Annual summer sunscreen tote!

Photo: Sephora.com

Sephora's annual summer sunscreen tote is now available. I usually get this every year, it's nice to have the little samples to throw in your purse or beach bag. Plus, $25 is a good deal for all of this:

1. 0.03 oz Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil
2. 0.5 oz Boscia Oil-free Daily Hydration SPF 15
3. 0.5 oz DDF Mattifying Oil Control SPF 15*
4. 0.7 oz Murad Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30*
5. 0.5 oz Ole Henriksen Fresh Lips SPF 15*
6. 0.5 oz Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Moisture Lotion SPF 30
7. 0.4 oz Philosophy Hope Oil Free SPF 30*
8. 0.23 oz Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 60 PA +++** (Two stars for this one!!)
9. 0.25 oz Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 With Dermaxyl Complex
10. 0.33 oz Supergoop! Everyday SPF 30+
11. 0.4 oz Supergoop! SPF 30 Sunscreen Swipe with Zinc for Sensitive Skin
12. 0.5 oz TanTowel Plus Self-Tan Towelette For Face & Body (Have heard good things about this!)
13. Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Mini Flawless Application Brush
14. Beach Tote (not the sturdiest, but a nice little bag to have around)

The asterisks (*) by the items are things I have tried and enjoy! You can order HERE at Sephora.com. Also, 100% of the proceeds go to the Skin Cancer foundation, so it's beauty for a good cause!!

Small self-tanning lotion test

Now that it's summer, I'm sure a lot of you are like me and are trying to obtain and maintain a tan. My husband has the luxury of having Native American in his blood, so he basically turns dark brown immediately and never EVER burns. I, on the other hand, am Irish, English, and German; thus I burn like crazy. We both know the risks of skin cancer no matter what the skin tone, so we are good about slathering/spraying on the SPF 30 all the time. He still tans though where I remain pale as a ghost. So what's a girl like me to do? Fake it.

I have recently tried two of the self tanning lotions available at drugstores. Nivea Body and Jergens Natural Glow. I have heard numerous reports of how well Jergens works, but I wanted to try the "firming moisturizer" component of the Nivea. I tried Nivea for a week, and I really didn't like it. It gave a slight color change, but the lotion was super thin and SLIMY. If I sweat with it on, it felt like it was just running down my legs...pretty gross. It also had a very strong self-tanning smell (I don't know what that stuff is, but it stinks). Now I'm using Jergens. I like it much better. It consistency is much more like regular lotion. It does not feel slimy at all, and the smell is basically non-existent. I think the color change for me is pretty slight, but enough to just have a little glow. I have seen other friends who use it and look like they have been in the tanning bed, so it may depend on how consistent you are with using it (I only put it on in the morning). I am not using it on my face. I don't think either were designed for that. They do make self tanners for the face, but I think I would break out. I just use a bronzer powder on my face.

Are there any self tanners you guys use that you love? Let me know in the comments. My vote goes to Jergens!