#TFWOC Project Week #7 - St Moriz Instant Dark Self Tanning Lotion Review

We’re in the final week of #TFWOC. Boo! It’s been such a great experience and I’ve learnt so much – I’ll do a round-up post once the project has officially ended.

The penultimate product in the #TFWOC project is the St Moriz Instant Dark Self Tanning Lotion*. Of all of the fake tans used in the project, this is by far the cheapest, with prices starting at just £3.

I really like this tan, it’s cheap and cheerful and pretty much does what it says on the tin. St Moriz says that this tanning lotion is designed to give you a nice golden tan and leave you with a feel good glow, and I definitely agree.

I used the St Moriz Self Tan Applicator Mitt to apply the product to my legs, although I feel like I could have probably done with two to really work the tan into my skin and get a nice even coverage.

On the mitt the tan is a very intimidating deep brown. It smells gorgeous, kind of like shampoo. But as with most tans the smell disappears after a while, leaving behind the all too familiar biscuity scent.

My legs are the palest part of my body, don’t get me wrong, they’re still pretty dark but compared to my face and chest they’re quite pastey. When I took my before pictures they were a little on the dry side so they look a lit lighter than they do normally!

I applied one coat to my left leg and immediately saw a huge difference, the colour had deepened really nicely and looked very bronzey. It also looked very healthy, the colour of my un-tanned leg started to worry my slightly …

Another coat intensified the colour, but didn’t increase it too much. I’m sure this wouldn’t be the case on lighter skin tones so you’d have to be careful not to overdo it. I’ll admit that the back of my leg did streak slightly, but I think it’s because the tan dries so quickly so applying it with two mitts would have probably been more beneficial.

In terms of longevity, St Moriz just doesn’t cut it. Two days later my legs were back to their chalky colour, giving me slight tan withdrawal.

Bottom line: The colour is gorgeous, perfectly bronzed, no red tones, and a lovely glow. It doesn’t last very long so it’s probably best to treat it like a one-day tan. But at such a decent price you can’t really complain. It does contain parabens, so when I do use it again I’ll be cautious to keep it away from certain areas of my body.

Prices for St Moriz Instant Dark Self Tanning Lotion range from around £3 to £10, and it’s available to buy in most major supermarkets and drugstores. I found it on the CheapSmells website for £4.98.

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#TFWOC Project Week #6 - Vita Liberata pHenomenal Long Lasting Tan Mousse in Dark Review

Before I start this review I just want to apologise to Annie & LaaLaa for being SO behind with this write up, I’ve been so busy with planning #BBloggers Christmas!

Anyway, last week’s #TFWOC was Vita Liberata pHenomenal Long Lasting Tan Mousse*. This tan contains ‘a special combination of natural nourishing extracts’ and is 100% paraben, perfume and alcohol free. All winning points for me, but most probably the reason for the hefty £37.50 price tag.

This is the only tan that lasts up to three weeks (according to Vita Liberata!), which is think is great if you’re a tan addict or like to keep your tan topped up.

The product pumps out a frothy, brown mousse that’s generally pretty easy to apply. (Ignore the colour on the mitt; the camera was having an off day it seems!)

The first thing I noticed about the tan was that it smells. It’s really unpleasant. It reminds me a lot of silly string, almost quite rubbery I think. I appreciate that people don’t like perfumed products (I personally love them), but to be perfume free I think your product needs to be completely unscented. Well that’s my opinion anyway.

In terms of colour I didn’t find that it did a lot for my dark skin. On lighter skin tones I think the pay of would be amazing, but on me not too great. It definitely deepened my skin tone, but the colour is quite flat as there was no ‘glow’ after application. I only applied one layer at first but when I applied the second layer the colour didn’t really intensify.

By the next day I found that the colour just wasn’t vibrant at all. In fact it had pretty much disappeared, and when I got in the shower whatever was left on my arms just washed off. Now I’m not blaming this all on the tan, it could have been application issues too but I know a few other girls on the project also had issues with it lasting.

