We tried the formulas stars swear by

Here comes the sun(-less tan).

Whether they’re prepping for red carpets, weddings or bikini shoots, everyone from the Kardashian-Jenners to Alix Earle to Selena Gomez has worked with celebrity spray tan artist Isabel Alysa over the years.

And while we can’t all have Alysa herself on speed dial, she’s bottled her pro glow with a line of at-home products, Dolce Glow. (Repeat client Miley Cyrus is even an investor.)

“When you’re looking at someone on the red carpet …. 99% of the time I’d say it’s because they got a good spray tan,” Alysa previously told us, noting a sunless glow also functions like a “filter on your skin” to “help tone, reduce appearance of cellulite [and] blur imperfections.”

As a self-tan novice, I was eager to get my hands on the formulas to see how they stack up for someone with no glam team (and a fear of looking orange).

Our review

Dolce Glow Luce Clear Self-Tanning Mist

While I was lucky enough to get tanned by Alysa herself a couple of years ago — and was beyond obsessed with the results — I was hesitant to try to replicate it at home. That said, I love that Dolce Glow creates a truly subtle glow, so there’s no need to worry about looking orange or overdone.

I can see why celebrities like Brittany Mahomes rely on it when they’re not having pros come to their homes.

Even though I invested in a self-tan sleep sack to try to avoid staining my sheets, the bronzer never transferred to any clothing/linens. (I can’t say the same of other spray tans I’ve gotten, which are liable to transfer long after the first rinse.)

While you’ll start to see the results within a few hours, it can take up to a day for the full color to develop — so I wouldn’t advise spritzing some on right before a big event.

The biggest con? Since the formula goes on completely clear, it can be difficult to tell where you’ve already sprayed. I wish I’d been more liberal in my application, as I definitely missed a few spots that I didn’t notice until the tan developed.

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Dolce Glow Contour Self-Tanning Sculpt + Glow

After Alysa airbrushed me years ago, my first question was, how can I achieve same effect at home?Luckily, she’s since developed this unique self-tanner pen, which is designed to last longer than your standard blend-and-go bronzer or contour stick. (Even Hailey Bieber’s on board; she used it in a YouTube video about her summer beauty routine last year.)

I was the most excited to try this product, since I love a good contour. Unlike a standard bronzer, this one develops over time, and I found that I couldn’t smudge the pigment with my hand once it was blended. (That said, both times I tried it, it didn’t last more than a day — so no need to be too worried if you put it on a bit lopsided at first.)

Since it can be applied either over or under makeup and moisturizers, I can see it being a nice touch for a no-makeup makeup look — especially if you’re going to the beach or somewhere you wouldn’t wear actual glam.

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The final verdict

If you’re looking for a spray tan at home, we found that Dolce Glow provides a subtle, highly customizable glow. While it was difficult to tell which areas had already been sprayed with the clear self-tanner, we loved the resulting bronze. Of all the products we tried, we’d recommend the original Luce Clear Self-Tanning Mist the most for a serious glow, followed by the Contour Self-Tanning Sculpt + Glow stick.

How we tested

We tried all of the self-tanners at home sans professional spray tan artists, keeping the following points in mind throughout testing:

• Quality of glow: Did the final color look orange or unnatural?
• Ease of use: Was the formula suitable for a self-tan novice?
• Stain risk: Did the formula transfer to sheets or clothing?

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Why Trust Page Six Style Shopping

This article was written by Hannah Southwick, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Page Six Style. Hannah spies deals on actually affordable celebrity-worn styles, puts Hollywood’s favorite labels to the test and finds the beauty products that keep stars red carpet-ready. She consults stylists and industry pros — including celebs themselves — for firsthand product recommendations, trend predictions and more. In addition to writing for Page Six since 2020, her work has been featured in USA Today and Parade.

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