You are currently browsing the Self Tan Moisturiser category

Best Fake Tan Reviews

  • Posted on March 29, 2010 at 12:50 am

Looking after your skin doesn’t just mean using the right skin care cream, it also means making sure you are staying well hydrated, eating a good, balanced diet, exercising regularly and protecting your skin from the elements. Sun damage is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to skin damage and dehydration, so making sure you apply sunscreen, even on overcast days is really important. However, there is no denying that having a tan makes everyone feel good, and look good, and taking care of your skin doesn’t mean you have to be pale, thanks to the excellent fake tan creams that are available.

There are many different products on the market, and we have reviewed some of them here.

Fake Bake Extreme Tanning Gel

Fake BakeFake Bake has become an incredibly well known fake tan brand, and there is an extensive range of fake tan products available from them. They also do a range of fake tan preparation products such as exfoliaters and moisturisers to ensure you get the best results from your fake tan. Fake Bake Extreme Tanning Gel is one of the few fake tans that smells nice. It goes on nicely and has a slight tint so you can see where you have applied it. It needs a minimum of 6 hours developing time, so it is best applied at night, but be sure to sleep in old PJ’s and on old sheets as the colour may rub off overnight and ruin your bedding. In the morning you can shower off and find a nice golden colour, some people find it isn’t dark enough, but you can build the colour up over a few days by appyling it regularly. It very rarely streaks, and there is no hint of orange, even when you build the colour over a few applications.

L’Oreal Sublime Self Tanning Gel

sublime bronze self tanL’Oreal have a huge range of beauty products, and this is another great addition to their range. This tanning gel goes on nicely and has a tint that allows you to see where you have applied it. It does feel a little greasy after application, but washes off easily and leave a lovely sun kissed colour. The downside is that is can look a little patchy or even orange as it fades, so regular moisturising after application is a must. If you would rather build your tan gradually you might try mixing this in with your regular moisturiser for daily application, it doesn’t smell to heavily of fake tan so it won’t leave an overpowering smell.

Xen-Tan Deep Bronze

xen tanThis is probably one of the best smelling fake tans on the market, with an almost chocolatey smell. It goes on nicely, has a tint for easy application, and it doesn’t leave any sticky residue, just a lovely smell! The tint does tend to fade quite quickly so you have to be swift with the application.  Unfortunately it only produces a very subtle colour, so more than one application will be necessary for most people. However, thanks to its lovely smell, it is actually nice to apply, unlike many fake tans with overpowering smells. The colour it leaves, while subtle is a golden brown, and it is very difficult to end up orange with this one, even after a few applications as it uses a time release system to help keep your colour lovely and even.

St Tropez Self Tan Lotion

st tropezSt Tropez are another big player in the fake tan market, and have long been a favourite with celebrities and the like. With a huge range of tanning products that include exfoliators, moisturisers and spray tans, St Tropez have a lot of experience in producing fake tans. This lotion is very easy to apply and has a dark colour that allows you to see where you have put it already. It does have a slight fake tan smell, but it isn’t too over powering. It only takes 4 hours to develop so you don’t have to leave it on overnight if you don’t want to. The colour is golden and even, and very rarely streaks or goes patchy, however it does fade a little quicker than other fake tans, but does so evenly.
Regular application will give you a year round tan that looks very realistic.

No matter what brand of fake tan you decide to use, preparation of your skin is probably the most important part of getting your fake tan right. In the days before you apply your fake tan, be sure to exfoliate your skin thoroughly, and moisturise at least every day, paying particular attention to your knees, ankles and elbows as these are areas that tend to be dry and can end up looking patchy as they absorb more fake tan than the rest of your body. Making sure you regularly apply a good skin care cream before you hit the fake tan can make the difference between a good and bad fake tan.

Care to leave a comment?

