Review: St. Tropez Bronzing Gel With Before and After Photos

So a little history lesson, St. Tropez makes some of the best fake tanners on the market. Their products are loved by celebrities, bloggers and makeup artists alike. Normally I'm not a fake tanner kind of gal, but I got tired of being the awkwardly pale one at all the pool parties I went to. Here's a quick beauty and fitness hack- want to look INSTANTLY more toned and slender without actually losing any weight? Try a fake tan.

Here's the thing that sucks about being pale- you can be ripped with low body fat and you still won't look as tight or lean as someone with a tan. Even if they're in worse shape than you, as long as it's not a significant difference in weight they'll probably look tighter and stronger. That's why bodybuilders drown themselves in the bronze stuff- it really makes your body glow and ooze "fit".

I saw the St. Tropez Bronzing Gel on sale at ROSS for $10.99 (down from $35.00) and couldn't help but purchase it on the spot. I haven't seen it in on sale since so I'm glad I snagged it up when I did. Not going to lie, I was pretty scared to rub it in when I saw how dark it was out of the bottle but this stuff blends effortlessly in to the skin as long as it's prepped correctly.

Here's a quick run down of how to apply fake tanner:

1. Take a shower! Exfoliate all rough patches like knees, elbows etc.
2. Moisturize the rough areas so they don't pick up too much product. It'll settle in to the cracks of your skin if you're not careful so you should be sure to apply moisturizer on those areas.
3. WEAR DISPOSABLE GLOVES. DO IT! It'll stain your hands and and get under your nails if you don't. Spare yourself the trouble and buy a box of spare gloves.
4. Try to give the fake tanner at least 4 hours to completely dry before showering.

Before and After I applied the Bronzing Gel

Overall I LOVED this product. I'm curious to try the Self Tan Bronzing Mousse now since I know that's the star in their fake tan lineup. The bronzing gel was easy to apply, surprisingly natural and easy to blend in. It seemed to dry pretty quickly although I didn't put a whole lot on- just enough to give me some color. I put a glob this size (photo above) on each leg, so pretty subtle but it is buildable. Hopefully I can also use this on my legs during the winter months so I don't look so sickly and pallid all the time.

I'm happy to say I highly recommend St. Tropez's bronzing and tanning products if you're looking for a sunless tanner. They smell clean and sweet, are easy to apply and surprisingly natural. Only cons I can think of is this is a higher end brand, so expect to pay anywhere from $32 to $44 for their full-size products.