NEW IN: Benefit Hoola Bronzing Products

The clocks have gone forward, the nights are getting lighter and we even got our first glimpse of the sunshine this week which means that Spring and Summer are slowly on their way. This means it is time to turn our thoughts to peeling back the layers and baring our limbs. I, for one, will definitely need to turn up the tan a little before I start flashing my pins which is why Benefit's latest launch - a selection of Hoola bronzing products, could not have come at a better time.

The award-winning Hoola bronzing powder, Benefit's tan-in-a-box, has been a cult favourite for over 15 years and has now inspired three new, TANtalising products for face and body.

To complement the ever-popular Hoola bronzer, Benefit have released a new Bronzing and Contouring Brush* (£17.50) which is possibly one of the snazziest makeup brushes I have ever seen. This brush is super soft and is perfect for seamless bronzing or creating contours and cheekbones.

Hoola Zero Tanlines* (£19.50) is an all-over body bronzer which gives you a believable bronzed effect instantly. The gel formula is transfer and streak-free and is buildable with a gorgeous beachy, holiday scent. The best thing about this product is the hands-free custom sponge that comes with it - meaning you can bronze effortlessly without having to worry about dodgy orange hands! It helps gives your skin a matte, gorgeous glow in double quick time!

Finally the wonderfully named Dew the Hoola* (£22.50) is a new, soft matte liquid bronzer for the face giving you an all year round glow without the gleam. If you like your highlighter and bronzer looking fairly natural, without any glitter or shimmer, then this lightweight formula will be perfect for you. It blends in seamlessly over your makeup or worn alone to instantly perk up your skin and give you that just-back-from-the-beach healthy glow.

Will you be boosting your bronze with these new products this Summer?

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Sanctuary Spa Wonder Body

Prepare to bare! Sanctuary Spa Wonder Body (£8) | available from Boots

Just when you thought Winter meant cosy tights, polo neck tops and minimum skin exposure, you suddenly remember all those Christmas parties and nights out that call for something a little sassier and a great reason to get your legs (or arms or décolletage) out. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is slather on the fake tan in the middle of Winter but I still want to give my skin a hint of tint to take away from the stark pastiness. This is where the new Wonder Body from Sanctuary Spa is a winner for the Winter if you are after a subtle, radiant glow and beautifully smooth skin with an illuminated complexion and nourished feeling.

The Wonder Body, a new tinted moisture treat, is the quick fix party trick with seven proven benefits - hydrate, illuminate, transform, refine, even, correct and perfect. It contains blurring skin perfecting particles and sheer pigments and transforms the look and feel of your skin by giving it a healthy glow and beautiful illumination. Over time as well it nourishing and softens skin just like a good body moisturiser so is a great multi-tasking product. The formula is weightless and non-greasy and has a lotion to balm texture. It quickly sinks in without feeling tacky or sticky on the skin and really illuminates, highlights and enhances your complexion in all the right areas whilst giving you a warm glow that will warm up the coldest of nights! This is definitely my secret skin weapon this Winter for a quick, easy way to transform my skin from pale to perfected in a instant!

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St Tropez Gradual Tan in Shower Lotion

Shower and Glow! St Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan* (£14.50) | available from Boots

Well this is novel - who would have thought we would ever be getting excited over a fake tan that can actually be washed on, rather than washed off? Self-tanning is a laborious task to say the least. I love having a subtle bronzed glow but sometimes the whole process from preparing your skin, thoroughly exfoliating, applying the lotion evenly and letting your skin air dry whilst praying you aren't left streaky or patchy, is all just too much like hard work! So wouldn't it be fabulous if you could get a tan whilst in the shower, in between shaving your legs and applying your favourite hair mask?

St Tropez's newest release, in the form of their In Shower Gradual Tan Lotion, has certainly got those fake tan devotees excited and I was very intrigued to give this a go. So how does it work? Well the idea is that you jump in the shower and wash your body before switching off the water and generously applying this foamless-lotion all over your skin in circular motions. Rinse the palms of your hands and then simply...wait, for three minutes. After the three minutes rinse off with warm water only, gently pat yourself dry and wait for the tan to develop. Over the next few hours and days, with some reapplications in the shower, the tan really develops into a gorgeous, soft golden colour and hooray, I was streak-free too! The lotion is enriched with sweet almond oil so it also leaves your skin feeling ridiculously smooth and soft so an ideal product to combine a sun-kissed colour with some ultimate moisturisation.

