I Tried the Self-Tanner Miley Cyrus Swears By

I've said it before and I'll say it again: there's nothing more nerve-racking than waking up the morning after sleeping in self-tanner. This rings especially true whenever I try out a new product, because I never know how it's going to go. Immediately after waking up and opening my eyes, I find myself wondering whether or not I look orange, if my face has streaks all over it, and if I managed to get the colour even. Then, I start frantically sniffing the air to make sure I don't smell like someone's sweaty gym socks. Dramatic, I know — but also very, very true.

I naturally have a dark olive skin tone, and I get a lot of colour in the summer. However, it's rarely even. To start, I don't ever put my face in the sun if I can help it, so any colour on that area of my body is fake AF (but healthy AF, for that matter). I can also never seem to get as much sun on my back as my front, so everything ends up looking a little wonky. Not to mention, I loathe tan lines, so I occasionally use self-tanner to cover those up.

Finding the right formula can be a nightmare, especially because you usually have to sort through a lot of bad ones to find a winner.

So when Miley Cyrus did an interview with British Vogue and shared that one of her favourite beauty products was the Dolce Glow Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion (£48), my interest was immediately piqued.

"It may look like I'm doing nothing. Like, if I'm just sleeping on an aeroplane, it may look like I'm sleeping on an aeroplane, but really b*tch, I'm getting tanner. I am just getting more and more bronzed by the second," Cyrus says. As someone who also strives to be doing something while looking like she's doing nothing, I knew I needed to try it for myself.

Keep scrolling to read my full review of Cyrus's favourite tanner, the Dolce Glow Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion.

About the Dolce Glow Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion

• It's a moisturising tanner designed to give you a natural-looking glow.
• Key ingredients include vitamin E, jojoba oil, and Australian macadamia oil to hydrate and vitamin B5 to help skin retain moisture.
• It comes in two shades, medium dark and light medium.
• It comes in two sizes: a 6.8 oz. full size and a 60 ml travel size.
• The product is formulated without bronzer.
• It's vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-, sulphate-, and phthalate-free.

What I Like About the Dolce Glow Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion

One of the things that struck me about this product immediately after using it was how moisturising it is. While most tanning products leave my skin feeling dry, I found the opposite to be true when using the Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion. The ingredients make it extremely hydrating, so I didn't feel the need to apply lotion on top of it. Once I rub it into my skin, I'm good to go for the entire day.

I'm also a big fan of sleeping in self-tanner — as Cyrus said, even when it looks like I'm doing nothing, I'm doing something — and whenever I use it overnight, it doesn't transfer onto my white sheets, which is a necessity in my opinion. I don't want to have to sacrifice my bedding or my self-tanner, so this product is a win in that category. (I also used it once when I was in a major time crunch, and even though I was wearing a white T-shirt, not a single speck of colour transferred onto the inside.)

It dries down quickly, and it gives me really even colour all over — no streaks whatsoever. Plus, it helped me cover up my tan lines to the point where they were almost completely gone.

How to Use the Dolce Glow Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion

I'm fairly comfortable applying gradual self-tanner, but the brand does offer an easy-to-follow "How to Apply" video if you need a little extra help. It recommends exfoliating your skin prior to application and avoiding using lotion, perfume, oil, or moisturiser before using the tanner. It also recommends using a tanning mitt to apply the lotion in a circular motion all over your body and to use sparingly on your ankles, knees, and elbows. Leaving it on for two to four hours will give you a light tan, four to six hours will give you a medium tan, and if you want a dark tan, leave the formula on for six or more hours.

Whenever I use this product, I always start by exfoliating in the shower with a body mitt paired with body wash. From there, out of the shower, I make sure my skin is completely dry. Next, I apply the lotion directly to my skin. Cyrus said she liked to use a kabuki brush to blend it, so I opted to go that route the first time I tested this product, but it was slow going on the larger parts of my body, so I switched over to a tanning mitt.

Doing my hands is usually the most difficult part, but using the kabuki brush made things a lot simpler. After applying one coat, I usually go in with a damp paper towel and wipe down the palms of my hands as well as around my fingernails to make sure I don't have any colour on those areas.

I like to let it dry completely before putting on clothes or hopping in bed. If I'm short on time, I just use a blow dryer on the coolest setting to help speed things up.

As for how long to let it marinate, I prefer to sleep in it overnight (that's what I did for my before and after photos), but you should plan to shower based on how deep of a tan you're looking for.

What to Consider Before Trying the Dolce Glow Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion

Although this is a gradual self-tanning lotion, you will see colour pretty soon after applying it. I've made the mistake of using gradual tanners as regular lotions in the past — meaning I haven't really paid attention to where or how much I was applying. Since this product doesn't include bronzer, you can't see the colour as you're blending, so you'll want to pay close attention to your application technique to ensure even colour all over.

Also, anyone who has tried a self-tanner in the past knows they don't smell great. While the smell after using this product isn't terrible, I did still notice a lingering self-tanner scent whenever I was sweating.

Where the Dolce Glow Des Nuda Gradual Self-Tanning Lotion Is Available

You can purchase this self-tanner directly on Revolve.

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