Anyway, I knew I wanted to try and be more tanned this summer without needing to be in the sun, & I only needed to hear from one youtuber [[laurenbeautyy]] about a certain brand of tanning products and I pretty much bought it after she said the name, without reading any other reviews because it sounded too good to miss.
The wonderful product I have come across is by a brand named St Moriz. This particular product is said to be a dupe of St Tropez, but 3/4 of the price. I bought mine on eBay for a whole total of $12 including shipping, when St Tropez is around $40 in Australia! I've tried gradual tanners before but they have started to bore me, and I wanted to try an instant tan for something different.
Packaging: St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse is in a 200ml bottle with a pump top which is essential for mousse. It dispenses the amount of product you need perfectly. It has a screw-able top lid so you can see exactly how much product you have left. I have used mine about 6 times and I still have over half left.
Colour:The colour has an olive tone to it, so it does not go orange and comes in 3 shades, light, medium & dark. I use it in medium but if I think I could go even darker if I wanted to, or I could build up the shade by doing a second coat after the first has dried. This tan has a guide so you can see where it has been applied. Once rinsed off it doesn't look as scary & muddy as how it does after a good few hours of developing. Oh & if you applied deodorant without showering before application it can react & you might have blue-green patches!
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| ignore the naked face & blemishes. L-R: before, during, after. (after is in different lighting but I hope you can see some difference!) |
Texture: Mousse, but needs to be shaken before pumped if it hasn't been used recently, otherwise it will run everywhere. Apart from that, it wont leave tan residue everywhere unlike sprays which settle down onto surrounding objects. Also dries relatively fast! But because of that it may streak easier. & it is quite drying so I wouldn't use it on my face all the time, but the times I have, I haven't broken out due to using it.
Smell: I can't really describe the smell, but it doesn't have a certain fragrance like some, e.g. coconut, it just smells clean, I suppose, after application. It slowly fades but is not noticeable once it's washed off.
Longevity: This looks the best in the first 3 days & by the 4th day it is starting to fade but I still have colour. This means you'd probably want to re-tan on the 4th-5th day to maintain the tan. When it fades it does not go patchy (unless you do not moisturize often enough) or flake off, and don't forget that prepping & maintaining makes a huge difference in how long it lasts.
Tanning Mitt: This needed it's own category as it is sold separately. I wish I bought this sooner! It does most of the work for you, being that you don't have to rub it over & over into the skin, but make sure all skin is covered! Totally recommended! I bought this for around $4 on ebay.
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| Clean with soap after each use, I've used it once & most of the tan came out. |
Preparing:
24 hours before application: Waxing (otherwise tan won't stick), exfoliate all over.
Right before: Shaving (can take off top layer of skin therefore removing tan), lightly moisturizer only on dry areas such as elbows, knees & ankles & lightly over the palm of the hands to avoid them from going orange. Make sure to leave to set for ~ 10 minutes.
Application & resting time:
Standing on a mat or something to protect the flooring, apply starting from the feet working upwards towards the torso, if using a mitt you don't need to work it in as much, but with hands make sure you smooth it on all over otherwise you will leave streaks. Unless you are freakishly flexible you will probably need someone to do your back. End with smoothing lightly over the hands but avoid palms. Face is optional. Make sure to clean nozzle to prevent clogging.
I do this at night after my shower & about an hour before bed, to ensure it has dried completely, which does not take long! That way I rinse off in the morning and it has had a good time to develop (which is meant to be 5-6 hours). Wear loose, dark clothing & possibly braless or strapless, and a g-banger to avoid it wearing off. Expect some transfer onto bedding.
Maintenance:
After rinsing with water only (no soaps, & avoid washing your hair for rundown of shampoo!) pat dry (no rubbing!) & moisturize all over.
Proceed to moisturize daily as dry skin will make it disappear quicker and exfoliate before reapplying to avoid a nasty buildup. Don't forget that if you shave afterwards it may take off tan so waxing is a pretty good way to go. I think I've mentioned it all but you get the point!
Pros:
- Easy to apply (especially with mitt!)
- Nice colour
- Dries fast
- Great price for a good size bottle with nice packaging
- Colour guide is helpful to know wear to apply & doesn't look muddy once rinsed off.
- Hard to apply with hands as it dries quickly so you have to work it in fast.
- Wears off in the bra & undies area the fastest (I don't wear my birthday suit out so that doesn't matter too much :P) & only looks best in the first few days.
- Drying on skin.