So this product does have a few flaws, mainly with the way it is applied, but if you can see past those three minutes of standing shivering in your shower then you will love the results. Before jumping in the shower, prepare yourself - have a watch or your phone handy so you can accurately time your three minutes and why not try and make the time go a bit quicker by applying a hair or face mask (or simply dance around) while you wait for the lotion to work its magic. It is currently on offer in Boots I believe so no better time than now to pick one up, shower and glow!

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The Self Tans To Get You Summer Ready

Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster for Body & He-Shi Overnight Ageless Tanning Balm for a Summer-ready glow!

So the sun is shining, Summer is just around the corner and suddenly our tees are being swapped for crop tops, our skirts are getting shorter and skin is on show left, right and centre. For the last few weeks the realisation that I am going to have to get my legs out and cast aside my skinny jeans has finally hit me so I have been reaching for a few new self-tanning products to ensure I am ready Summer-ready, with a golden glow, from head to toe.

The New He-Shi Overnight Ageless Tanning Balm (£22.50) is specifically designed for the face and combines anti-ageing properties with the beauty of a skin firming gradual tan that is delicate enough for the face. The velvety lotion can be applied before bed to un-moisturised skin, just simply smooth over 2-3 pumps of the balm ensuring you blend carefully around the hairline and down your neck. This tanning lotion contains jojoba protein to repair and condition the skin along with hyaluronic acid which reinforces the skin's ability to attract and retain moisture, giving the skin a hydrated appearance. I love the fact you can use this balm as your night time moisturiser and face tanner all in one and it is pretty fool-proof meaning you won't awake with any tell tale tan lines, streaks, that fake tan smell or orange-tinge. It just gives you a really nice bronzed base that can be topped up during the week if you wanted to maximise your glow and minimise the need for heavy foundation or powder bronzer.

The Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster (£26) is a great new product for the body based on the huge success of the face Glow Booster launched last year. I loved this revolutionary made-to-measure self tan that allows you to add a few drops of liquid gold to your regular face cream to create your own bespoke facial tanner whilst still ensuring you get all the benefits from your ordinary skincare. Well Clarins have taken it one step further and created the new Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster for the body which gives you a concentrated self tan that delivers a gorgeous glow, head to toe, all year round. Presented in the same, sleek, dropper bottle, this glow booster is easy to mix with your favourite body moisturiser to add radiance and a healthy glow alongside all the other added benefits of your regular body cream. Simply take your cream, gel or serum in the palm of your hand and add 4-6 drops of the self tan, combine together and apply all over your body. I love that this tanner is odourless and has a formula enriched with aloe vera extract to maintain the skin's softness. Unlike some fake tan lotions, liquids or mousses, this glow booster ensures you are streak free with no dry patchiness and you can really tweak your tan depending on how beautifully bronzed you want to go!

Which self tan products do you reach for as the Summer creeps in?

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Garnier Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Self Tan

Christmas and New Year is all fun and games when you are kicking back on the sofa hugging your tin of Quality Street, but when it comes to slipping into that little party dress preparing for your kiss at midnight, there is always one requirement in my books - the fake tan. In the midst of winter, I am definitely at my palest so I do like to top up my tan levels slightly and have recently been testing out the Garnier Ambre Solaire new, no streaks range. Whether you favour a mousse or mist, dark or light, face or body, they have a product to suit everybody.

The dry face mist is a winner if you like to tan your face but always worry that your normal body bronzer is going to be too heavy. It is an ultra-fine mist that easily dispenses all over your face, and doesn't require any rubbing in. It dries pretty instantly and has a pleasant, fruity, apricot aroma. The spray doesn't have a guide colour but develops after a few hours, so is best to apply at night and then you shall awake to a natural, golden glow. I found the 'fair to light skin' option a little too subtle for me, but can imagine the original one would pack more of a punch.

