 Shoeperwoman |
 Dollface |
 Fashion Police |
 Follow Us |
 Become a Fan |
 Subscribe |
 Follow |
 Subscribe Via Email |
Category Archives: Fake Tan
Fake Tan on Trial: Dollface reviews Asda Essential Care Tanning Body Moisturiser
When you're as pale as I am, maintaining a healthy looking "glow" all summer can be an expensive business, so when I came across Asda's Essential Care Body Moisturiser a couple of weeks ago, for about £2.50 per bottle (I can't remember the exact price, but it was in that ballpark), I just had to buy it.
This is essentially Asda's own version of something like Johnson's Holiday Skin (in fact, it even comes in a matching yellow bottle): it;s one of the generation of gradual tanning moisturisers, the idea that you apply it as you would a body lotion and then wait for the tan to build up, er, gradually.
So how did it fare?
On the plus side:
* Although it does smell, it has a much more subtle/pleasant scent than many other self-tanning products I've tried, and the scent doesn't linger for long, either.
* The resulting tan is very even – no orange streaks!
On the minus side:
* It doesn't absorb very quickly. It's very thick and white, and it I have to spend quite a bit of time rubbing it in. Once that's done, however, it dries fairly quickly, so you're not having to walk around feeling sticky.
* The colour is so subtle that even after several applications of the "medium to dark" version, I don't have what you'd really describe as a "tan". This will make it perfect for those of you who're a bit wary about self-tanning, or who just want to take the "edge" of your pallor, as that's really all it's done for me. I'm no longer blindingly white, but I'm not "tanned" either, and personally if I'm going to the trouble of using a fake tan, I'd prefer a more noticeable result.
This doesn't seem to be available to buy online, but if you'd like to try it yourself, you can pick it up in your local Asda.
The Body Shop Body & Leg Shine
I seem to be writing an awful lot about bronzing products lately. Sorry about that. I think it's fair to say I'm a little bit obsessed at the moment. The reason lies, not within my makeup bag, but within my wardrobe. You see, having spent far too long stuck in the work-from-home rut of pulling on a pair of jeans and a tank top every morning and calling it an "outfit", this year I'm determined to get some use out of my vast selection of dresses, even it kills me. Which it wont, of course, but there's a good chance that my blindingly white legs might kill someone else, hence the bronzer obsession.
This is the latest product to cross my radar, and it's from The Body Shop. It's called Body & Leg Shine and.. can you guess what it does? Go on! YES! It makes your body and legs shine. In a good way, though, because this is an instant bronzer that comes in a handy, twist-up case, and which apparently "glides" onto your skin anytime you need it to. And then it glides off again, in the shower.
St Tropez Everyday Perfect Legs – a self tanner just for your legs
Here in the UK, the weather can change on an daily – and sometimes hourly – basis. Most of the time, of course, it's miserable, which makes all the faff of self-tanning seem like a wasted effort, most of the time. But then one morning you'll suddenly wake up to glorious sunshine, and curse the fact that you didn't make like the Boy Scouts on the preparation front, because that summery skirt or dress you now want to wear just doesn't look quite the same with your pale blue legs.
With no time for a self-tan to develop, you could opt for a self-tan makeup, of course – or you could opt for St Tropez's Everyday Perfect Legs. This combines a gradual self-tanner with a hint of bronzer, so your legs will look instantly browner, but the colour won't wash off in the shower when you get home from work, because underneath that glow, the self-tanner will be getting to work.
This also comes with St Tropez' Aromaguard fragrance technology which they say makes it 70% less smelly than regular fake tan. So you don't have to sit at your desk smelling like biscuits, basically. That can only be a good thing…
BUY: St Tropez Everyday Perfect Legs, £35
FakeBake Travel Kit: Self tan on the go
When it comes to fake tan, I usually swear by the gradual tanning moisturisers I'm always writing about here. For my holiday this year, though, I've been considering investing in some Fake Bake, just for a change. (You can already tell how this is going to work out, can't you?) Once the tan is applied, though (and assuming all goes well), you then have the problem of how to maintain it while you're away. Our baggage allowance is only 20kg this year, and I'm planning to hit up Sephora while I'm away, so with space at a premium, this FakeBake travel kit sounds like a good idea.
It contains 60ml versions of FakeBake's Self Tanning Cream, Passion Fruit Body Polish, Oil Free Moisturiser and SP3, and comes in a handy little gold mesh bag, so you can just pop it all into your suitcase. I'm tempted.
Buy: FakeBake Travel Kit, £21,75
Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel 4 Facettes Bronzing Powder (Limited Edition)
Although this time of year will generally see me slapping self-tanner onto my legs and body with gay abandon, I have to admit to being a little more reticent about putting the stuff on my face. Let's face it, legs and bodies can be covered up if it all goes badly wrong (especially if you live in Scotland, where it's rarely warm enough to bare them anyway), but faces? Well, faces are on display all the time, and unless you really are prepared to resort to the ol' paper bag trick, you really don't want to make a mistake with a facial self-tanner. Seriously, trust one who knows: I once spent a week in Majorca with an attractive "tide mark" around my hairline where I hadn't blended in my Flash Bronzer properly. So I know of what I speak, here.
