St Tropez on left//Tanwise on right

I’ve been a big fan of one sunless tanner for a couple of years now, and even wrote a post (that is one of my most viewed posts EVER about it.) SO, I haven’t had to experiment much with tanners since then. Which is good! But then I kept hearing about the wonders of St Tropez and decided that I would be a human tanner guinea pig FOR YOU GUYS (ha ha ha), and try them both out and compare. I’ll do some pros and cons for you to compare.

(Note: I applied both with the same tanning mitt I buy generically at Ulta, after showering and buffing with a loofah and body polish.)

St. Tropez Express Foam before & after

St. Tropez Sunless Tanner Express Foam

Pros:

Goes on easily and dries QUICK!

-After the initial chemical smell, it does not smell as it develops. You could easily put this on and get dressed and enjoy your day.

-After you apply it you can still go out. It isn’t streaky as it is applied, and you just look tan right away. I would just stay away from water or rain or sweat as the bronzer will wipe away.

-I find the tan to be a perfect color. It also can be lighter or darker depending on how long you leave in on before showering. It is okay to rinse off after 3 hours, whcih is pretty fast for a self tanner.

-Does not transfer to clothes.

Cons:

-Honestly? The only con is that it is more expensive, but in my opinion it is worth the splurge.

 

Tanwise lotion before & after

Tanwise Tanning lotion (I used to use the foam, but the bottle kept malfunctioning, so then I switched to the lotion.)

Pros:

-It smells REALLY good when you initially put it on.

-It is inexpensive and you can get it on Amazon or at Sally Beauty Supply.

-There is very little streaking and I have only seen bad results once (most likely user error on my part!)

-The color is really pretty and realistic.

-The color lasts about 5 days before fading. Fades well, though!

Cons:

-Once it is on it starts to smell very bad, just like self tanners do. It transfers to clothes and I don’t feel like I can leave the house after I apply it. I typically apply after I go to the gym, put on sweatpants, and don’t leave the house till I shower it off that night.

-It doesn’t look good after you apply it until you wash the bronzer off. Very dark and streaky and obvious (though it looks good after a shower!)

-The color can be darker than I want sometimes, and it can make my feet and legs really dark (even with lotion application and a light hand.

Results! You guys, I hate to do this (because I love when the cheaper version wins!), but the St. Tropez Express Tanning Foam is just amazing. The tan it gives is just GORGEOUS. It is quicker and easier to use, and you can put it on and just go (which is more convenient for most people, including myself.)  I still recommend Tanwise, it is a great product for the price and I don’t have a lot of complaints about it. BUT. St. Tropez is better if you can swing the price.