The self-tanning dry body mist has a similar concept to the face mist but is suited to bronzing your entire body and in particular those hard-to-reach areas, such as the back of your legs and upper back. Again you don't need to rub this tan in so is great if you are in a rush, but because it doesn't have a guide colour, you do need to be careful that you don't miss a patch! I used the medium body mist and loved how quickly it dried on the skin, so no frantic flapping needed - a blessing on a winter's evening. Again I left it to develop overnight and loved the golden colour it gave me - not too dark, not too fake, just nice and natural.

Finally, my absolute favourite from the range is the self-tanning mousse with golden shimmer which applies really smoothly with the applicator mitt. I have always liked mousse tanning products and this one has really impressed me, particularly because it dries so evenly and doesn't have that cloying, self-tan smell. I wouldn' be put off by the golden shimmer as once it dries and you have showered, they are barely noticeable. This was the product that gave me the most intense and long-lasting tan, keeping my bronzed for a good four days before going a bit patchy. This mousse does have a guide colour when you apply it, so is a good 'starter' product if you are fearful of the streaks or those telltale white patches which can often put people off fake tanning. You can see my before and after photos above when using the self-tanning mousse.

If you have recently jumped on the tanning bandwagon or just want to pick up a few hints and tips for streak-free bronzing, then the guys at Garnier how produced a few "how-to" videos to help you out. I would love to know which fake tan you swear by and if you've tried anything from the new Garnier range?

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LDN : SKINS self tan mousse

LDN : SKINS Tone 3 Self Tan Mousse* - £28
available online

If you've see me looking vaguely tanned in any of my most recent outfit photos, best illustrated here and here, it is most likely all thanks to this wonderful self tan from LDN : SKINS. I go through stages of loving and loathing fake tan. I love the bronzed limbs and sunkissed glow you get from this beauty shelf staple yet loathe the preparation and the frantic flapping that follows. Not to mention that smell! This product however is an absolute delight to use and gives me such a natural, yet deep golden glow with a rather delightful scent to match.

The consistency is light, foamy and finely whipped so glides onto your skin effortlessly. It dries relatively quickly (which I like) and has a good guide colour so it is easy to see where you have applied the product, ensuring no white patches are missed! I tend to apply my fake tan in the evening and let the colour develop overnight, before washing it off in the morning. Even after one application you are left with a glow to rival any Amazonian goddess and because it is infused with English lavender, it actually smells quite nice! This is the darkest shade from the LDN : SKINS self tan repertoire but if you are after something a little subtler, then tone 1 or tone 2 will give you a more understated colour. It has an impressive lasting time too, staying strong for almost a week before slowly fading. As always, the tail end of your fake tan is always the most frustrating part of the whole process. This tan, like many others I've tried, did go a little patchy after day five or six but this was nothing a good scrub and a dousing of baby oil couldn't sort out! For someone who always thought lotions triumphed over mousses when it came to the self tan stakes, I may have been converted by this little beauty.

What fake tan are you currently loving? Have you tried anything from the LDN : SKINS range?

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he-shi, me-love

My estimations of fake tan are forever changing and every new brand I try, I think I have found the perfect one. In my early years of fake tanning I believed St Tropez mousse held all the answers, but than was before I discovered St Moriz. Following that I fell in love with Xen Tan and this was held in high esteem before Lauren's Way, my latest favourite, rocked onto the fake tan scene.
Now I think all these previous favourites have met their match with this latest product I was sent to try. He-Shi Express Liquid Tan (for him and her!) is just brilliant and I am in love. It can be used on the face and body and gives an instant colour to the skin on contact and then develops into a darker tan over the next few hours. The smell is inoffensive, yet also quite indescribable...maybe slightly floral, but definitely not overly sweet or biscuity!

