I'm going to Greece for a month and by now everyone there is tan. I tan slowly and safely (is that posible?) but want to use a spray tan to make myself look darker, faster....

I've tried the tanning lotions and just don't have much luck with them. I understand the spray ones are pretty good. Anyone use them? Any feedback would be appreciated including the best on out there.

Thanks!

I've tried lotions and sprays before, and I've concluded that sprays work better only in theory.
I recently tried Neutrogena Micromist and I was extremely disappointed. I read soooo many good reviews so I had to try it. Big mistake.

They say it's a "natural looking tan"... It was way too orange on me. And even though I got the darkest shade [Deep 3], it took about 3 good appliations to finally see some difference in color. It also goes all over the place when you spray it so you end up wasting like half the spray can (and unfrotunately this tanner is a bit more expensive than most others you find at the store).
It seemed to work on the top part of my body, like it was even and everything, but my legs were super streaky, especially after I took a shower (and I did exfoliate very well before I applied it, plus I made sure to rub in the spray afterwards just to be safe).
The only good things about it is that you don't have to use hands if can control the spray well (which is tough), it dries super fast so you can get dressed like 5 min later, and it doesn't smell nearly as bad as other self-tanners out there.

I definitely don't recommed sprays. They're way too hard to control.
I'd just use a lotion if I were you despite the fact that they're kind of sticky and smell unpleasant, the outcome will most likely be way better... and your color darker.
This was just my experience though. You can always try it anyway and decide for yourself. If you're lucky it may work great on you.
Good luck!

Thanks for the reply. You seem to experienced with this stuff so if you don't mind me asking....which lotions would you recommend?

I haven't tried a lot of them... The ones that I can remember are Banana Boat, Jergens Natural Glow, Coppertone, and Neutrogena.
From all the experiences with selt-tanners the best one I found was Banana Boat. Although it's one of the cheapest self-tanners out there, it gave me the most natural looking results. I'm really pale and at first I thought it was kinda orangey but after a few days the color darkened and looked really good. People thought I actually tanned in the sun.

Although it's the best one, it's definitely not perfect. The problems I had with Banana Boat is that you really have to use it sparingly on elbows, wrists, knees, etc because those areas will look really dirty if you don't blend well.
It's also tinted, and that's a good and a bad thing. It's good as a color guide, but the color tends to come off on clothes when you first put it on or if you sweat a lot. I always put it on at night and just wear some old pajamas in case they get stained... which they usually do a little bit, but that comes out of clothes thankfully.
Banana Boat also does smell pretty strong, but that comes off as soon as you shower so that's not a huge problem for me. That's another reason why it's best to put it on at night... you can wash off the smell in the morning.
And one final problem I had with it is that it does tend to fade unevenly... but from experience I've realized that ALL self-tanners do (on my skin at least).
Once it starts to come off and you skin looks all spotted, you can scrub it off in the shower and most of it should come right off... that you can start all over again.
I've thought about just reapplying the lotion as needed when it starts to fade, but I haven't tried that yet.

Other than those issues, Banana Boat is the best one I've tried. The rest of them were way too orange or didn't last as long.
I just got a tube the other day and am gonna use it tonight. I love the fact that it leaves my skin really, really soft. That's my favorite thing about it (along with the color of course).
Hope this helps.
You can find a lot of reviews on this and other products on a lot of websites (I don't think I'm allowed to post them here). But if you just look it up on Google or something you'll find a lot of good reviews for most self-tanners.

Good Luck!

I agree with Moonlighto, the spray on tans did nothing for me. Too uneven, and didn't like the color, although I only tried the Neutrogena brand. I also tried the Mystic tan at the Salon and was very disappointed in it. Too orange and streaky.

I just started using Avon's Skin So Soft satin glow, so I am anxious to see how it works. I have tried the Jergans Natural Glow and it is OK, just don't like the way it fades at all and if I go to the beach it seems to rub off of my feet/ankles when I am in the sand/water.

I think I might try the Banana Boat next. A friend of mine likes it too.

Any sunless tan will wear off in the sand and water - sunless tanners simply change the color of the dead surface skin cells. Sand, water, etc. exfoliate those cells.

I'd suggest trying a mousse/foam. They are easy to apply and usually give good color. I like Savage Bronze, which you can get online or if you don't shop online you can purchase it Sallys Beauty Supply stores. Or try some of the gradual tanners - there are tons of them on the market now. Loreal Sublime makes a nice one, and Neutrogena is good too. Hawaiin Tropic and Banana Boat gradual tanners are also nice. With gradual tanners you apply each day until you get the color you want, then every few days after that to maintain.

My advice is to go to the store, and do a little patch test on your stomach or any covered area.. and then go home and see how it turns out later!!

I am one of the ones who recommended Neutrogena Micromist (I also used the 3 shades darker) and it came out VERY natural on me and light colored.. I actually wanted it to be darker. It was not orange at all on me.. so it was surprising to me when I read that it came out bad on other people. It was also the easiest for me to use since it only took about 5 minutes tops to cover my entire body and it dried very quick as well. I didn't miss any spots since it mists.. but I heard the regular sprays can make you splotchy if you aren't careful. This one also had a smell that was lighter than most other self tanners I've used.. a lot of them smell kind of strong.

I have tried Loreal Sublime Bronze gel and it was okay.. it looked nice, but took a while to apply since you have to rub it in and it is always hard for me to reach my back! Lotions and gels also take a little longer to dry as well.. so definitely give yourself some extra time to apply it carefully.

And that is why I think it's good to just test it out... some people hated the Micromist but a lot of the recommended ones didn't work for me.. so they are different for everyone. I've heard good things about tanning towelettes but I haven't tried them.. I was going for the one that would last longer and I know some of the towelettes only come with a enough to do it a few times.

Any sunless tan will wear off in the sand and water - sunless tanners simply change the color of the dead surface skin cells. Sand, water, etc. exfoliate those cells.

I'd suggest trying a mousse/foam. They are easy to apply and usually give good color. I like Savage Bronze, which you can get online or if you don't shop online you can purchase it Sallys Beauty Supply stores. Or try some of the gradual tanners - there are tons of them on the market now. Loreal Sublime makes a nice one, and Neutrogena is good too. Hawaiin Tropic and Banana Boat gradual tanners are also nice. With gradual tanners you apply each day until you get the color you want, then every few days after that to maintain.

Just DON'T try the Neutrogena foam kind.. it smells really bad and the tinted part is pretty dark so you have to rub it in for a long time so you don't look funny.. and I can never get it all off my hands. I will apply it to one body part, wash my hands, and then keep doing that.. they STILL turn orange. I stained some clothes permanently with it as well.. so just don't get that kind!!