Every Time I Use Isle of Paradise's Self-Tanner, Someone Compliments Me

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One of my favorite things to hear is, "You look so tan." There's just something about that bronze glow that boosts my confidence in my day-to-day life. While being stuck at home for nearly a year, many people picked up hobbies like puzzles, video games, and painting — but me? I wanted to master the art of self-tanning. It took me nearly the entire year to learn the craft, but I mastered it just in time for the launch of Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Body Butter.

Luckily, to use this self-tanner, you don't need to be a professional like me (just kidding — I still mess up sometimes). But I did get pretty good at it. To get even better, I touched base with Isle of Paradise founder Jules Von Hep. He told me himself that this formula is super easy to apply, and after trying it for nearly a month, I can personally confirm that.   

With this body butter, you won't see instant results as it takes the formula around eight hours to develop into that beautiful golden tone you're looking for. It has color-correcting benefits while it develops, which is why the cream is a green hue — to balance out any redness in the skin. According to cosmetic chemist Ginger King, the ingredients to thank for this are called CI 16035 and CI 19140. 

"These are two pigments that create a shade to neutralize skin," she says. "Think of it like that undereye concealer trick where you use a salmon color to cover up dark circles. It's all about color correction," she says. 

Also in the formula are avocado oil to improve skin elasticity, peppermint oil to help with inflammation, and coconut oil to moisturize and smooth skin, according to King.  

Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Body Butter

Hep says that you don't need a mitt to apply this product, so I don't. Sounds risky, I know, but this product gets applied just like you would apply body cream; the only difference is to make sure you wash your hands as soon as you're done. After all, it is a self-tanner. 

I like to apply the butter the day after I shave and exfoliate. For that, Hep loves a good body brush for full-body buffing because it boosts circulation while you scrub, but for me, I'm still obsessing over 2019 Best of Beauty winner This Works Perfect Legs Body Scrub because of how soft the pink Himalayan salt formula leaves my skin.  

When it's time to apply, I work the butter into my hands, really warming up the product. Hep suggests using moderate pressure in sweeping motions, starting from the legs, upward toward the heart, so that's exactly what I do. Working it into your limbs is the easy part, but, for me, self-tanning becomes tricky when applying it to my hands and feet. 

"After you've applied to your body, sweep excess residue from the legs down onto the feet and the ankles. Do a similar motion with the arms and hands," Hep advises. Once it's all distributed, he says to take a facecloth and add some micellar water to it. "Wipe the cloth over the nails and palms and in-between the fingers to avoid excess build-up in those areas."

I even use this self-tanner on my face, which is something I don't normally do due to the amount of skin care I test for work — I find that most don't last because of frequent exfoliation. It doesn't budge and never gets streaky, so I like to mix a little of it into my night cream. I must say, however, that while this tanner works on my face, it may not be for everyone. If you're prone to breakouts or have eczema flare-ups that you should always do a test patch, no matter which brand makes the product. 

According to Jeremy Brauer, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, self-tanner should first be applied a product to a part of the body that isn't super noticeable to see how it reacts. "Any number of topical products, including sunless tanners, may contain active and inactive ingredients that can provoke an irritant or allergic contact dermatitis, so it is important to first test any new product before applying it more broadly," he previously told Allure. 

The best part about this product (other than the results) is how fast it dries down. Within seconds of applying, I can put all my clothes on, and there's zero transfer. After the butter is evenly distributed to every inch of my body and face, and I'm glistening like a sparkly unicorn (there's a little bit of shimmer in this formula) and smelling like fresh coconut, I lay my moisturized body to rest. Eight hours later, when I wake up, I look like I just stepped off the beach.

After using Isle of Paradise's Self-Tanning Body Butter for about a month, I really haven't looked back to any other self-tanner. It's creamy, hydrating, and leaves me glowy not just for days, but weeks. Plus, it makes me feel more confident and gives people a reason to compliment me, and what's better than that?  

Isle of Paradise's Self-Tanning Body Butter is $25 and available now at sephora.com.

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