Have you heard of the 3 P’s of Self Tanners? Yup, it’s a thing, well at least I’m making it a thing right now, so learn more about each below. And while the formulas are getting better these days, I really wish there was more progress when it came to that darn tanner smell! Yes, some are able to mask it better than others but it's still there. 

In the meantime, let's check out the 3 P's!

Primed - SKINNY TAN Tan & Tone Kit ($54.99 @ skinnytan.com) – if you are looking for the whole kit and caboodle, this might be your answer. This one includes an oil-free skin exfoliator, Pre-Tan Primer, so you get the smoothest application you can. And the 7-Day Tanner gives skin an instant bronze loo that develops into a tan shade in a few hours and sticks around for up to 7 days. And make sure you give a healthy helping of this on your backside as they didn’t put the name Skinny in the name for nothing.

Perfection - BONDI SANDS Self-Tanning Foam ($24/7.04oz) – just landing stateside from Australia is this line of tanners and lotions. The star of the bunch had to be the tanning foam. It was super easy to use, gave me instant color, and looked really natural on my skin (this one is best for light to medium complexions). Love this one! 

The next favorite was the LiquidGold Self-Tanning Dry-Oil ($24/5.07oz). I love dry oils and I don’t think I’ve seen one yet that incorporates color like this! The color develops in 2 to 3 hours and is a dark brown so you can see where you’ve applied the color.

The only reason I put the 'Everyday' Gradual Tanning Milk ($22/13.2oz) at #3 is because this one gives some color after a few applications, and don't have a lot of patience when it comes to waiting for my color!  So if you like you tan on the light side, and don't mind the super gradualness of it, this might be a good one for you to consider. All @ target.com, bondisands.com, beautycollection.com or at Beauty Collection stores in SoCal. 

Price - SALLY HANSEN Airbrush Sun Instant Tanning Mousse ($13.99/5oz @ drugstores nationwide) – out this month, this tanning mousse is one of those buildable color ones. And the price of this one won’t break the bank so stock up! Available in Medium and Dark.

And make sure you use some kind of tanning mitt like this one from Thermalabs that I love. It's reusable and I just stick it in the washing machine when it's time for a cleaning and it's lasted me over a year of I'd say monthly use.  

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.