Self Tan Moisturisers – Skin Care Cream with a Twist

  • Posted on October 26, 2009 at 11:52 am

As winter draws nearer, and our summer holidays are starting to fade in our memories, finding a skin care cream that can give our skin a little bit of a glow becomes a priority for many of us. There is nothing worse than looking back over your holiday pictures to see yourself tanned and smiling, only to realise that your tan has faded to nothing, and your skin is starting to look a bit dull and lack lustre. This is where self tanning moisturisers step in to save the day, they have been around for a couple of years now, stepping in to rescue those of us who have either fallen foul of a shocking fake tan, or who have seen enough shocking fake tans to not even want to think about giving it a go. Self tanning moisturiser claim to allow you to build up a lovely golden glow, with no risk of streaks, patches or strange orange hues gracing you with their presence.

There are many different gradual tan moisturisers on the market now, with more appearing as their popularity increased, so the question now is which one is the best. Let’s take a look at some of the main players in the self tan moisturiser market to see how they perform.

Garnier Summer Body

Garnier Summer Body

This comes in two different shades, one for pale to medium skin and one for medium to dark skin so you can decide on your tan level. It smells quite sweet, and may even get a bit sickly if you are not one for sweet smells, but this does fade so it’s of no great concern. It’s a lovely moisturiser and goes on very easily, although you can’t really see where you have applied it as it is white, and absorbs very quickly. Garnier summer body has a nice consistency, which makes it very easy to apply and within about 5 minutes it feels like it has soaked in and there is no sticky “fake tan” feeling. It does give a good, even colour, with no hint of orange, and doesn’t really need to be used every day as the colour builds quickly and easily – you could probably get away with using it 2 or 3 times a week and maintain a lovely tanned glow.

Dove Summer Glow

Dove Summer Glow

This also has two different shades, fair to medium and medium to dark. It smells OK, although does have a little hint of fake tan smell about it, but nothing to overpowering. It goes on very easily, but again it is difficult to see where you have applied it as it is a pinky/white cream that disappears on application. The drying time seems to be a bit of an issue with this one, and it says on the bottle not to get dressed until the moisturiser has soaked in, which it never quite seems to do. There is a definite feeling of stickiness left over, and this doesn’t really go until you have showered. The colour is nice, but if you don’t apply enough then you are in danger of getting streaks, and of course you won’t know this until the next day. Still a good product, but needs to be treated with similar caution as full on fake tan – exfoliate and moisturise before applying, paying particular attention to dry areas such as knees and elbow to make sure they don’t go orange.

Johnsons Holiday Skin

Johnson's Holiday Skin

This also comes in two shades, fair to medium and normal to darker. With the distinct smell of fake tan it can be a little overpowering, but if you use it at night then only you will be able to smell it! This goes on very nicely, although as with all these products it is a white cream so you cna’t really see where you have applied it. The moisturising aspect of Johnsons Holiday Skin is great, it leaves your skin feeling wonderuflly soft and silky. The colour however isn’t so hot. Unfortunately it seems to rub off on clothes and towels etc. after application, so not something to put on first thing in the morning if you are intending to wear light clothes. It is also a bit on the sticky side, although this does wear off after a couple of hours. It does give a lovely golden tan, but seems to go a bit streaky/patchy if you use it for a few days in a row, and starts to build up a bit of an orange hue. Definitely one to use two or three times a week, before going to bed so you can restrict the dodgy smell and colour transference to your bed.

Out of these three it seems to be Garnier Summer Body that delivers the best results, with minimal smell, stickiness and risk of streaks and for a reasonable price too – all of these self tan moisturisers retail at around £4, although you will find many shops have great offers on them from time to time, so if you have found one you really like then snapping up a couple of bottles while it is on offer is a good idea. If you are looking for a nice glow throughout the winter, and don’t want to subject your skin to sunbeds or risk a full fake tan, than you could do far worse than investing in a good bottle of skin care cream that lets you build up a tan as you moisturise.

Care to leave a comment?