This essay first appeared on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in The Strategist Beauty Brief, a weekly newsletter in which our beauty writers share their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. But we liked it so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. If you want more first impressions of buzzy launches, quick takes on what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, and deep dives into the week’s best beauty launches, sign up here. The Strategist Beauty Brief is delivered every Wednesday.
When I interviewed Paris Hilton about her favorite things late last year, she told me that her go-to tanning brand is Tan-Luxe (ours, too — they take the top spot in both our guides to self- and facial tanners). I wasn’t at all surprised, then, when I heard that she was partnering with the brand to release her own self-tanning mist. As both a beauty writer and someone who grew up envious of Hilton’s tan on The Simple Life, I knew I had to try it.
The tan promised that it would develop in as little as two hours, maturing to a deep bronze after four. To test this, I applied it in the evening (instead of my usual time: right before bed). I will admit now that applying this tan was not fun at all for me. The tan (which comes in a suitably pink box with a suitably pink mitt) is in mist form — a type of tan I tend to avoid. I find mists to be a lot of faff: You have to make sure you soak every inch of your skin, which tends to make you feel sticky; there’s no guide color to check if you’ve missed a spot; and I’ve lost rugs and towels after the spray has gotten away from my body. So if you also don’t like the hassle of a tan mist, then beware.
The color of my tan was truly natural and sun-kissed, but the longevity of this tan is the standout feature. For almost a week (showering regularly and lightly moisturizing), it looked freshly applied. When it finally started to fade around the day-seven mark, it didn’t do so in dreaded patches but uniformly — subtly getting lighter until it was time to develop an entirely new layer on day ten. (As someone who likes to apply a new layer of tan weekly, it actually refused to fade a little too much for my liking, as it meant I had to go to town on my legs with some exfoliating gloves.)
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this self-tanner. It’s by no means cheap, and I found myself a little annoyed by the application as well as by the false promises of a speedy development time. However, it does smell great, develop to a sun-kissed finish, and refuse to go patchy. But if I’m going to drop $50 on self-tanner, I want it to be as close to perfect as it gets.
This article originally appeared in The Strategist Beauty Brief, a weekly newsletter from our beauty writers on their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. Sign up here.
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