A Sunny Midwinter Self-Tan for a “Nomad” in Wintry British Columbia

Running a runaway-success company and homeschooling a 7-year-old and a 10-year-old requires an easy (but solid) setup, according to Bethany Menzel, founder of Saltyface, a chic line of clean tanners and bronzers. “My family and I became nomads during the pandemic—and we haven’t stopped,” she says. “We really love it.” They started in Vancouver and spent time in California, Mexico, Costa Rica, Arizona, and Hawaii along the way. Currently living on Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, they’ve been skiing in their free time, Menzel reports: “It’s been very relaxing—it feels like we’re in our own world but not too far from downtown and the ski hill.” Her mornings involve some quiet personal time, chocolate-tahini cookies, and (always) a healthy-looking glow.

6:30 a.m.

Wake up to an alarm. In the summertime, I’m up early with the sun; in the dark Canadian winter months, it’s not as easy but still worth it. I drink green tea and have quiet time for an hour. It’s my favorite time of day.

7:30 a.m.

My kids wake up, I turn on music, and we make breakfast: veggie omelets and fruit. I’m also totally addicted to a healthy chocolate-tahini cookie recipe—I always keep some in the freezer for an after-breakfast treat.

8 a.m.

Once a week (typically on Friday), I do a full-body tan with my tanning foam to get glowy for the weekend. That lasts for most of the week, and I keep up my neck and chest throughout the week. I also do it if I’m feeling a little less than glowy that day or I’m going out in the evening. I brush my Saltyface Tanning Water over my face so it, too, can develop throughout the morning and afternoon.

If I work out first thing, I use Dr. Loretta Micro-Exfoliating Cleanser, but if it’s a regular morning, I wash my face with just water because I tend to have dry skin. I start with this vitamin C serum, followed by moisturizer and FORAH sunscreen. In a sunscreen, I look for mineral- and reef-safe—I like to spend a lot of time in the ocean. The FORAH checks all my boxes, especially the sustainable packaging.

8:10 a.m.

For makeup, I mix the ILIA skin tint with a few drops of my new Liquid Bronzer for a subtle allover glow—the combo of the two evens out my skin tone well. I’ve tried other skin tints and I always go back to ILIA: It works well with my dry skin, never looks heavy, and blends so well.

I finish off my makeup by swiping some more of my bronzer on the back of my hand and applying it with a makeup brush to my cheeks, nose, and forehead.

If I’m not putting on makeup, I mix my bronzer with my FORAH SPF instead so I still get that radiance and the skin-care benefits. Pro tip: The bronzer helps balance out the white cast that mineral sunscreens can have.

I have dry skin, so I moisturize from head to toe every day in the morning with this great never-too-thick everyday body lotion. I first found Nécessaire years ago and loved the minimalist packaging; I was sold on them once learning about their ingredient and sustainability standards.

8:15 a.m.

Dressed and hair done. I recently chopped my hair short. Everyone with long hair thinks short hair is less work, but I find it requires more styling (but the plus side is no tangled hair under your scarf and coat). I do a good blow-dry every three days and then just fix it up as needed in between.

8:30 a.m.

I use the next 30 minutes to look at my phone and laptop to catch up on anything before starting my day with the kids.

9 a.m.

Matcha time and homeschool starts. Our family started living nomadically (out of Airbnb rentals) over a year ago, so we’re homeschooling and working remotely. It took a while to get our rhythm, but we’ve found a healthy way to balance both now.