St. Tropez Self Tan Lotion

Although I got on fantastically well with the Whipped Bronze Instant Self-Tanning Mousse from St Tropez I'm always up for trying new products and it appeared to me that more people use the normal 'lotion' as opposed to the mousse. Is it better? Let's see.


ST TROPEZ TINTED SELF-TANNING LOTION

The bottle for this lotion is quite different to the mousse. This lotion is presented in a smart, thick white plastic bottle ...
...as being 'Step 3' (and we all know what that means!) St Tropez like to make out that only their Step 1 and Step 2 could POSSIBLY precede Step 3 but I disagree - Step 1 is essentially just an exfoliator and Step 2 is a moisturiser. I would imagine that anyone willing to fork out money on a fake tan probably owns AT LEAST one exfoliator and moisturiser already ;)

The instructions offer some assistance, "Step 3: Smooth St Tropez ... more

Although I got on fantastically well with the Whipped Bronze Instant Self-Tanning Mousse from St Tropez I'm always up for trying new products and it appeared to me that more people use the normal 'lotion' as opposed to the mousse. Is it better? Let's see.

ST TROPEZ TINTED SELF-TANNING LOTION

The bottle for this lotion is quite different to the mousse. This lotion is presented in a smart, thick white plastic bottle with a black pump action nozzle. It proclaims itself as being 'Step 3' (and we all know what that means!) St Tropez like to make out that only their Step 1 and Step 2 could POSSIBLY precede Step 3 but I disagree - Step 1 is essentially just an exfoliator and Step 2 is a moisturiser. I would imagine that anyone willing to fork out money on a fake tan probably owns AT LEAST one exfoliator and moisturiser already ;)

The instructions offer some assistance, "Step 3: Smooth St Tropez Auto-Bronzant evenly onto skin; let it absorb - do not over-rub. For best results apply at bedtime and shower next morning. May appear streaky as product dries - this is normal and showering in morning will uncover a beautiful, even tan. To deepen tan, apply 3 nights consecutively. For a lighter tan, blend to desired shade ONLY with St Tropez Body Moisturiser. To maintain your colour, apply 1 to 3 times weekly. To maintain your tan, moisturise daily and use St Tropez Body Polisher every 3 days."

I can't comment on applying a lighter tan as I've never tried it but I do use moisturiser to blend the tan subtly into my feet so I presume it would work on the whole body. The other instructions seem sensible enough so let's get started!

THE PREPARATION

Unless you want to use their Step 1 and 2, I suggest you do as I do, which is: The day before you intend to apply the tan, remove any unwanted body hair. You shouldn't really do this on the same day as applying the tan because the pores can remain open and the tan will become patchy/dotted.

(If you're applying this during the day you can do this any time, but if you're doing it before bed then try and schedule it for a couple of hours before you intend to go to bed.) Have a warm bath or shower and exfoliate your whole body (including your face if you wish to tan that too). I use either Clinique's Sparkle Skin, Origins' Cocoa Therapy scrub or Origins' Paradise Found.

Once out of the bath/shower apply a light, quickly absorbed moisturiser. If you apply something rich and thick you'll be diluting the colour of the tan. I recommend Palmer's Cocoa Butter (in lotion or oil form) as it is cheap but very effective and can be applied in a very thin layer. Wait for a good 30-60 minutes until the moisturiser has completely absorbed and your body has cooled down.

THE APPLICATION

Finally, after all that preparation we're ready to begin. I sometimes find it easier if I have a helping hand from my boyfriend, but as I can just about reach all areas of my back it's not absolutely essential. The lotion looks like very thick rich chocolate sauce when you squirt it out so don't be alarmed, the tan is nothing like the colour of the lotion - it's merely a tint so that even application is easier to judge.

This lotion differs to the mousse in that you need to massage it slightly to activate it. I also believe that this gives you slightly more time to work with it (before it starts staining your skin). Before you apply it, put on some vinyl gloves (can be bought very cheaply from Tesco) and squirt some lotion directly onto them. You'll need to rub your hands together briefly to emulsify the lotion. This makes it turn a lighter colour and more creamy in its consistency. As advised in the instructions, don't over-rub it as this will start to remove the tan. It sounds tricky, but if you are fairly swift you'll have no trouble. A mirror and good lighting helps the application. I don't always stick rigidly to this order but I find it a lot easier and methodical if I do:

Lightly moisturise the tops of your feet.

NECK - Squirt a tiny blob of the chocolatey sauce onto the fingertips of one hand (remembering to rub your hands together slightly). Spread it quickly around the neck and up to the hairline using both hands.

BACK - If my boyfriend is helping me he'll do this. It requires smoothing the lotion from the neck line down to the base of my spine. If I am applying it alone I'll struggle through it until I have the required area covered evenly.

ARMS - Do these next as you don't want any funny marks left from not blending the adjoining areas together quick enough. I do about a half squirt into the palm of my right hand and spread it quickly and evenly over my left arm. I try and apply a rough but fairly even layer and then spread it round my arms by wrapping my fingers round my arm and moving swiftly rotating my hand round my arm…..going from the bottom to the top and then blending the shoulder with the area I covered on my back. Repeat for the other arm.