This tan is liquid, and I mean really loose, runny liquid! At first I made the mistake of just applying it straight onto my skin from the bottle which resulted in the tan just running off and dripping down my leg. My second attempt was a lot more triumphant as I used the He-Shi Tanning Mitt to apply the tan with and this really is invaluable. I think the success of this product comes from the smooth, flawless application you get from the soft mitt and the liquid formula. The tan really does just glide on and a small amount covers a large area of skin. It didn't leave any steaks or patchy areas at all and you can see exactly where you are applying it. This tan does dry quite quickly but does leave you a little bit sticky whilst waiting for it to completely dry. 

I wore my He-Shi tan to V festival last week and it gave my a long lasting, bronzed glow all weekend. In comparison to other fake tanners, such as Lauren's Way and Xen Tan, I would say that the He-Shi Express Liquid Tan isn't quite as dark on first application, but it holds it colour for longer which in my opinion is better. My tan lasted a good 4-5 day before it started becoming patchy. The only downside, like any other fake tanner, is that it is a nightmare to remove. I felt the He-Shi fake tan was the most stubborn of all to scrub off and did require some vigorous exfoliation! But this is a small price to pay for a great fake tan that is so quick and easy to apply and gives really lovely results.


He-Shi Express Liquid Tan retails at £21.00 and is available online here, along with many of their other fake tanning products.
Have you tried anything from the He-Shi range?


ps: Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't already; it ends tonight at midnight.

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The only way is...Lauren's Way

Everything screamed to me I shouldn't like this product. My better judgement told me that the slightly lurid packaging and the 'celebrity' endorsement was a one-way ticket to a truly dire product. But, it seems, I stand corrected. 

Lauren Goodger, tanned TV star of The Only Way is Essex, has launched her very own tanning range consisting of a lotion and a mousse. I opted to try the lotion as I seem to get along a lot more favourably with lotions rather than mousses. This product, catchily called "Gorgeous Tanning Lotion - Beach Bronze Colour: Dark" (and breathe) comes emblazoned with Lauren's unmistakable pink branding and a pump dispenser. 

Firstly, smell-wise, you are greeted with a fresh kick of cucumber, making a welcome change to the usual overly-sweet aroma of vanilla or marzipan. The lotion is thick and extremely dark, a very similar colour and consistency of Xen Tan’s Dark Lotion. It dispenses at quite a leisurely pace from the bottle which I found really helpful as I could moderate the amount I wanted to use. 

Applying this tan was pretty easy and certainly didn’t raise any problems that I haven’t encountered before with other fake tans. As you are all aware, it is essential to exfoliate well before fake tanning, paying special attention to dry patches on your elbows and knees. Lauren’s Way tan is very dark and dries almost instantly, meaning it will latch on to any dry areas and stay there…as I well discovered the first time I used it. The lotion does dry very quickly once applied onto your skin so you need to be liberal and work speedily to avoid it streaking. It is a tan that is suited to the more experienced tanner! I never use a tanning mitt or gloves when I fake tan, mainly because I have never found one I think is any good. So if you happen to know any good ones, do let me know. I just used my hands, which I always lightly moisturise before applying the tan, just so it creates a slight barrier between your skin and the lotion. I am pleased to say that the tan washed off my hands absolutely fine, and didn’t leave any staining or orange-hand-syndrome!

1. Pretty pasty

2. Applying the tan

3. Instant colour after one application

4. Developed colour after 12 hours

The reason I love this tan so much, and I really do love it, is that it gives you an instant golden colour, which then develops into a really dark tan. This makes it perfect for a last minute application, if you are heading out and can’t quite bear to expose the world to your pasty legs. I have only ever needed one application of this tan. I would be fearsome to apply another layer as I think, dare I say, it would be TOO dark, even by my standards. It is probably the darkest tan I have used to date. The longevity of the tan is pretty average and comparable to other fake tans, 2-3 days and then it starts going patchy and needs a good scrub off.

I would recommend this tan to those who are after an instant colour, and also a tan that will develop and leave you looking very bronzed. If, however, you are after a more natural-looking tan, then I would steer clear of this. Sidestepping many an Essex joke, this tan is a real triumph and is anything but orange. For £15.95, it actually is a very competitive price in this ever-growing faux tanning market. The only thing that I think lets it down is the packaging, which I think sadly markets this product to a mainly younger demographic. This unfortunately alienates a large potential group of customers who would really enjoy this product.

