Hilary Duff’s Go-To Self-Tanning Mist Has Just Gotten A Major Upgrade

Self-tanner certainly comes with its fair share of trial and error. But self-tanner for your face can be even harder to master. To make the process absolutely seamless, Australian tanning brand Luna Bronze released their Illume Tanning Water in 2018, though recently, the best-selling tanning mist has gotten a major upgrade. Ahead, get the details on the new-and-improved formula, which is beloved by celebs like Hilary Duff, who called it “the star of [her] summer” in a recent Instagram story.

It’s rare for a brand to upgrade a product that’s already a hit, but Luna Bronze has spent the past 18 months redeveloping the Illume Tanning Water with customer feedback in mind. The most beloved features of the original formula are still intact, with the tanning mist containing a blend of essential oils and moisturizing ingredients like jojoba seed oil, grape seed oil, and rosehip fruit oil. It also remains a noncomedogenic formula that was specifically developed to be used on your face without clogging your pores and contributing to breakouts (though you can definitely mist this on your neck, décolletage, and even hard-to-tan areas like the hands and feet).

But the new Illume Tanning Water boasts several improvements, from the formula itself to the application method. In addition to increasing the depth of color you’ll get with the tanner, which develops into a light-to-medium bronze over eight hours, the formula packs in more beneficial ingredients for your skin. Among the ingredients list, you’ll find sodium hyaluronate (a derivative of hyaluronic acid) and vitamin E to replenish moisture, as well as vitamin C, which helps with everything from fading hyperpigmentation and stimulating collagen production to providing your skin with extra protection from damage caused by environmental stressors. Then there’s the new packaging, which delivers a finer mist of product to your skin for a faster, more even tan.

Other Products To Try

If you’ve found yourself on the waitlist for the new and improved Illume Tanning Water, here are some other fan favorites to keep you glowing until it arrives.

Luna Bronze Good Night Face Bronzing Serum

The best self-tanner winner in Bustle’s 2022 Beauty Awards, Luna Bronze’s Good Night Face Bronzing Serum will give you a deeper tan than the Illume Tanning Water. Designed to be used as part of your evening skin care routine on its own or mixed in with your moisturizer (the latter will give you a softer bronze glow), the serum contains soothing and moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera and glycerin, as well as skin-brightening ingredients native to Australia like desert lime fruit extract and quandong fruit extract.

Luna Bronze Solar Eclipse Clear Tanning Mousse

In recent months, this has become my go-to self-tanner because it’s easy to use and doesn’t transfer onto my sheets. Like all of Luna Bronze’s products, the Solar Eclipse Clear Tanning Mousse contains DHA to create a sun-kissed effect, while moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera, grape seed extract, and jojoba seed oil work to leave skin nourished and soft. The real genius behind this mousse is that it’s completely clear, so it won’t transfer onto clothes or sheets as it develops, and it doesn’t have the usual, distinct self-tan scent to it (it honestly doesn’t smell like much of anything). You can customize your tan depending on when you shower, leaving the clear mousse to set for two hours for a lighter tan, six hours for a medium tan, and up to 12 hours for the darkest possible result on your skin tone.

Luna Bronze Self Tanning Essentials

If you’re new to the world of self-tanning, consider Luna Bronze’s essentials kit, which comes with a tanning mitt for applying the product, an oversized T-shirt for wearing while your tan develops, and a Total Eclipse Tanning Mousse in the color of your choice (medium, dark, or clear). Full disclosure, while the medium and dark mousse formulas may transfer onto sheets or clothes, they’re generally easier to use for those just starting out as they contain a guide color that allows you to see exactly where you’ve applied your self-tanner (and most critically to your end result, where you may have missed).