All Things Fake Tan: My fake tan history

I love reading people’s blogs in my spare time and one thing I’m always looking out for is review posts regarding fake tan. As you can see from the above picture I am somewhat of a tanorexic. I have tried a whole heap of fake tans that have left me either not tanned at all, like an oompa loompa or as I have found more recently a lovely golden bronzed.

My history of fake tanning dates back to my mid-teens where I am afraid to admit it that I only tanned my legs when wearing socks to school (this was very on trend and something that I remember most girls my age doing). I used tanning wipes from the local chemist which were approx 1-2 quid, who says you can’t do beauty on a budget? These wipes were hit or miss as you were unable to see where you had wiped thus ensuring that you were defiantly going to discover nice sexy streaks on your tangoed legs the next morning. In my late teens I went up market and began using the Garnier Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Dry Body Mist. My sister also used this fake tan but only on special occasions. I remember thinking that this fake tan would be brilliant if it had a guide colour as sometimes you would miss bits and would thus look streaky the next day. I am surprised to think that they haven’t yet added a guide colour to this product especially considering the price. I remember this tan smelling very sweet on application and feeling very greasy. I would smell of dried biscuits the next day and come to think of it I actually smellt like biscuits every other day after that until the tan faded off....hume.

My early university days saw me using the likes of sun shimmer instant wash off tan. However the matt version was always nearly impossible to find which resulted in me always buying the shimmery version. As cringe worthy as it is to admit this, I applied it all over...yes even my face which left me like a walking glitter ball. But hey, we were only going to the club and it would be dark...right? My brother was dating a girl at the time that had an aversion to fake tanning. She flippantly gave me a bottle of fake tan practically full exclaiming that she had no use for it. Little did she or I for that matter know she was handing me one of my favourite fake tans that I would say is one of my three Holy Grail fake tanning products to date. I’m sure your reading this thinking, just tell me what tan she handed you already....well she gave me a very large bottle of He-Shi Liquid Express tan.  This tan saw me through the rest of my fake tanning days where my housemate and I would go halfers on a bottle...ensuring that we each had enough money left over for new clothes, drink and a Chinese on the way home.

I took a break from He-Shi fake tan mainly because I moved back home and it wasn’t as readily available to me anymore and I was finding it quite costly as I would have to buy the tan myself. I have also tried and still have in my collection today St Moriz fake tan lotion and mousse which is great value for money at £3 a bottle from my local semi-chem. I was an avid fan of this fake tan and it was at one stage my Holy Grail fake tan. However I found this tan to wear off patchy and could have a drying effect on my skin. I will however still return to this love affair mainly if I am heading out on a night out and require a darker tan. I have also tried two fake bake products (original and flawless) but did not rate these products highly. Since discovering however that www.feelunique.com are selling He-Shi at a cheaper price I feel I may stock up, I have recently purchased their face and body gel which I will review for you shortly.

He-Shi fake tan gel for face and body

Blends in lovely and smooth

I bet your wondering what my other Holy Grail fake tanning products are? Ok I’ll spill. I am naturally pale and have visible veins on the back of my legs which I detest as a girl at school once made some horrible comments about them and to this day I have been paranoid about them. Whilst in my first year at university I discovered Sally Hansen makeup for legs. I’m telling you now this product is a God send. It is basically foundation for your legs that will hide the most unsightly veins, giving an airbrushed look to your legs. It is a wash off tan but I would say it is water resistant and requires a good scrub the next day in the shower to remove it. I have had many a drink spilled over my legs to discover that my Sally Hansen had not budged. The only downside to this product for me is the price, retailing at almost £10 a bottle, which may not seem like much to some but for a student on a low budget it is a lot considering the amount I pay for my fake tan.  Other products boasting to do a similar job have since came on the market such as tights in a tin for around £3. This tan is fine for those on a budget and if I’m feeling strapped for cash ill buy a can however I don’t feel it has the same naturally tanned colour as Sally’s one and doesn’t have the same staying power in the drink spillage scenario.

My final Holy Grail fake tanning product is Vita Liberata fake tanning moose. I love watching Made in Chelsea and discovered that Binky and Millie use Vita Liberata fake tan. I like many of hundreds of other girls admired their tan and was delighted to think that I too would be able to look like them (well as tanned as them). Walking around Debenhams I discovered that they were selling two shades of Vita Liberata’s silken mousse and a tanning mitt for £25. This tan had no smell whist applying it and only a faint normal fake tan smell the next morning which didn’t linger.  I received many a compliment from those of both sexes and differing ages on how nice may tan was and how natural it looked. I am interested in trying the lotion option offered by Vita Liberata and I imagine it will be one of my next purchases. The tan I am next to try out is Vita Liberata’s pHenomenal 2-3 week tanning mousse in shade medium. I discovered this through reading Sarah’s blog (link to Sarah's blog) and I was so excited to discover that one of my favourite tanning brands were bringing out a 2-3 week tan. I was so excited that I instantly went looking for it on the internet to discover that the tan was retailing at approximately £40 which for me as a slightly broke student couldn’t quite afford so I decided that I would just save for it. However whilst procrastinating I discovered that Boots were doing a special offer on Vita Liberata’s fake tan and discovered that they were selling the pHenomenal 2-3 week tan for £25. I just had to have it. As the local Boots near me didn’t stock the tan I arranged for it to be delivered to the store. I picked it up today and am excited to test it. I plan to review the tan online and will give updates as to how the tan is fairing. I plan to try this tan out over the weekend, so watch this space.

This was my first EVER blog post :D yay!!!



xKx