I tried it again a week later and found that it lasted a bit better if I applied the coats with 24hrs or so in between, over the course of 2-3 days. This way the colour did last longer – not 3 weeks, but 7 days later I could still see traces of it on my arms.

Bottom line: Again, I’m on the fence. I think if you sit in the pale-medium range on the skin tone spectrum then it’s perfect for you. The colour, the longevity, the streak-free application – all winners. But not for WOC. The scent is horrid so I think it’s best to apply in the evening before bed so it has time to settle in. at £37.50 for just 125ml I think it’s really expensive for what it is, but if you’re in the market for a more natural tanning product then it’s probably worth the price tag.

  

Vita Liberata pHenomenal Long Lasting Tan Mousse comes in Fair, Medium and Dark and is available to purchase from the Vita Liberata website for £37.50/125ml. The Vita Liberata range is also stocked in larger Boots stores.

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Review: Body Shop Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Body Oil #TFWOC

I got the Body Shop Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Body Oil a while back after feeling a bit inspired by the #TFWOC Project.

The oil is very lightweight and contains a really fine golden shimmer. It’s not a disco ball kind of shimmer either, so it’s perfect to use all over the body. I mainly use this on my legs, arms and décolletage for some added radiance. The shimmer is very subtle and works like a gorgeous body illuminator. Plus it’s not glittery at all, and it gives off a lovely bronzed glow.

It contains Community Fair Trade honey and beeswax, which both help to moisturise and soften the skin. But since it’s a dry oil it’s not the best ‘moisturiser’ to use alone, so I’d say it’s best to put it on top of your normal lotion.

The smell is probably what I love the most about this. It’s amazing. It’s quite floral and a little sweet, but with an exotic twist – I’m obviously not the best at describing scents. Don’t let the floral-ness put you off though; it’s less granny’s handbag and more sunny Caribbean beach.

I’ve heard that this is very similar to NARS Body Glow, but I’ve never tried it so I can’t comment on that. It’s definitely a huge amount cheaper though at just £16, compared to the £44 price tag with the NARS Body Glow.

My biggest peeve with this product is not the product itself but actually getting the product out of the bottle. Although it looks lovely, the glass bottle is a little impractical and the plastic stopper is useless. It’s so hard dispensing any oil without getting it everywhere, or hardly getting anything at all.

Bottom line: The smell is gorgeous, the shimmer is gorgeous and it’s WOC-friendly. What’s not to love?

Would I repurchase? Probably not. The way this one is going it looks as if it’ll last forever. Failing that then yes, I would definitely pick up another one.

  

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Body Oil is available from The Body Shop – in store and online – priced at £16/100ml.

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The difference is clear ...

The #TFWOC Project has really got me thinking about how underrepresented ‘WOC’ are in the beauty industry. Don’t get me wrong, things have improved massively over the last few years and it’s rare to find a high-end brand that doesn’t stock a huge range of tones in their foundations and powders (apart from Benefit, you guys can stick your bloody Hello Flawless! *sulks*).

Although it’s still not enough.

I went to a Collection 2000 event recently, and was shown the new foundations that they’re bringing out – none of which cater for dark skin. Rimmel, Bourjois, and L’Oreal (amongst many others!) also do not cater for WOC and I think it’s just a little ridiculous.

But I decided to do a little experiment, ‘Mohammed and the mountain’ style.

 Yes, that’s me. White. Haiii Hello Flawless.

I used Murad BlemishTreatment Concealer* in Medium, and Vichy Dermablend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick. Both of these products are available in 'dark' shades, albeit somewhat limited ranges. Nonetheless, Murad and Vichy, give yourselves a pat on the back.

Unless things start improving, this may become my daily look – and trust me, it’s 10x scarier in real life. My mum pretty collapsed when she saw ‘me’.
 Beware; I may just be lurking under your bed …

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