This is why I generally tend to lean towards bronzing powder or tinted moisturiser when I get to feeling I could use a little colour on my face. Chanel's Soleil Tan de Chanel 4 Facettes Bronzing Powder, as well as being a bit of a pain to type out, gives you four different shades, which you can either use on their own, or blend together for the perfect, custom colour. Now, doesn't that sound much more appealing than a tide mark around your forehead?
It's an expensive $56 from Neiman Marcus, among other places.
Dollface Reviews: Nivea Body Sunkissed Skin gradual fake tan body lotion
I mentioned earlier this week that I felt the time was coming when a little bit of fake tan would make the difference between looking alive and looking dead. Well, yesterday was sunny, and I didn't really want to have to wear tights with my skirt. One look at my legs, however, convinced me this wouldn't really be a great idea, and so to the bathroom I went, my bottle of Nivea Body Sunkissed Skin clutched firmly in my hands.
I have to admit, my hopes weren't high. It's been almost a year since I last entered the land of the fake tan, and the last experiment wasn't exactly a successful one. Still, nothing ventured, and so I jumped in the shower and exfoliated like mad before carefully applying the tan.
This is one of the family ofgradual self tan moisturizers, which is the kind I prefer: any mistakes look less obvious, and building up your tan gradually just looks that little bit more natural. If you're very pale, like me, you can also use these just often enough to take the "edge" of the whiteness, without making a huge difference to the colour of your skin. Or that's the theory, anyway.
Josie Maran Bronzing Aran Oil – for a sunkissed glow without chemicals or burning
With the weather once again uncharacteristically sunny here at Dollface Towers this week, I once again find myself looking at my paler-than-pale legs and thinking that a little touch of colour could be good round about now.
(Don't get me wrong, I love having pale skin: I just love it more in the winter, when I can look pale-and-interesting, as opposed to pale-and-at-death's-door.)
Sunbeds just aren't an option as far as I'm concerned, but for those of you who hate conventional fake tanning lotions (And let's face it, there are lots of things to hate about them: the smell, the streaks, the way they can sometimes totally fail to look anything like the colour of natural skin…), the rub on, wash off options can be an excellent alternative, and this Bronzing Aran Oil by Josie Maran is 100%, so you don't have to worry about putting chemicals onto your skin, either.
Josie Maran also makes a non-bronzing version of this, which can be used simply as a moisturiser. This version, however, will give you a bit of a sun kissed glow too, and can be used on your face, body, or even on your hair (where I'd imagine it'll work simply as a leave-in conditioner, rather than a bronzer!).
It's fairly expensive at $52 for what looks like a pretty small bottle, but, being an oil, a little should go a long way. It's available at Sephora.
Piz Buin Self Tanning Lotion + Colour Dial
Well, it's almost that time of year again, folks. Spring is well and truly on the way (or I really hope so, anyway), and over the past few weeks, every time I've caught sight of myself in the mirrors at the gym, I've looked like I was haunting the place, such is the white glare of my skin.
Yes, it's time to hit the fake tan before someone calls in the Ghostbusters, and one of the first ones on my "Must Try" list this year is Piz Buin's Self Tanning Lotion + Colour Dial.
This product contains five different shades in one bottle – all you have to do is twist the dial to choose which one to use. The pale amongst us, or those who are new to the world of fake tan, will probably want to start off with the palest shade and then build it up gradually, but even if you're a self-tan veteran, you may find doing just that will give you a more natural looking result.
This is fairly expensive at £17.99, but if it works, it could just be worth it. It's available from all major chemists.
Lindsay Lohan: when fake tan goes wrong
Oh dear. I cringed inwardly when I saw this picture of Lindsay Lohan at the Diesel xXx 30th anniversary “Rock and Roll Circus" on Saturday night, because I’m pretty sure I’ve done this myself at some point. Well, the feet are the hardest part to fake tan without streaking, no? And sometimes it just makes sense to, you know, leave them natural. Or actually, maybe not.. Not when it makes you look like you’re wearing a pair of white socks, anyway. Note to Lindsay: invest in a bottle of fake tan makeup. It’ll help avoid those "tan sock" moments…
Tantruth – a foolproof fake tan?
OK, so Tantruth are making some pretty impressive sounding claims about their gel-based fake tanner. They say it’s foolproof, simple to use, quick-drying, natural looking and, most impressively of all, "the easiest fake tan available".
Why is it the easiest fake tan available? Sadly, they don’t say, so we’re left to guess that there must be something particularly stress-free about the gel formula, or, indeed, to try it out for ourselves. Luckily, if you’re feeling ever so slightly skeptical, you don’t have to splash out and buy the full-price products right away, because you can buy a special pack containing trial-size versions of their Self Tan Lotion with Colour Guide, Self Tan Lotion Body and Face and True Soothing Scrub for £7.50 from Beauty Express. And if you do, I hope you’ll come back and tell me what you thought of it!