CHEST AND STOMACH - Squirt a full pump into one hand. Use both hands to spread from the middle of your chest up towards your neck and then down towards your stomach. I do it this way because I find it gives a more even tan - not collected at the bottom nor the top or my torso.

SIDES - Squirt one half squirt and rub palms together and then spread it on my sides (to blend the stomach and the back). This area is easy to overlook, but don't forget it or you'll have a white side profile!

BUM - Slightly less than one squirt required for this - use both hands and blend into the surrounding areas.

LEGS - Take one leg at a time but do them as a whole, not thigh then calf because that makes it harder. Squirt two full squirts and rub palms together. Then in a swift action cup your thigh between both hands and rub all the way down to your ankles. Without over-rubbing, make sure every part of your leg is covered (it's easy to neglect the backs). Repeat for the other leg. Once this is complete, check that you have subtly blended the thigh into the bottom and ankle into the foot without the foot looking too dark. If it is too dark, dab it with a tissue or apply more moisturiser.

FACE - If you wish to tan your face, make sure it's fully cleansed and dry. I find the application easy as you just squeeze out a small amount and make sure it's blended in subtly as you would your foundation.

If everything has been applied correctly you should have no streaks and no dark patches - just a slightly darker tint to your normal skin tone. I disagree a little with St Tropez - I think if you have streaks before bed you'll have streaks even after your morning shower. So if you see streaks, dab them with a towel or tissue until they're blended.

I have found that it's a lot better to apply a very thin layer and top it up if you wish the next day. Applying too much makes it uneven and/or streaky.

AFTER APPLICATION

You may have noticed the smell while you were applying it. If not you'll notice it when it is in the process of developing. I quite like the smell as fake tans go - I couldn't really describe it very accurately but St Tropez describe it as a 'relaxing aromatic scent' and I suppose that's not too far off the mark. It's not a chemical smell like some of the spray tans you can buy.

You MUST NOT have any water contact with the parts you applied tan to until the next morning. If you do, you'll have white splash marks and look rather strange. You must also avoid perspiring for 24-48 hours after application because that can also make the colour run.

If I have applied my normal thin layer evenly then I will have no streaks and just a slight brown/golden colour to my skin. If I have applied too much I'll actually notice that my skin looks muddy brown and blotchy when I look in the mirror. If applied correctly it does actually dry quite quickly (10 minutes max). However, in saying that I wouldn't be thrilled to have to put clothes on after applying the tan because although dry, it is slightly sticky for a few hours and I would think it might rub off accidentally. I tend to just wait as long as possible before dressing. I find the lotion quite unpleasant to sleep in so I prefer to apply it in the morning and then shower in the evening.

If you do like to develop your fake tan overnight there may be some slightly brown marks on your bedsheets in the morning; but don't stress (unless of course it's something entirely different!) St Tropez is only vegetable dye and will come out in a normal machine wash.

RESULTS

After 8 hours (or whenever you wake up if you've applied overnight) I get in the shower and see a rather alarming brown liquid go down the plug hole and wonder how on earth there can be any tan left - but when you dry yourself and moisturise you can see a nice non-orange tanned glow. If I have been careful in the application I can achieve a subtle sun-kissed tan with no streaks (even subtly blended feet - the blotchy ankles are always the giveaway of a fake tan!) I also experience very soft skin due to the Aloe Vera content. This is one of the best parts for me - I love soft skin! However, I have noticed that my skin's even softer with the application of the St Tropez mousse.

Although I don't always use it on my face, the tan does come out really nicely even though you only use a very small amount. You can always top it up if you're confident it'll look good.

I would estimate that the tan stays for about 3-5 days. It fades evenly in the same way a sun tan would (providing you exfoliated well before application and continue to do so every few days).

I have used my 240ml bottle over 10 times now and there is about half a bottle left so it's quite good value for money as long as you don't use it constantly all year round!

PRICE AND AVAILABLITY

The RRP for this is about £30 but mine was only £17.99 for a 240ml bottle from tightsplease.com so it works out relatively cheap each time I use it.

VERDICT

I'm not so keen on getting a real sun tan as I'm too paranoid about turning into an old prune one day. I don't think this would be suited to really pale skinned people because it'd be a hassle adding the correct amount of moisturiser each time but personally I think the colour really suits my skin tone. It looks very similar to the colour I go when I tan naturally in the sun.

It is cheaper than the Whipped Bronze Instant Mousse version because I can't find that discounted anywhere! However, when comparing the two I prefer the mousse version (d'oh!) because the colour is slightly more bronzed than brown, and it sinks into my skin so quickly I can dress after just 10 minutes.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a natural looking fake tan but if you've got a bit of money to spend then I'd definitely recommend the mousse one over this.

See www.sttropeztan.com for more info on this and all their other products.

carly_pussycat - Ciao UK ©
 

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