When you’re the founders of a self-tan brand, there are certain occupational hazards. One of them, presumably, is becoming the person your friends text when their ankles have developed suspiciously darker than the rest of their legs.
For Luna Bronze founders Maddy Balderson and Rhiannon Hall, however, the questions go well beyond troubleshooting a tanning mishap. Friends want to know which formula to use, how to make a tan last, what to do when they don’t have hours to spend marinating in self-tan and, crucially, how to make the whole thing look less like fake tan and more like particularly good, glowy skin.
So what do Balderson and Hall actually tell their friends about getting self-tan right? We asked them. We’re all friends here.
You Must Be The Friends Everyone Comes To With Tanning Questions. What Do They Ask You The Most?
“Yes, all the time,” says Balderson. “Nearly every time it’s some version of ‘which one’s for me?’, someone’s got an event or a holiday coming up, or they just want a bit of a boost without looking obviously fake tanned. We’re all deep in our busy lives, so the brief is always the same: the least effort possible for the most glow.”
What Do You Tell The Friend Who Has Never Self-Tanned Before?
“Start with a gradual tan,” Hall says. “It’s the one you can just slap on. No big prep session, no mitt, no waiting around. It works as your everyday moisturiser and builds a glow gradually, so no streaks, no orange and no shock the next morning.”
LUNA BRONZE
Glow Tanning Moisturiser Gradual Tan
ISLE OF PARADISE
Daily Gradual Self-Tan Lotion
TAN-LUXE
The Gradual Illuminating Tanning Lotion
LOVING TAN
8 HR Deluxe Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion
What About Your Experienced Self-Tanner Friends—What Takes A Good Tan To A Great One?
“The trick to going from good to great is what you do between tans,” says Hall. “Use a gradual tan on the days in between to bump up the bronze and lock in hydration. Hydrated skin holds colour more evenly and fades more naturally, so it still looks good on day five, not just day one. And the backs of your hands fade faster because you’re always washing them, so top them up more often than the rest of you.”
What Do You Tell Friends Whose Hands And Feet Always Give Them Away?
“Hands and feet catch everyone out. The skin there is drier and thicker, especially on your knuckles, ankles and the sides of your feet, so it grabs more colour,” Hall explains. “The biggest mistake is putting fresh product straight on them. Do them last, with just what’s left on your palms or mitt. Make a loose fist so the skin over your knuckles stretches, and sweep it lightly over the top. Then get a contour blending brush. It’s the best way to buff out ankles, wrists, hands and feet.”
“Before you start, put a bit of moisturiser on your knuckles, wrists, ankles and heels as a buffer,” Balderson adds. “Afterwards, run a damp cloth along the sides of your hands and feet to soften any hard edges. And wash your hands straight after applying. To keep the tan on the backs of my hands, I hold my fingers straight and scrub my palms together hard, then lace my fingers together to get the residue out from between them.”
How Do You Help A Friend Find The Right Kind Of Tan?
“We ask her about her life before we ask about her skin,” Hall says. “How much time does she actually have? Does she want to tan once a week or build it into her daily routine? Is it for an event or for everyday? If she wants low-fuss and daily, a gradual lotion is perfect. If she wants something darker but just as easy, a jelly. If she wants something lightweight she can spritz on in seconds, a tanning mist. If she likes seeing where she’s applied, a tinted mousse. If she only wants colour for a night out, an instant wash-off product. They’re DHA-free, so they’re more like makeup for skin.”
“For shade, go a step lighter than you think,” says Balderson. “You can always build, but you can’t easily undo. The goal is to look like you, just with more life in your skin.”
LUNA BRONZE
Self-Tanning Jelly
ELEFFECT
The Tan Mousse
BALI BODY
Self Tan Body Mist
BONDI SANDS
GLO Instant Bronzer
What Do You Tell The Friend Who Hates The Smell Of Fake Tan?