Lauren's Way consists of two varieties of fake tanning products...
Gorgeous Self Tanning Bronzing Mousse - £17.95
Gorgeous Tanning Lotion, Beach Bronze Colour: Dark - £15.95

The range can be purchased from Lauren's facebook page or her official website.

This tan, in one word, is REEM!

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The Only Way is...Lauren's Way

Love it or hate it, it would be impossible to deny the phenomenon that is sweeping our television screens at the moment. The Only Way is Essex brings us an insight into the lives, loves and lashes of a group of born and bred Essex boys and girls, and their manicured mates. 
Perhaps being a girl from Essex myself, I am a little less enthralled with this series than others around the country, but despite this, you cannot dispute the sheer entertainment factor, and can't help but raise a smile at the dulcet echoes of "Shuuuuut up!" that ring out from our televisions. I can confirm however that Brentwood is not renowned for its tropical conditions, so it would seem that Lauren, and her gaggle of glamorous girls, reach for the fake tan to achieve their golden glows...

Lauren's Way is the creation of Lauren Goodger, star of The Only Way is Essex, who never fails to sport an enviably bronzed body. Striving to become a successful business woman in her own right, she has launched her own merchandise; namely a new tanning range.


Lauren's Way consists of two varieties of fake tanning products...
Gorgeous Self Tanning Bronzing Mousse - £17.95
Gorgeous Tanning Lotion, Beach Bronze Colour: Dark - £15.95


Lauren's Way tanning range can be purchased from Lauren's facebook page or her official website.
I will be giving the lotion a whirl so will report back and let you know how I find it. 
Here's hoping it will give me a tan to be "well jel" of!

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Truly Tantastic

My name is Milly and I am a tan-aholic...of the fake tan variety!

Frying myself on a sun-bed doesn't really rock my boat, so naturally I turn to fake tanners to magically achieve my bronzed aura. 

I have dabbled in all the cult brands, St Tropez, St Moriz, Makebelieve and Fake Bake to name but a few, and have had varying results with all, so I began to honestly think that a flawless, natural and sweet-smelling fake tan range was unachievable! But that was before Xen Tan rocked up on the scene.

If you wish to refer back to this post, (to see my initial review or just me bronzed and with black hair!) this was when my love for Xen Tan blossomed, and I am pleased to say the relationship has been full of roses ever since and I have become a loyal customer.
So I thought I would share with you the latest products I am using in my fake tan regime.


Firstly, the newest product from Xen Tan - Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe.
I have slathered and waded myself through at least three bottles of their original Dark lotion and this had become THE holy grail in fake tan for moi. It worked perfectly for me, as my previous post explains, and I honestly never thought I would cheat on it.


Well, that was before Xen Tan got cheekily experimental and brought out the Absolute Luxe, formidably labelled for the experienced tanners claiming to be the darkest, richest and most luxurious tan to date. Darkest...richest?! Sign me up. So I purchased it the day it was released, with a similar squeal of excitement that exudes from me on Christmas morning, and awaited its arrival.
Like it predecessors, the lotion will not disappoint if you have an aversion to that fake-tan smell! All Xen Tan products smell truly divine...a creamy reminisce of sweet vanilla and almonds. 
And as for my thoughts on the Absolute Luxe, I think I was mildly dissappointed. Whether this was because it just didn't work for me or I had convinced myself it would transform me into some Brazilian goddess, I don't quite know but instantly I knew I would be reverting back to my Dark Lotion. I felt the application was a bit troublesome, as the lotion seemed a lot more 'oily' that the Dark Lotion, and therefore it required more blending and concentration than I usually like to dedicate to fake tanning.
I also like an dark instant colour so I know I can quickly slap it on if I am suddenly summoned to some fancy ball (this never happens) or some other soiree. Initially, the instant colour the Absolute Luxe gave me didn't seem as dark and intense as the Dark Lotion.


