Self Tan Lotion Review
Makebelieve Self Tan Lotion
This is the second in my fake tan review trilogy. But first, there’s something I have to say:
Right, now I’ve got that out of my system, it’s on with the review…
Ingredients: aqua, propylene glycol, coconut oil, dihydroxyacetone, polysorbate 60, isopropyl myristate, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, sorbitan stearate, stearic acid, glycerin, cannabis sativa seed oil, shea butter, hydrolzed citrus aurantium dulcis fruit extract, butylene glycol, PEG-8, bupleurum falcatum extract, caffeine, coenzyme A, orbigyna oleifera, bertholletia excelsa seed oil, pimenta officinalis, erythrulose, sesame seed oil, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil, olive oil, tea tree leaf oil, green tea extract, calendula officinalis, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, HMDM hydantoin, tocopheryl acetate, sodium gluconate, potassium sorbate, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, parfum, BHT, citric acid
The Promises:
“Your true radiance will shine through, with this self-tan lotion. Whether pale or dark skinned, it will help to enhance your natural tone, while conditioning and refining your skin.
Quick to absorb, a long lasting and even golden glow develops within 2-4 hours, leaving you looking great and feeling fantastic.
An exotic blend of Rainforest, Hempseed, Jojoba Oils and Shea Butter, known for their moisturising and skin softening properties, combine with leading skincare ingredients to infuse hydration, tone and elasticity. Enriched with an active tanning ingredient, derived from sugar beets, your skin will look and feel renewed, smooth and glowing.”
My verdict – does it deliver?:
A lot of big promises from this one.
First things first. I have to say that the packaging is truly stunning. The stylish box depicts a glowing, golden-tanned woman making her way through a lush, exotic jungle of flowers, and I do love the Gothic logo. Inside is a cylindrical plastic bottle, again attractively fairytale Gothic in design, with a pump dispenser and cap. (Good, because I do hate pump dispensers which don’t come with a cap, as they’re hopeless for travelling.)
As always, I gave myself a very thorough exoliation with my buffing cloth beforehand and applied moisturiser to particularly dry areas like ankles, knees and elbows.
The instructions tell you to use this product daily until you build up your desired colour, then to apply once or twice weekly, as necessary, after that.
Scent-wise, there was a definite coconut-vanilla fragrance – so much nicer than most fake tans. The texture was more of a cream than a lotion, I found.
It is recommended to massage the product well into the skin until no residue remains, so this is exactly what I did. Not difficult, because it sinks in very easily, and, true to the blurb, dried pretty quickly. I made sure to use only a very small amount to swipe over the usual suspects – elbows and hands.
(Please note that on this occasion, I was pushed for time, so only applied the self-tanner to my upper body. I will provide a lower body update in due course.)
Once again, you must ALWAYS remember to wash your hands thoroughly at regular intervals if you apply your fake tan without gloves.
As usual, I waited 30 minutes before dressing for bed, although I’m sure 15 minutes would have been enough.
As with the Vita Liberata, there was no horrible biscuity whiff the next morning. On sniffing my skin, putting my nose actually against it, there was an almost imperceptible scent (which may have been vanilla). So there was no husband leaping out of bed, yelling accusingly: “Eurgh! You’ve got fake tan on, haven’t you!”
A few EDS posters have mentioned in the past that adding vanilla EO to fake tan products will disguise the traditional biscuity stench. I’ve never been able to try this, as I usually use a spray tan. However, this makes me think that it might actually work pretty well.
When I got into the light to check my tan, I found it to be a very natural golden colour, exactly as stated in the blurb.
I am pale-skinned, and the colour achieved was perfect for spring/autumn/winter for me – but a couple of coats would probably be needed for summer. In fact, I’m guessing that 3 might be needed for my legs. Will give you an update when I found out.
The blurb does mention that light and dark skins will both achieve a natural tone, but I did find the colour to be light and am, therefore, unsure as to how much it would show up on darker skin.
There was no streakiness where I’d applied the tan (upper body only, remember), just a nice, even, colour – without a single trace of orange. There were no parts I had to buff to tone down the colour or effect.
The other claims made in the blurb were that this lotion is hydrating and gives your skin tone and elasticity.
Well, fake tanners can often dry out skin. In fact, my skin usually looks a little parched after using them. This one, however, left my skin feeling fine and comfortable next morning. As for tone and elasticity, I didn’t really notice any difference. Perhaps regular use might enhance this?
Once again, there was no colour transference onto sheets or clothing.
I applied this product on Friday night and it was still looking perfect on Wednesday (today). The only reason I exfoliated it off was in order to try another fake tanner this coming weekend. Otherwise, it would have definitely continued for at least another day, and perhaps longer. There was certainly no sign of patchy wear-off.
In summary:
Yes – it gives a believable, natural, golden tan
Yes – it smells great and doesn’t leave a telltale fake tan stench
Yes – it’s reasonably hydrating and doesn’t dry out skin
Yes – it’s long-lasting and doesn’t fade patchily.
Maybe – undecided about tone and elasticity claims
I will update on how it fares on lower body areas as soon as I get the chance to try.
