Celebrity sunless tanning artist Jimmy Coco has his fair share of enemies. There's the paparazzi who make his clients late to their appointments, gossip writers who mistakingly credit his hard work to the sun, and fresh white T-shirts. Then, in a league all its own, is the worst one of all: product residue.
“Scrubs and soaps create a barrier on your skin that creates uneven, streaky, blotchy results,” Coco tells Refinery29. “Your tan can't get in and do its job if you have any residue on the skin.” Luckily, necessity is the mother of invention, and in Coco's case, that means a clever new tool that makes achieving an even self-tan that much easier.
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Coco works with Ashley Graham, Gigi Hadid, Heidi Klum, and the ladies Kardashian (Kim, Kendall, Kylie, Khloé — you get it), and he tells all his clients the same thing: exfoliate dry. “I have always told my clients that you need to exfoliate after the shower,” he explains. That way, you’re removing any residue or oil and buffing the top layer of skin off without adding any products into the mix. This can be done with a soft washcloth, a loofah, or a body brush, but for those in a hurry and DIY-ing their tan, Coco's created a tool to help.
His double-sided self-tanning mitt features a classic foam applicator on one side and a duo-exfoliator on the other. No need to shower first, just massage your skin with the scrubber side, then apply your tan with the other. Made from bamboo, the scrubber is naturally antimicrobial and ergonomically designed to apply more pressure to the spots where you need it the most. (The beige color you see here is a gentle, rough fabric texture that glides easily over legs and arms, while the white tip is rougher, lending itself to work well on elbows, knees, and anywhere else you naturally want to press harder on.)
Then, all you have to do is hand wash your mitt with fabric or dish soap, or pop it in the washer like Jimmy does — just make sure you sort your colors or you might end up in a war one of Coco's top enemies.
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MineTan x Jimmy Coco Buff 'N' Tan Mitt, $12.99, available at Jimmy Coco.