But then, on the flip-side, once the Absolute Luxe had developed overnight, it was really was a gorgeous colour and any streaks that I had feared, had kind of...vanished. Magic! I am nobly and liberally slathering my way through my bottle of Absolute Luxe, and don't get me wrong, it does the job heroically in terms of  the colour pay-off. It is lush and rich and a deep Brazilian bronze, but just requires a bit more dedication that I am willing to give...


The second product I have been reaching for when needing to banish the paleness is Xen Tan's Transform Luxe. This is a gradual tanner, which is perfect if you like a more subtle, buildable tan or can also be used as a tan extender. I have been using it as the latter! The lotion is luxurious and once again, smells heavenly and worryingly edible. The lotion doesn't have a guide colour which initially concerned me, as I like to see where exactly the product is going, but I needn't have worried. This lotion keeps my skin moisturised, soft and glowing in between my tanning sessions, and enhances the olive tones that the Dark Lotion delivers. It is the best gradual tanner I have ever had the pleasure of using and I think it is the perfect product for these more wintery months, to achieve a believable sun-kissed glow.


So that was my little product rave.


Have you tried any of these products? 
Let me know what you use to become a bronzed beauty?

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Xen Tan - My TanTastic Review

Hey bronzed beauts
Those loveys who have been keen bean followers from the start will know fo-shoo that I am a mahooosive fake tan fan!!  have tried many of the well-known brands, from St Moritz, Fake Bake and St Tropez... I am constantly on ther hunt for the PERFECT fake tan, taking streakiness, smell, price and colour into consideration!
"Where are you aMAZing Belle Fake Tan...?"
And then, lo and behold, the golden goddesses at Xen Tan UK heard my cries and sent me some of their goodies to try out.

So let's have a look what popped through my letterbox:
Xen Tan Dark Lotion 236ml (£25.95)
Xen Tan Face Tanner Luxe 80ml (£18.95)
Xen Tan Body Scrub 236ml (£12.95)
Xen Tan Luxury Tanning Mitt (£3.50)

Eeek...so like an excited puppy at Crufts, I whipped out these beauts and couldn't wait to slap them on and watch the magic happen!

From top left :-
Xen Tan Face Tanner Luxe
Xen Tan Body Scrub
Xen Tan Dark Lotion

Firstly, it is vital to exfoliate your skin before you apply any fake tan, so I reached for my body scrub and got a-scrubbing...

The moment I popped this bad boy open, I was overwhelmed by it's 'minty freshness'...it was a little bit like bathing in Colgate! That said, I think it was a blooming good exfoliator. Some exfoliators tend to be a tad abrasive and leave my skin looking a tad raw, but this one didn't. It certainly removed all traces of dead skin and left my skin feeling smooth and well conditioned, and minty fresh!! :)
I think the product is a tad pricey compared to other exfoliators on the market, but you do get 236ml and I only really needed to use 2-3 pumps each session, so it will last me yonks!
(Handy hint: I also used this as a hand wash after I had applied my fake tan. Worked wonders to avoid tangoed palms!)

So, now freshly scrubbed within an inch of my life, it was time to reach for the Creme de la Creme...the dark lotion!
As an 'experienced' tanner in search for the most bronzed look achievable, I was more than happy to be faced with the darkest of Xen Tan's fake tan. However, maybe if you are a newbie fake tanner, or are after a more subtle colour, then have a recky at their products for a lighter tan.