“I tell them we hate it too!” says Hall. “The smell comes from DHA reacting with the proteins in your skin as the colour develops, so a little bit comes with the territory. How strong it is comes down to the formula. The smell was one of the reasons we started Luna Bronze—our favourite thing to hear is that Luna Bronze is the best smelling tan someone’s ever tried, and we hear it a lot.”
What Can You Actually Do While Your Tan Develops?
“Loose clothes while it develops, and obviously nothing involving water until rinsing time,” says Hall. “For the friend who won’t wait an hour: our Self Tanning Jelly. Put it on, let it dry, and get on with your day. It’s not sticky, so you can do all your errands while it develops and rinse when you get home. No sitting around. We made our tans non-sticky for exactly that reason, so you can get on with your day without feeling like a sticky mess.”
When A Friend Says Her Tan Always Turns Patchy, What Do You Suspect First?
“Nine times out of ten, it’s dry skin. A tan fades as your skin naturally sheds, and when skin is dehydrated it sheds unevenly, so you get those flaky patches, especially on elbows, knees and ankles,” Balderson explains. “The fix is simple: keep your skin nourished every day and choose products that hydrate rather than dry you out. We’d also check what else she’s using. Hot showers, long baths, harsh body washes and scrubby exfoliating mitts between tans will all speed up an uneven fade. Look after your skin and your tan will fade gradually rather than breaking up.”
What Do You Tell Friends About That First Shower After Tanning?
“Keep it gentle. Lukewarm water, no soap or body wash, no scrubbing,” says Hall. “You’re just rinsing off the top layer. If the water runs brown with a tinted formula, don’t panic. That’s the guide colour, not your tan going down the drain. It’ll keep developing over the next few hours too. Where most people go wrong is the towel. Rubbing yourself dry is basically a mini exfoliation, so pat dry instead. You don’t need to moisturise straight after, and for the next few days, go easy on hot water, scrubs and long baths.”
Are You Always Going To Talk A Friend Out Of Putting A Fresh Tan Over An Old One?
“If it’s already gone patchy and your skin’s dry, that’s where I’d talk her out of it,” says Hall. “Fresh tan grabs onto the bits still holding colour and skips the faded bits, so you just make the patches worse. Buff and exfoliate, start with a clean base, and go again.”
What Do You Tell Friends About Tanning Their Face, Especially If They Use Active Skincare?
“Use a formula made for the face. Facial skin is thinner, more sensitive and usually carries more product, so a body tan can feel heavy or clog things up,” Hall notes. “With actives, the main thing to know is that exfoliating ingredients like AHAs, BHAs and retinoids speed up cell turnover, so your face tan will fade faster and can go patchy. We suggest tanning on the nights you’re not using your strongest actives. Also, use a light hand around your hairline and eyebrows, and wipe your brows afterwards so they don’t pick up colour.”
Are There Any Tanning ‘Rules’ You Tell Your Friends Aren’t Real?
“‘You have to scrub your skin raw before you tan’ is one. You don’t,” says Balderson. “Harsh exfoliating right before you apply leaves your skin sensitive and can make your tan develop unevenly. If your skin’s well hydrated, you don’t need a big prep ritual every time.”
“The other one is that you always need a mitt. With a clear or gradual formula, your hands do the job fine,” says Hall. “Just wash your palms properly after.”
“And the rule I’d happily see disappear: that your tan should be obvious,” Balderson adds. “It used to be all about everyone knowing you’d had one. These days the best tans just look like you on a good day, minus the sun damage.”
What’s One Piece Of Tanning Advice You Still Wish Everyone Would Listen To?
“That a self tan is the only way to tan. Full stop. I’ve had multiple surgeries and even radiation for skin cancer, and I still see some of my friends being haphazard with their sun protection,” says Balderson. “Wear SPF, every day. It’s the whole reason Luna Bronze exists. You can get the glow without the damage. There are so many great options now, so why wouldn’t you?”
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