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For all my fake tan lovers out there, this one is for you! I don’t know about anyone else, but being in lockdown, somehow I have transformed into a fake tan addict… and to be honest, I’m not actually that mad about it.
After losing my fake tan virginity a couple of years ago I have been trialing out new tanning products ever since; finding my favourite and affordable foolproof fake tans on the market. Keep reading to find out which fake tans never disappoint me, and which ones I can always rely on to give me a gorgeous glow.
Bondi Sands Dark Self Tanning Foam
The first tan I ever used was the Bondi Sands Dark Self Tanning Foam as I used to be obsessed with watching Shani Grimmond on YouTube and this was the fake tan she used – so I obviously had to buy it myself. I watched multiple YouTube tutorials on the best way to apply it, and despite being terrified that I was going to wake up the next morning to resemble a Walker’s Wotsits crisp, I was pleasantly surprised when it actually looked like I’d taken an overnight trip to the Maldives. Bondi Sands will always be a holy grail brand for me; I love their formula and it is so easy to apply with their Bondi Sands Reuseable Mitt, which helps to give you a flawless finish. The only thing I would say about this tan is that it does have that slight fake tan biscuit smell and it can transfer quite heavily on your bedsheets, but it’s nothing major and the fact it is so affordable definitely outweighs this. Also, I have never personally tried the ultra-dark shade as I just find that ‘dark’ is the perfect natural colour for me, but I think the ultra-dark shade would be ideal for those with more of a darker/olive skin tone to mine.
Sienna X Sleep Q10 Tinted Self Tan Mousse
Back in August I was kindly gifted some tanning products by Sienna X to try out and review over on my Instagram. Prior to them reaching out to me, I had never heard of Sienna X and quite frankly I do not know how! Out of all the products they sent me, their Sleep Q10 Tinted Self Tan was definitely my favourite – I also loved their Gradual Self Tan Rose Water Spray. In comparison to Bondi Sands, the Sienna X Sleep Q10 Tan is a much more lightweight formula and it has a much more appealing scent to it as well – in fact, it reminds me of the Refresher Squashies sweets which, to me, is a huge bonus. I also find that this tan tends to last a good few days before showing any signs of scaling. This is a great one to try in the summer as it is a bright shade, giving you a healthy glow – I wear medium/dark.
Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Water in Medium
For my birthday last year, my mum bought me the Isle of Paradise Tanning Water to try out. After wanting to try it for ages, I couldn’t wait to finally spritz it all over my body and wake up the next morning with a lovely tan… with it being the first invisible tan I had tried, the lovely tan I was originally after, didn’t quite come through. This was completely down to how I had applied the tan as little did I know, you have to actually rub the spray in with a clean mitt – rather than just leaving it after you spray it. So, the first time I used this tan, it wasn’t exactly the best as I had sporadic splodges of tan all over my body – however, this is now my favourite tan I actually own, as I’ve finally found the best way to apply it.
If you’ve never used an invisible tan it may take you a while to adjust, however, it is fairly straight forward and it is ultimately a huge guessing game, that I promise you will soon master – practice makes perfect! The positives of using an invisible/clear tan though, are that there is 0% transfer onto your bedding and they often smell a lot nicer than ordinary fake tan. After getting through my first bottle of this tan I immediately re-purchased more to replace it, and was even more delighted with this brand to see that they are trying to reduce their plastic waste by offering customers refills of the tan that you can pour into your old empty bottle. Amazing! 👏🏼
Tan Luxe The Water Hydrating Self Tan Spray
If you’re a frequent user of Instagram, then Tan-Luxe won’t be an unfamiliar name to you. So many influencers rave about their products so back in November I thought, you know what, I’m going to give them a go! They make fake tanning seem easy, hassle-free and their packaging is just so luxurious. I bought both their Water Tan and Face Drops in their Black Friday Sales so managed to bag myself 30% off which was an added bonus as their products do tend to be on the higher end of the scale when it comes to affordable tans. Their Water Hydrating Spray is absolutely delightful – it smells gorgeous, and just like the Isle of Paradise one, it never transfers onto your bedding. It looks pretty on the shelf, and gives such a lovely, even glow. Definitely a must-have!
Tan Luxe The Face Illuminating Self Tan Drops in Medium/Dark
A lot of the time when I use normal fake tan on my body and face, I tend to break out on my cheeks and chin, and it can also make the skin on my face feel quite rough and dry. So when ordering The Water Tanning Spray from Tan-Luxe, I decided to invest in the The Face Illuminating Drops too. Out of all the tanning products I have written about in this post, this is definitely my fave and will always be a part of my tanning routine. I tend to add 2-3 drops into my daily moisturiser in the morning and then the tan develops during the day. I love doing this on no make-up days as it gives me a bit of colour and life without having to wear heavy-weight foundation. When deciding to go for light/medium or medium/dark, I’d always suggest going for the latter as you can always add less drops into your moisturiser and it means you will be getting more out of the product!
I can always rely on these tans and I don’t think I could live without any of them in my life. If you’re a fake tan virgin like I was, I’d suggest starting off with the Bondi Sands one as it’s easy to see where you have applied and then once you get more comfortable, work up to the clear tans (i.e. Isle of Paradise and Tan-Luxe) as these just give such a gorgeous glow, and they are a lot more hassle free when it comes to having to wash clothes and bedding the day after applying it.
I should mention that Tan-Luxe also have 30% off site-wide right now for Valentines Day! If you’re wanting to try these products, now is definitely the right time to buy as they don’t do these discounts a lot! Click here to shop Tan-Luxe directly.
I’d love to know if you try any of these tans out, and please feel free to DM me on Instagram or leave a comment below if you’d like any more recommendations/tanning tips!
I hope you all have a lovely week!
Lydia <3
