The Self-Tanner Thing: Jergens Review and St. Tropez First Impressions

Since I'm spending all my days this summer studying for the dreaded MCAT, I've also missed out on quite a bit of sun. I know it's not good for anyone to be laying out anyway, but it's fun to have that summery glow. I've always strayed away from self tanners in the past, especially seeing examples of how they've gone HIDEOUSLY wrong. Right? We've all seen girls walking around looking like they've dipped themselves in orange paint. Not the look I'm going for.

 I've used Jergens Natural Glow once before a few years back, and I remember that it worked quite well. I just finished a bottle of the medium/dark this week, and I have to say it's still pretty good. The new formula is AMAZING, and it smells SO good. Lightly and pleasantly scented (which is a lot better than other tanners), and applied evenly. It doesn't streak if you let it dry before you get dressed. I only had some streaking on my wrists- I guess I wasn't careful enough when washing my hands after application. Everything dried in under 10 minutes, and I was good to go. No stains on my white sheets either!

Instead of repurchasing another bottle of Jergens, I opted to try the St. Tropez Gradual Tan. I don't know why I can't just bite the bullet and get a regular self tanner, but the gradual ones seem a bit less intimidating, and more forgiving if you mess up. I applied it for the first time today (I'm actually waiting for it to dry as we speak here). My first impressions is that it doesn't smell nearly as good as Jergens. I mean, it doesn't smell awful by any means, but its really strong and not necessarily pleasant. Its taking FOREVER to dry, and so far it's leaving my skin a bit shiny and sticky. (My left arm is a little shinier than my right. I probably applied to much on that arm. oops). You're supposed to wait until it all dries before you get dressed. 25 minutes and counting. Grr.

So far:

• Jergens smells better
• Jergens dries faster
• Jergens is less expensive

These are just my first impressions of the St. Tropez. I won't judge anything from the first try, I'll definitely continue and see which tanner I like better. Have you tried either of these? Which are your favorites?