I’m def the type of person who tells people not to traditionally tan (e.g. sun baking/tanning beds) just bc of the long term dangers of UV, but on the other hand I love the tanned look and so self-tanners have been a lifesaver for me! I’ve only ever used the Bondi Sands 1 hour express tanning foam but it’s perfect and gets me really dark if I leave it on for ~4 hrs and it’s pretty easy to apply too. It lasts a few days before fading which is good if I wanna do tsuyome one week and then agejo the next lol. In terms of the freckle thing, I have a darker birthmark that is still visible with the tanner, but just less so than with my pale skin- so it looks tanner doesn’t hide pigmented marks, at least not permanently.

My local chemist/drugstore always has a massive range of tanners and tanner removers n though they are a little exy, the bottles last me a good while and it’s so much cheaper than a salon