Let’s face it. UK isn’t the greatest when it comes to our recommended daily dose of sunshine. Yes, from a medical perspective we can supplement our diets with vitamin D, but since most of us vain females care more about appearance than RDI of vitamins, we end up suffering from tanned bod withdrawals.
And that’s where the miracle in the bottle comes in.
I’ve been fake tanning for about 12 years, throughout which time the products have improved dramatically. I remember being in school and stealing my mum’s expensive products to make my body darker. The next day I’d look like a patchy tangerine with elbows 20 shades darker than the rest of my body. Nowadays, the number of products available on high street has increased to the point that it causes a dilemma, for me at least, when it comes to choosing the perfect fake tan.
Today I decided enough is enough and became a human guinea pig in my very own fake tan experiment. I’ve analysed (sounds oh-so-scientific) five different instant tans:
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St.Tropez Instant Tan – Wash off face and body lotion, in shade medium/dark
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Bondi Sands – Self tanning foam, in the shade dark
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St.Moriz – Instant tanning mousse, in the shade dark
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he-shi – Luminous Shimmer bronzer
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St.Tropez – Self tan bronzing mousse, in the shade dark
I chose these products as they are readily available, relatively inexpensive and seem to be popular choices within the fake tan community.
I applied each of the above to my forearm, on which I had no tan (just paleness au naturale) and waited to dry for a few minutes.
Now then… I wonder if you’ll be able to tell which one is which? Personally, I was quite surprised at how these vary when placed next to each other. You’d think that a tan is a tan, right? Makes you look a shade or two darker… Where as what is on my arm looks like a poor version of a NAKED palette. Let’s discuss the findings.
Tan A – Very little had to be applied to achieve that colour. The product was very pigmented and easy to apply. The colour of the tan is quite cool, yet deep, almost having grey undertones. It has a matte finish and develops into a darker within a few hours. It can’t be anything other than the Australian Bondi Sands! Overall rate: 4.5 /5
Tan B – This was the lightest out of the five products, by a mile. It has quite a runny consistency which enables you to spread it quite quickly and evenly. This is also the only tan that gives you a gentle shimmer effect, which enhances the deepness of the tan. I’d say this one is slightly more on the orange side than brown, but I feel as though It’d look much better on a body that’s already got a base tan, just to add that deepness and shimmer to it. Surprise it is not, it’s the he-shi Luminous Shimmer bronzer! Overall rate: 4 /5
Tan C – This tan was the one that I expected to know the best, as it’s the one I personally buy the most often. However, when swatched against other colours, it appears to look almost burnt orange, which I did not anticipate. It applies with ease, only using a small amount on the mitt and comes in a form of a foam. The shade of this tan almost seems the darkest out of the lot because the depth of the orange/red undertones in the product. That’s right it is our very own St.Moriz! Overall rate: 4 /5
Tan D – Tan D looks almost identical to Tan A. The pigmentation, shade and form of the product are almost identical. I feel like I could easily do 50/50 of my body in each of the tans and they’d look the same. Both come in a form of a lotion, making a small amount of the product go a long way. It was of course St.Tropez – Self tan bronzing mousse. Overall rate: 4.5 /5
Tan E – Now, that’s an interesting one. At first I thought that I bought a faulty product (short expiry date perhaps…), as the product seemed very runny for a lotion and almost oily. The little bit that came out on the mitt wasn’t very pigmented so I tried applying more which resulted in the whole patch just smudging and feeling oily on the skin. It’s a real shame about this tan, as it does say it’s safe to be used on the face with a promise of a streak-free-face, which would’ve been lovely for holidays. The tan didn’t look very deep, even though the colour was very cool, it almost looked like a tan that’s already been washed off. Unfortunately it was the St.Tropez Instant Tan. Overall rate: 2/5
Hope you enjoyed the review and it will help you save a few pounds in the future! I will link all the products used in the review below.
Facials, Fashion, Fairytales. 