How to Effortlessly Master the Fall Faux Tan


When the pumpkin-spice-everything hits the shelves, it's a clear indicator that it's time to adjust our tans! Now that you're tucking away the bikinis and bathing suit covers for the season and pulling out the cable-knit sweaters, ankle boots, and peasant dresses, it’s time to give your tan the same treatment.

Beautiful brunette woman with fall fashion and flawless faux glow.

If you're ready to master the fall faux glow, follow these five steps:

Lighten Your Shade

Showing up to the office looking like you just returned from a vacation in St. Barts may be fine in the summer, but in the fall that type of bold bronze look can feel a little out-of-place. But lightening your shade doesn't mean you have to look like Morticia Addams. We still want glow, not goth!

Keep up your self-tanner regime, but take it down a shade or two. Think "California sunset over a field of sunflowers" rather than the full force of the summer sun blazing over Miami beach.

If you use an express tanner, rinse it off a bit sooner than you normally would. If you use a buildable self-tanner that adds more color the more often you use it, back your daily application to every other day, or even two or three times a week to soften your shade.

More Moisture

Changing fall weather leads to drier skin. So don't skimp out on the moisturizer when you're transitioning to a fall look. Watch out for dry patchy areas like around the nose, your lips, elbows, knees, and feet. You'll want to apply a bit of moisturizer to these areas before you attempt to swipe on your sunless tanner for a smooth, flawless application.

You may want to swap out your lightweight summer moisturizer for a thicker cream-based formula like Josie Maran Intensive Hydration Body Cream made from whipped Argan oil or a facial oil, like cult-classic True Botanicals Pure Radiance Oil.

Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate

Yes, even in the fall and winter, exfoliation is key to a flawless faux glow. This step becomes even more important now that the weather is drier and the winds are picking up. It's much more likely that you'll have patches of dry or chapped skin now than it was a month ago.

Add dry brushing to your daily beauty routine to kick start the exfoliation process while also stimulating your lymphatic system and detoxifying your body. On the days you'll apply your sunless tanner, give your body some extra exfoliating love with a salt scrub like Herbivore Botanicals Coco Rose Exfoliating Body Scrub.

Contour Your Face

"Tantouring" is all the rage and we are all for it. Use your sunless tanner to contour your face, applying more color where the sun would naturally hit for a tan that looks like it came from a weekend hiking excursion or day at the pumpkin patch. Apply more color on areas like your nose, forehead, and tops of your cheeks for a natural-looking flush. Feel free to skip the ab-tantouring; save that step for the summer months, instead!

Save the Sweaters—Set Your Tan

Keep those beautiful wool cable-knit sweaters, oversized cardigans, and dusters looking good by setting your tan with a setting powder before you get dressed.
Solstice Sol Setting Powder

Try Solstice Sol's full set, which comes with a bottle of non-toxic sunless tanner, setting powder, and application brush to keep your tan where it belongs, on your skin, not your clothing. The gold, shimmering setting powder also adds an additional touch of glow to your skin.

Your favorite fall boho fashions deserve the ultimate accessory: a gorgeous faux glow that compliments your unique style. Remember to give your skin the love it needs as the weather cools down and to adjust your sunless tanner routine for a look that’s perfect for the season.


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