Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Get a Natural Fake Tan with Instant Vacation Browning Lotion
Every spring, when pasty legs start emerging from sweatpants and leggings, people start to turn to tanners to speed up the look of having summer sun kissed skin. I was introduced to UV tanning beds in high school (ah, the carefree 1990’s) as most self-tanners on the market at the time either smelled pretty gross or they turned my skin orange. Oh, how I wish I would have never gone to those tanning beds! As an adult now (that currently lives in Southwest, Florida), I make sure to go to the dermatologist once a year AND I protect my skin much better.
Vacation Browning Lotion
If I want to look tan now, I turn to the new self-tanners and browning lotions that are way better than those in stores in the 90’s. I recently tried the Vacation brand’s Instant Vacation Browning Lotion and I must say, I was impressed. I bought it because we had already been using Vacation Classic Spray sunscreen, which smells exactly like a classic sunscreen. Their product scents bring many good summer vacation memories to mind, so it’s a sunscreen that’s great to wear when spending time outdoors (which we should always do now days, especially in Florida).
See the product in action in my one minute tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
About Vacation Brand and Their Nostalgic Marketing
If you aren’t familiar with the Vacation brand, follow their Instagram account to see what got my attention right away. They are based in Miami, Florida and are all about the leisure lifestyle of having fun in the sun, but safely. They smartly market their products and brand using nostalgic images of people from the 1980’s. The images are fun and classic and they even have photo contests sometimes. Their Classic Whip SPF 30 (creatively packaged to look like a Redi-Whip whipped cream can) has become a viral TikTok product in 2024.
We love that Vacation is cruelty free
Most recently, they bought the rights to the original Orange Gelee sunscreen and recreated it since it was discontinued years ago. They brought together a whole team of fans of Orange Gelee to get their feedback to recreate it perfectly. I bought a tube of it, as I remembered the original), and they did an amazing job with the new product. It now has an SPF of 30, making it a product I slather on my arms and chest every day. It smells like soft florals and is very moisturizing too.
Vacation brand works really hard to make sure their products are cruelty free and reef friendly, all things I look for in beauty products. According to their website, Vacation® brand sunscreens are developed with Dr. Elizabeth Hale, Board Certified Dermatologist and Chief Medical Advisor to the Vacation® brand.
My “after” leg has three coats of Vacation Instant Vacation Browning Lotion
More by Vacation Brand
Want to try some of Vacation brand’s products during your next vacation? They have a sampler bag with several products that are carry-on friendly. Grab it on Amazon today. Other Vacation brand products you might like that have great Amazon reviews:
One leg with three coats, one leg with none
My Full Vacation Browning Lotion Review
As far as Vacation brand’s Browning Lotion, it definitely gave my legs a nice bronze glow. I bought it wanting to mostly use it on my legs but I had some apprehension as my legs are fairly sensitive. I had zero negation reactions to the product, even with multiple days of testing it, so my sensitive skin was A-OK with it. I have very fair skin (I have natural auburn hair and freckles), and one coat gave my legs some definite color. It looked like a dark foundation as I applied it, but became sheer and bronz-y as I spread it out.
The color gave my skin a nice bronze look
I ended up using three coats on both legs and it really gave me a great looking tan! I applied it on my lotion-less legs with my bare hands. I exfoliate every other day or so (using my own lemon sugar scrub), so that may be helpful for you to try before using this to be sure it goes on evenly. It fully dried on my legs in about 10 minutes.
Buy Instant Vacation Browning Lotion:
Need a quick DIY exfoliator that you can make with things you may already have? Try my DIY Lemon Sugar scrub. Get the one-minute tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
It’s Kind of a Self-Tanner
I read the packaging and website description thoroughly and I need to note that it said it had “self-tanning” technology. I took this as meaning it was a full-on self-tanner, and it kind of is, but kind of isn’t. This simply means it has a technology that makes it sort of darken as the day went on, or at least that seemed to be my experience.
Hanging out with my Johnny Cash is always fun when working
It is also meant to help you keep the color a bit longer after you wash it off, but don’t expect your legs to look as dark as it did when you had the lotion on. Over time of daily or every other day usage, you will keep a tiny bit of color though. The color on me was a nice bronze and stayed on my skin for about 2 days. It wasn’t orange on my fair skin tone at all.
That self-tanning technology also makes it have a bit of a self-tanner smell as the day went on, but it wasn’t terrible. It smelled a bit coca-ish hazelnut-ish going on, and then just smelled like a hint of self-tanner later on in the day. I’ve had some self-tanners almost choke me with their terrible smells, but this one was very subtle smelling to my sensitive nose.
An outtake with my pooch, but he’s so cute :)
I think that self-tanning technology also made it lock onto my legs and even sweat didn’t make it budge. When I showered, I used soap and water and it rinsed away nicely, leaving behind a faint hint of bronze color. I accidentally got it on a piece of white furniture and just used a bit of water to remove it, and it didn’t stain. I also got it on my cuticles while applying it and soap and water removed it instantly.
The browning lotion kind of looks like a dark foundation
The Housewives Couch Test
One benefit to it not being a full on self-tanner…it won’t stain everything it comes in contact with. I once watched an episode of the Beverly Hills Housewives and one of the “wives” sat on Lisa Vanderpump’s white couch with self-tanner on and she ruined it. This browning lotion didn’t rub off onto anything I wore or sat on throughout the day, so that’s a huge bonus! The housewives should all pick up a bottle of this and I think if you want tanned skin quickly and easily, you should too.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.