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The key is that physique cream—or lotion or lip balm—makes all the things a thousand occasions simpler and higher blended. I alternate between the ultranourishing, melts-right-in GOOPGENES physique butter and the gorgeously scented Backyard of Earthly Delights lotion from Sangre de Fruta. Clean a superb dollop between your palms and between your fingers (this additionally helps forestall tanned palms), then dab the surplus wherever you’ve gotten thicker or drier pores and skin—your elbows, ankles, tops of toes, knees. Thicker, drier pores and skin pulls in additional tanner, creating uneven darkish spots and splotches that look decidedly unnatural. By smoothing cream over these areas, you make them a bit of extra proof against the tanner, and the result’s a good glow as an alternative of splotchiness.

The great factor is, the cream or lotion precept works both method: When you overlook about it and apply tanner with out it, you’ll be able to simply go over the drier areas immediately after you do the tanner—the outcomes are the identical.

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When you’ve protected the drier spots from overtanning, apply your self-tanner. Begin on the ft: They’re the toughest to get proper, so focus your most intense mixing consideration on them. The ft have a jillion completely different odd angles, so be certain that to get the tanner in there so that you don’t find yourself with obvious pale spots.

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Transfer up your legs and mix. There’s no such factor as overblending. It’s additionally onerous to overdo the quantity of tanner in your legs—including extra tanner in a single software gained’t make you extra tan, counterintuitively. It should merely guarantee no streaks and no missed spots. So be beneficiant.

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Tan solely the place you need—no must do your entire physique except you’d prefer to.
(Although for those who’re going for the partial, think about who is perhaps seeing you bare.)

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Once you’re finished, wash your palms with beyond-thorough enthusiasm; tanned palms look ridiculous. Do it even for those who used a mitt. When your palms are fully dry, put a little bit of tanner on the again of 1 hand and rub the backs of your palms collectively to mix the tanner. (A tan physique with pale palms creates an alarming gloved look.)

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When you forgot or didn’t wish to do the body-cream trick in the beginning, do it now (it really works simply as properly earlier than or after). Or tear open a wipe and dab flippantly on the thicker, drier spots. Once you’re via, use the wipe to present your palms and between your fingers a closing swipe.

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As an alternative of shivering bare within the lavatory, throw on a unfastened, dark-colored sundress, shorts and a T-shirt, or some such and go about your enterprise. You shouldn’t bathe for a minimum of eight hours, however there’s no motive to not get on together with your life. Observe: When you use a no-transfer components just like the Saltyface, you’ll be able to placed on paler garments straight away with out fear.