As you can see above, the lotion is VERY dark! Indeedy, tres scary! But please don't fear my little cupcakes, it really doesn't stay that dark as you rub it in. I personally prefer fake tanners that offer an instant colour so you can see exactly where you are applying the products, thus eliminating white bits or streaky patches.
The product rubbed in really smoothly, and I adored the consistency of it. I have always worked with mousses or mists, so was popping my fake tan lotion cherry for the very first time! I am definitely a fan. It is smooth and silky on the skin and you can feel it is also moisturising it too, and won't leave you with patchy dry skin in the next morning.
And OMG girlfriends...did I mention the smell?!
Holy guacamole, it IS divine. It is basically bottled bakewell tart!! Marzipanny heaveness!! Nom nom...it is lush! I am addicted... A lot of fake tanners I have tried either smell foul or just a bit blah, but to find one that actually smells like cake is just awesome! It makes me such a happy bunny to have found such a sweet smelling product. Yum! I applied one layer before beddy byes, wafted around like a zombified bakewell tart for a bit and when I arose, I was more than happy with the results. Firstly, NO streaks, absolutely nadda!
The colour was a gorgeous golden glow, not a pigment of ORANGEYNESS in sight! Amazing!
I examined my pores, as very often fake tanners can clog these up and make them look a bit ming, but again, I honestly could not find anything to make me feel dissatisfied!
I showered the layer off and was left feeling sun-kissed but not in a scary Jordan-esque way. This pleased me, and demonstrates that the Dark Lotion isn't that scary when applied correctly.
It is definitely buildable and I used it for 3 days in a row (showering in between) to build up a really dark, but natural, glowing and even tan...see exhibit A below...I was dead CHUFFED to say the least...
Exhibit A :)

The mitt was a bit blah for me.

I have never used a tanning mitt or glove before when applying my fake tan! Just call me a fake tan maverick! I have never found they allowed you to apply the tan quite as well as the naked palm! And because I apply my tan in stages, I always manage to wash my hands sufficiently in between applications, to avoid any tango palm situation surmounting.

However, always happy to embrace new experiences, I gave the mitt a go and it wasn't as traumatising as I thought it may be! It just didn't fill me with love and warm fluffy feelings like I thought it may!

I love the texture of the mitt, silky soft like little puppy's ears, and it did rub the product it quite well. But I felt I had to use more product that normal because a lot got left on the mitt.

Plus, due to my vigorous rubbing motions, it kept slipping off/twisting round, which was a bit infuriating.

I think if they changed the mitt to fit more snug on the hand OR made it into a glove, I would definitely be more of a fan!

The Face Tanner Luxe = Amaziballs!!

Before Xen Tan magically appeared in my life, I had always tanned my face but used the same fake tan I was using all over the bod, usually mixed with a bit of face moisturiser. It never really wowed me and left my face looking a bit ming and my pores exaggerated times a gazillion. But I felt this process was necessary to blend body and neck to face and make the whole tan look as natural as poss!

So I was more than giddy to try out this beaut.

I had to research what Xen Tan said about this product to confirm what my expectations should be...this is what they say...

"In response to the growing demand for nourishing facial tanners, we've developed FACE TANNER LUXE. New and advanced FACE TANNER LUXE delivers an instant olive colour for a healthy glow in seconds, whilst its skin-loving formula nourishes your skin.

FACE TANNER LUXE builds an intense olive tan with an extra boost of active tanning ingredient DHA, providing the ultimate natural-looking deep tan. With Vitamin E, Ginkgo Biloba, Shea butter and anti-oxidants, its gentle moisturising formula is ideal for everyday use."

All read and understood, I prepped and primped my face ready for application.

As you witnessed above, it does come out quite a gunky, murky greeny brown colour. But please don't be put off by this. Once slapped onto the face and neck area, it leaves a lovely olive (definitely not orange) glow to the skin. The colour develops overnight, much like a fake tan, and then I washed it off in the morning.

It really did leave my skin feeling incredible. Not only did it look good because it seemed like I had just returned from a long sunny weekend in the Costas, but my skin felt amazing. Because this product contains Shea Butter and other fancy sounding stuff, it really does nourish and moisturise the skin too! I use to have some dry patches on my chin that my normal moisturiser would never passify, but since using this for nearly 2 weeks, I can hand on heart say I have never had healthier, glowing skin! I feel plump and so moisturised and it doesn't leave nasty cloggy pores either!!

It is now such a staple in my evening facial routine, and is a product I would definitely repurchase! :)

(excuse the 'just back from the gym' grease slicked hair!)

So there we go honey bees! So sorry about the waffle, but this was my first 'real' review and wanted it to be precise, in depth and reflect my true feelings of the products.

I hope you have found it useful, and any questions or comments, please just tinkle me below and I'll get back to you.

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