existing color.Backpedaling a bit, one un-skippable step, no matter how lazy I’m feeling, is skin prep. Hanni makes an incredible line of shaving products—they’ve rethought the classic straight razor to make it better, more foolproof, and… cuter (it looks good perched in your shower). There’s a buttery little shave stick to use it with that gives a great, super-close shave. If my legs need extra love, I’ll exfoliate with Nerra’s Bathhouse Ritual, too.
My fave gradual tanner is from Peta Jane. It doesn't turn my naturally fish belly white legs a weird orange tone, it doesn't stain my sheets, it does have that funky self tanner smell which I don't love, and it fades evenly. So that's pretty good for that genre of product.
I am embarrassed to ask this question as a grown @ss adult, but how do you get your back?
I've always had a fear of self-tan creams cause I'm super pale and nervous that if I can't reach a spot will there be weird finger streaks where the pale meet the tan?