In my nearly nine years working in the beauty industry, there’s only one adage I’ve found to be unequivocally true: Everything is better with a tan. With a tan, I look healthier, my eyes brighter, and I definitely feel more confident. However, as a beauty editor, I am also well aware of the many dangers of sun exposure, I always wear sunscreen (yes, even when it’s raining), and generally extol the benefits of SPF to anyone who will listen. Which means I’m left with one solution: self-tanner.
I own the fact that I’m a 52-weeks-a-year self-tan user, so I’m often asked which one is the best. Luckily, in 2024, most self-tanning products are less hit or miss (as in, no longer like the ones you remember from middle school that stained your palms orange). But when I discovered Dolce Glow — a brand created by Isabel Alysa, Miley Cyrus’ spray-tan artist, that’s also beloved by Selena Gomez — I knew it must have something special to offer.
Below, I tried out Dolce Glow’s entire line of self-tanning products, and these are my honest thoughts.
Fast Facts:
- Brand: Dolce Glow
- What’s in the line? The line is an all-inclusive approach to at-home self-tanning, with tanning products for the body and face, and an instant glow booster, plus the products for application.
- Prices: Mousse ($51), Mist ($48), Lotion ($51), Serum Drops ($55), Hydrating Face Mist ($36), Instant Body Glow ($51) Application Mitt ($9), Kabuki Brush ($13), and Exfoliation Mitt ($9)
- Shades: The Mousse and Lotion each come in two varieties Light-Medium and Medium-Dark, The Mist comes in the same two shades and a Clear spray. The facial products only come in one buildable shade.
- Specs? Clean, Vegan, Cruelty Free, Paraben Free, Sulfate Free, and Dermatologist-Tested
- Who is it for? For all skin types and tones
- Where can you buy? dolceglow.com
The Products:
How To Use:
The general rules of self tanner still apply. On exfoliated skin, use the mitt to apply the mousse evenly in circular motions, making sure to apply sparingly on knees, elbows, ankles, and wrists. Then leave on for as long as you like for your desired level of tan before rinsing off. For Dolce Glow, thats two to four hours for a light tan, four to six hours for a medium tan, and over six hours for a dark tan. Isabel Alysa also gave me the tip to use the Kabuki Brush for to get a soft blend on the tricky spots. Use it to swirl and blend the extra self tan down from the arms or legs onto the ankles, feet, wrists, and hands.
First Impressions:
Instantly, I love the texture of the Self-Tanning Mousse. A mousse self-tan formula is not in itself revolutionary, but this was more creamy than watery, the way many other self-tanners are formulated. The thicker texture made it spread a little slower, but it felt better going on and also made me more conscious about applying it evenly. (I have been guilty of applying self-tanner too fast and missing large stripes of skin on my arms and legs, so this is a blessing.) Often, self-tanning feels like sacrificing moisture for the color (you’re not supposed to moisturize before tanning except in the rough skin areas like the knees, elbows, and hands), but this one didn’t leave me feeling dry and sticky. Also, the guide color is also a kind of pretty caramel tan. Self-tanners can often skew green when you put them on to cancel out the orange effect, but Dolce Glow’s mousse had the added benefit of not making me go to sleep looking like (tan) Shrek.
To me, the true hero product of the line is the Clear Self-Tanning Mist. It comes in a spray can that looks like a hairspray and not a spray bottle like many other tanning mists use. What this does, is provide a continuous fine mist when you hold down the nozzle (instead of spritzing big droplets in spurts) and it still sprays even if you’re holding the can upside down. This is a thrilling feature feature for someone like me who has struggled contorting my body to apply tanner as to not leave a giant untanned spot between my shoulder blades.
The Results:
I used the Medium-Dark formula overnight, woke up and rinsed, and I love the results. If I have one qualm it’s because I get greedy and always want to be even tanner — but it’s easier to build on a tan than it is to wash it away. I really appreciate how the color has a golden glow to it that is what I feel makes me look vibrant and healthy, not just tan.
Final Verdict:
I want to be a Dolce Glow girl! I love this self-tanner, especially in the colder seasons when I feel like my dry skin can easily get itchy and tight if I don’t always have body lotion on, this does double duty. It makes self-tanner feel like a cooler, more luxe process than a secret shame I need to hide away under the sink in my bathroom. Unfortunately, with the amount I use, $50 per bottle is a little steep for keeping myself in tan year round. But, it’s definitely what I’m going to use when I want to feel like Miley on the cover of her Endless Summer album, even when it’s 20° outside.
