I’ve never really been a self-tanning kind of gal. My Italian skin tans easily in the sunshine and in the winters I usually go for organic spray tans once in a while when I’m feeling like I need a little glow up. But those options aren’t quite available this year so I decided to try the Isle of Paradise tanning drops that everyone raves about.

Isle of Paradise Drops are different from other self-tanners because you just add a few drops to your own moisturizer. They’re also organic, cruelty-free, and pregnancy-safe! It is made with coconut oil, avocado oil, chia seed oil, and eucalyptus leaf oil so I thought for sure I’d break out but it’s been 3 or 4 weeks of regular use now and I haven’t at all.

Since I’ve been using it, people keep telling me I look so healthy and glowing so I guess it’s doing its job. And it just makes me feel happy.

As promised, here is a review of the drops and how I personally use them. I have to note that I received tons of messages with tips about how to use them properly and the only thing I learned from those is that everyone reacts differently so you might have to play around and do some trial and error before you find your perfect solution. I cannot stress this enough! People were very emphatic with what the best amount and when to apply was and every single answer was different.

IOP also makes a self-tanning water that I’m interested in hearing more about if any of you have tried it.

Isle of Paradise Tanning Drops Review: Face

I can’t tell if you can really see the difference in these photos, but I think it showcases the difference in my face. Sorry I didn’t think to do a proper before and after pic!

For me, two of the Isle of Paradise medium drops (they also make light and dark) mixed with my moisturizer every other night is the key. At first, I was exfoliating before each application but I quickly realized that’s not necessary for my face. I don’t do anything different in my routine, I just add the drops to the moisturizer in my hand, mix them together, and apply as usual.

When I used one drop, it did nothing, and three drops made me orange. Two was the perfect happy medium, but it also builds on itself so every night makes it too intense and every other night keeps me looking about the same always. I like to use it at night because I wake up the next morning with a perfect glow which feels like a treat.

The smell doesn’t bother me when I use it on my face. I can barely smell it at all in fact (and I have hyper-sensitive pregnancy scent skills right now) but it does on my body for some reason. Probably because I need to use more product to get a good result.

A few tips for face application:

1. Wash your hands right away after you use it. Otherwise, it tans the palms of your hands.
2. Be careful not to use too much on your eyebrows. One time I didn’t think about that and ended up with two orange eyebrows!
3. Moisturize all the way to your hairline so there is no line.
4. I apply on my neck as well so there isn’t a distinct end line on my jaw.
5. You don’t need a mitt or any other products to make this work. Just a few drops and your hands!

Isle of Paradise Tanning Drops Review: Body

I’ve had a little more trouble figuring out the perfect mix for my body and the smell doesn’t sit well with me at night, probably because I get pregnancy night sweats (gross, I know) so I prefer doing these during the day. Because it’s freezing and I’m fully covered, I haven’t been as diligent about body application, but as it warms up and I show a forearm or calf once in a while, I’ll be better about this.

It took me a bunch of tries to figure it out but I ended up using 5 drops for my arms (together, not per arm) and 8 drops for my legs (again, together, not per leg) mixed with my body lotion. I’ve yet to experiment on my stomach or back.

A few tips for face application:

1. While I didn’t find it made a huge difference on my face, I did notice that the application was much smoother on my body when I exfoliated first so I tried to do that every few times I used them.
2. Again, be sure to wash off the palms of your hands but leave some on the backs. I do this by using a wet washcloth to wash my palms.

And that’s all I’ve got! I hope this helps anyone who wants to try them out. I should also note before I sign off that I haven’t had any issues with the color transferring or rubbing off on anything. I know a lot of people are worried about that.