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

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, MD 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.