Isle of Paradise Drops before and after

• TikTok loves Isle of Paradise for its Self-Tanning Drops and Refillable Tanning Water.
• Both offer a gradual, natural-looking tan that's neither splotchy nor oxidizing. 
• As a novice self-tanner, I loved how easily I could control the color intensity.

Many people, including me, find the idea of self-tanner daunting — but Isle of Paradise makes it both stress-free and streak-free with its popular self-tanning collection.

Isle of Paradise's Self Tanning Drops, Self-Tanning Water Refill, and Tanning Applicator Mitt are the perfect beginner's formula for an at-home gradual tan. Like many of my latest purchases, TikTok recommended these Isle of Paradise finds. Users have been pairing the Tanning Water with a spray mister from Amazon for an easy application hack that uses less plastic and waste. Every Isle of Paradise item is also completely recyclable.

Formulated for all skin types, Isle of Paradise even works for sensitive skin like mine. The coconut oil and chia seed oil hydrate while the avocado oil is skin-conditioning. Sephora awarded the brand a certified clean seal, which means it lacks sulfates, parabens, and a number of other ingredients from an extensive "No List."

The tan erased my hibernation paleness overnight and prepped me for the transition into summer. I found that it's alarmingly easy to use, especially great for novice self-tanners, and nearly impossible to mess up. Read my full review, below.

The instructions recommend two to 12 drops, which seemed too vast at first, but it gave me a lot of room to customize my tan.

The color-correcting self-tan drops are meant to mix with your moisturizer to help you get a custom glow. It takes about four to six hours to reach its peak intensity, so I like to apply it before bedtime. 

When testing the tan drops, I ran through my skincare routine as normal, serums and all. But as the last step, I added four drops into my everyday moisturizer. I prefer sticking to the drops rather than the spray for my face since I can mix it with my face lotion. Generally, two to four drops offer a sunkissed look; four to eight give a golden glow; eight to 12 ensure a maximum bronze. Make sure to wash your hands afterward to rid your nails and palms of residue. 

I can't exfoliate my face because of my eczema, so the tan collected very slightly around my mouth area. The darkness faded out after the first day, but it's something to consider if you have drier areas. 

Both the continuous mister stream and tanning mitt made it difficult to mess up the fake tan application.

For the Tanning Water, I prepped my skin by shaving and exfoliating with a gentle body scrub. I then applied an unscented body lotion everywhere, paying extra attention to my arm and leg creases. 

After pouring it into a refillable mister, I sprayed the Tanning Water directly onto my entire body, minus my face. Immediately after, I rubbed it into my skin using the tanning mitt. The steady stream of the mister makes the process only 10 minutes long. 

It dries pretty quickly and I could put on my pajamas shortly after. I woke up with some slight transfer stains on my sheets, so I recommend wearing long-sleeved garments to bed. The tanning water smelled more fragrant than the tanning drops, but it faded away after a shower the next day.  

The bottom line is that this is the best fake tanner for beginners.

I've done about five or so applications and it's only made a small dent in each of the bottles so far. The sunkissed tan lasted me about a week, which is pretty great considering a good self-tanner should last about five to 10 days. With the inventive recommendations of TikTok, this is the easiest and most effective way to achieve a bronzed glow. And although I may not be going on vacation anytime soon, this self-tanner certainly makes it look otherwise.

Jacqueline Saguin

Style & Beauty Reviews Fellow

Jacqueline Saguin is a style & beauty fellow with Insider Reviews, covering everything from the latest TikTok trends to sustainability in the fashion and beauty industries.  Before joining Insider, she was a freelance writer at Giggle Magazine and Wellness360 Magazine, where she wrote and edited feature stories, product roundups, and expert reported stories. Her work has appeared in Her Campus, PBS/NPR-affiliate WUFT News, and more. Jacqueline earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication studies from the University of Florida. Although she is focusing on e-commerce and style & beauty, she has a background in entertainment, health, and parenting writing as well as social media management. Say hello at or @jackiesaguin on Twitter. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.

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