Seeing as I only started using fake tan about a year ago for the very first time (quite embarrassing, I know), I don’t really have much to say about the world of tanning – other than Bondi Sands Dark Tan is an absolute essential to any girls life, and that tanning your back on your own is an huge pain and a half let me tell you!
I am very much the kind of girl who fake tans for special occasions, and special occasions only; as I just can’t deal with the hassle that comes along with the process of tanning on a regular basis! Last Christmas, my mum surprised me with a new tan that I had never seen before; I was quite intrigued and also very excited, as before then, Bondi Sands was the only thing I knew and relied upon to give me that golden summer glow I was after.
If I’m being honest with you, if there’s one thing I dislike about fake tan (aka Bondi Sands), it’s got to be the strong and unpleasant smell that hits you in the face the morning after, as you toss and turn in your orange stained sheets… So, after noticing that this new St. Moriz tan that I had been gifted by my mum, claims to make ‘no mess’ and give a ‘streak free finish’, I thought what the heck am I waiting for?! It sounded ideal, and I decided that it was about time to put it to the test.
Understandably, I was pretty nervous to try this new tan out as the liquid is completely transparent in the bottle, and once you press the pump the liquid turns into a white foam… which, if you know anything about fake tan, you’ll know that is pretty terrifying in itself. This made me realise that covering my whole body with this tan was actually going to be quite a hard task indeed (as if tanning with brown fake tan wasn’t hard enough!). Thankfully, I had my trusty double sided Bondi Sands mitt to help me out throughout the process (and can I just add, for those who are wondering, the quality of the mitt you use does 100% affects the overall result of your finished tan!). I also had the help of my kind mum to tan my back as this is a pretty much impossible task to do by yourself – well, it is if you’re me!
THE PROCESS
Before applying this tan, I exfoliated in the shower and then moisturised all the dry areas of my skin (including my knees, elbows and face) with my favourite Aveeno Daily Moisturiser. I let this moisturiser soak into my skin for about 15 minutes before tackling this brand new tan.
As always, I started with my legs as they’re the easiest part to get right. Using about 3 pumps per section of my body, I used a circular motion with the mitt to apply the invisible tan to my skin. This tanning mousse is also extremely fast drying, making the application process twice as hard. Meticulously, I tried my hardest to remember when I had already applied the tan to and where else needed tanning; let’s just say it certainly wasn’t the easiest tan to apply.
The whole process only took a few minutes and then I waited about 10 minutes before getting dressed again to ensure it had fully dried. The bottle recommends that you should leave the tan on for at least 10 hours to get the maximum results and colour out of it, however, I wasn’t too convinced how brown this would be considering the tan is practically invisible when you put it on…
THE RESULTS
Nevertheless, I slept in the tan and washed it off in the morning with a lukewarm shower. First of all, I was actually amazed with how bronzed I looked in the morning, and secondly, just how little of the tan had transferred onto my bedding, result!
The whole of my tan also looked pretty even which took me by complete surprise. On the bottle, this tan is described as ‘Medium/Dark’ however I’d say it is just as dark as the Bondi Sands Dark Tanning Foam. In fact, I actually prefer the shade of this tan as it is more of a golden tan rather than an olive colour, which I just think is perfect for that summer glow.
OVERALL THOUGHTS?
Overall, although the application process of this tan was quite hard as it is completely clear, the end result was a solid 8 if not, 9 out of 10. I love the colour of it once it had developed, and for half the price of Bondi Sands, I think it is definitely worth the guessing game when you apply it… in fact, looking back, it was actually kinda fun and added more excitement to the process.
The only thing I wasn’t too keen on with this tan, is that after a couple of days, my skin started to feel very dry – this may just be because I have dry skin in general, or the fact that I forgot to moisturise once I had washed it off in the shower… so, if you’re going to try this tan out just remember to keep your skin hydrated!
Below is a photo of my arm the day after tanning to show you the lovely bronzed colour it gives; so that’s it, I definitely know what tan I’ll be turning to when I can’t be bothered to wash my sheets afterwards… thank you St. Moriz – you’re a true lifesaver.
Do you have any fave go to tanning products? I’d love to know what they are in the comments below!
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If any of you try this tan out, good luck, and please let me know your thoughts!
Lydia <3
