I was lucky enough to be selected to test drive the new St Tropez Gradual Tan Tinted Everyday Body Lotion. Now I’ve dabbled with self-tanner in the past but admittedly I have also been a bit of a sun whore ( for want of a better word). Only in the last year or two have I’ve come to my senses ( never too late right?) and started to limit my time in the sun whilst on holiday and if I am going to be laying out, to load up on sun protection ( and by that I mean 30+ NOT 8). Since then I’ve been eager to try out self-tanners to achieve that just got back from holiday golden glow especially when the weather is a little warmer and more skin tends to be on show.
I really enjoy using both the Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe and Loving Tan formulas, both are immediate self-tanners rather than gradual tanners so I was intrigued by the sound of the St Tropez Gradual Tan Tinted Everyday Lotion. I’m also a St Tropez virgin so I wanted to put the brand to the test to see if it lived up to the hype that surrounds its name.
The St Tropez Gradual Tan comes in a large, squeeze style packaging much like the Xen Tan. It has a much lighter colour to it though (compared to Zen Tan), which acts as a guide (just about on my skin tone) and the texture is much thicker and somewhat luxurious feeling. The first time I applied it, I used a mitt. The next time, I used my hands. I found that the thick formula, although feels nice, is quite hard to make spread far and using my hands made it a tad easier compared to using a mitt as well as going in with a lot of product rather than little. Because it’s a gradual tanner, you don’t run the risk of going overboard with the product and believe me when I say that I was very generous with it.
I was surprised that there was a definite fake tan scent even though it is advertised ‘No self-tan smell, with our new mood-boosting fragrance’. I thought brands had come up with more sophisticated formulas that masked or eliminated the smell and there certainly was no mood-boosting fragrance. That’s total marketing bull, pardon my french. It’s not bad per se, just present, the fake tan smell that is. When applying with my bare hands, I made sure to wash them well and they didn’t seem to suffer from any tale-tale streakiness.
The morning after the first application, I noticed a very light colouring to my skin. It was very slight and where I would probably be the only one that noticed. I applied it again the next two consecutive nights and only then did it develop into a beautiful light golden tan. The colour is very natural so I was very pleased with the results. Golden not orange. However, I noticed that the tan on my left leg appeared slightly patchy whereas my right leg looked perfect. Might have been my dodgy application or me not exfoliating well but aside from the dodgy left leg, the tan everywhere else was fine.
After 3 days of application, the tan pretty much lasted for the rest of the week although by day 7 the colour has faded quite a bit but still left behind a hint of tint to the skin. The scent definitely faded with time also. Whilst not a deal breaker for me, I know a lot of people despise the smell of fake tan.
For me, this was a very easy product to use. The guide colour isn’t much darker than my own skin though so I really had to make sure I blended the product in very well. It was simple enough for me to apply it before bed, sleep and wake up to a light golden glow. I didn’t have to sit around for ages or wait to shower it off so it’s certainly a convenient product. If it’s a natural, subtle tan that you are after then this delivers just that, over the course of a few days. It is buildable so you can go for a light wash of colour or more of a medium, golden glow. If it’s an instant deep, bronzed tan that you’re after then this isn’t the product for you.
The St Tropez Gradual Tan Tinted Everyday Body Lotion retails for £14.99 and is available from Superdrug.