1) I use the Dark Bronzing Sunless Mousse, and ALWAYS with a mitt (I think I use this one). I am sure the other Tanwise products would be fine but the mousse is dark, so you can see where you're putting it, and it's easy to put on with the mitt. I just squirt a little bit onto the mitt and then kind of apply it in long stripes, then buff it all together. I've found I can get my back by myself by flipping the glove around on my hand so the fuzzy applicator side is on the back of my hand. I'm realizing as I write this that all this time I've thought that works just fine but in reality I don't know that I've ever gotten a good look from that direction, so I could be doing a horrible job. Whatever, ignorance is bliss. It is definitely an acquired skill though.
2) I find I'll go a good 5-6 days before I reapply it, but I like to let it fade a little so I'm not constantly building it up and going overboard. Plus I'm lazy. But like right now, I think I put it on last Sunday, and just today was like, "Yeah probably should put more on." I usually stop applying it right at the top of my wrists so I can tell when my wrists fade back to the same color as my palm it's time to reapply.
3) Not a question but I want to point out again what you said - this stuff WILL stain your sheets. I put it on at night, noodle around in my bathrobe for an hour or so, then put on full pajamas so I expose as little skin as possible. Even when I do that my sheets pick up color. The good news is it washes out for the most part. The bad news is, after a full season of this building up, your sheets will probably be permanently stained. However, I always use light colored sheets, so on dark sheets you probably would never even notice. I typically see color on the fitted sheet right around where my belly is - I'm guessing my shirt rides up while I'm asleep. I just realized this is a good excuse to buy footie pajamas!
Kind of joking, kind of not joking.
4) I HAVE used it on my face. I put a little bit in my palm (no mitts) and mixed it with the moisturizer I use at night, and it worked just fine. But that leads me to my original point that I neglected to talk about in the last post.
I actually use an entirely different product on my face! I use Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster. It's serum texture with an eye dropper type of top, so you can control how much comes out. You just put a few drops in your hand, mix it with your regular night-time moisturizer, and apply it like normal. You definitely have to be careful to make sure you're getting all places you might not think about with just lotion - eyelids, the outer edges of your lips, ears, hairline. I use this method just on my face and use the Tanwise up my neck. I actually am going to instead start extending it down to my collarbone because I noticed I'm getting this darker line just underneath my chin where the Tanwise stops and the Clarins begins. Luckily, at 5'3", no one other than Junebug can see underneath my chin. The whole thing can be really tricky though, I've definitely gotten out of sync and wound up with a tanner face than body, or vice versa, but I really like the idea of being able to use my normal face products with another product presumably formulated for your face as well. The thought of essentially body lotion on my face scares me, but like I said, when I had to use the Tanwise in a pinch it worked just fine. The sweet spot seems to be the Tanwise a couple times a week and then two drops of the Clarins every night. Also, if you wake up in the morning and your face is too light, you can just use it that morning and hopefully even out by the afternoon. The good news is I have never noticed this stuff leaving any color on my pillowcase, so that is something. It is expensive for the size, but the one I bought last year got me through the whole season so unless you're constantly slathering yourself in tanner I think it's cost effective. You have to thoroughly wash your hands afterward though, or you'll wind up with this:
Hopefully without the wonky dislocated pinky from 8th grade basketball. IT WASN'T EVEN DURING A GAME.
Then you have to be cognizant of keeping product on the back of your hands while washing your palms and between your fingers (hmm I just thought - I'm going to try baby wipes and see how that works).
Also, I noticed that the blogger who originally introduced me to Tanwise has done a Q&A on it, if you want to read that. Here's the post where she originally talks about Tanwise, and she has a great before and after picture of a super pale friend (right there with you girl).
