Self Tanning for Beginners 1 - Sun Laboratories!

Summer = legs on display, and my usual pale shade of off-white to grey isn't a good look - I refuse to sunbathe because I dislike the idea of willfully damaging and ageing my skin. Also my skin does not get on well with the sun at all - I burn, peel and return to white/gray several times before I tan, so I usually slather myself in high factor SPF's throughout the summer...

Like most people I have a checkered past when it comes to self tan - memories of having delightfully streaky legs as a teenager still haunt me to this day, and as a result of many botched attempts I haven't actually done a fake tan for about two years. It's safe to say I am a Fake Tan coward, and definately not an expert in any way, shape or form, so assuming that there are other pale fake-tan scaredy cats out there too, I decided to set myself the challenge of testing and reviewing a few, throughout what is currently masquerading as the British summer...

First up, we have SUN LABORATORIES Instant Self - Tanning Spay, which I was recently given to review.

What they say;

- A range combining high quality botanical ingredients like soybean oil, aloe vera and high quality DHA (the ingredient thet produces the colour...)
- Jet milled particles which are engineered to be absorbed quickly and efficiently by the skin
- Chemical structure is designed to react with the natural melanin in your body to give a natural personalised result.
- The spray I tested is said to be ideal for a last minute spritz of colour when you are in a rush,as it gives an instant hit of colour.
- They say when applied in sweeping motions 15cm away from the skin, that there should be no need to blend or rub, due to the jet milled spray.
- Available in the shade Dark.

What I thought;

-I've been using this for around a week now, and so far I'm really pleased with it - it does actually give a natural result, which in my case is a light-medium golden brown. I'm happy to say there are no orangy cheap looking undertones at all on me. I'm also impressed with the fact that this didn't do that awful patchy intense orange horrible thing around knees and ankles - it looked natural and even there too, which is a first for me - I have to say this was always something which I took issue with in the past with fake tans.

-I think the claim about it producing an individual colour is reliable too - I was nervous about putting anything in the shade "dark" near my naturally very pale skin as I was terrified about it looking ridiculous on me, but as I mentioned above, this gave a lovely golden brown result, which is the colour I suspect I would naturally go if I allowed rays of the sun anywhere near me lol (pictures of me with a natural tan when I was younger and less sun aware do exist, and I did go this colour).

- The colour is buildable - I applied a light spray to begin with, and got similar results to using a gradual tanning body lotion after a few days - I carried on building up the colour over a few days, and got great results doing this.

-The spray is coloured which means you can see where you have applied and that makes producing an even colour really easy. It also gives an instant result, which doesn't look too "fakey", and so would work well for last minute touch ups too...

- One of the best things about it is that it doesn't smell too strong - on application, this product smells a bit like baby powder (which I love the smell of!). Admittedly after a few hours you do get more of that typical fake tan smell, but my BF has not commented on it at all (he's the human equivalent of a sniffer dog!); I've definitely experienced far worse smells from fake tans in the past - I remember a particular experience with Sublime Bronze which transformed itself to the scent of curry powder on my skin, and lingered on for days despite scrubbing myself in the shower... I'm happy to report that after a shower the smell is gone.

- Although they say it doesn't need blending/rubbing, I did find that I got the best results from this when using a blending mit (I used a Boots Soltan one, which I found for half price - £1.70 ish), as I did find even though I used sweeping motions etc, I did get some spray marks when I applied, possibly due to my lack of expertise/practice/ experience with fake tans? I also found this helped me to blend the colour on my feet, without any give-away lines around my ankles/heels - I love my tanned feet!

- Seems to wear off evenly too on me - no missing patches of colour! Lasts about 3 days on me before I need to re-apply, so would need to be applied about twice a week for a good upkeep.

- Can be messy though, as I found to my cost. My first attempt at using this resulted in a beautiful streak free colour on the bathroom radiator - thankfully it cleaned off easily! After this I applied in the shower cubicle and rinsed the cubicle down after use, which worked fine for me.

- Note for those with sensitive chests - the airborne particles get everywhere - mouth and nose so it could be a bit overwhelming if you are sensitive to things like this - asthmatics for example might not get on with it! I'd probably try the foam version instead if this is an issue!

- This usually retails for £15 for a 150ml can - I'd estimate you'd get about 8-10 leg applications (both legs obviously) in a can, but its currently on special offer here for 2 cans for £17.50! Given that Garnier's spray bronzers retail for £10.99 for 50mls I don't think this is bad value... Its also available in Selfridges.

- SunLabs products are also available in a face version (I will be reviewing this one too!); A foam version which retails for £20 for 118mls, and is amaretto scented apparently - comes in Dark and Very Dark; A lotion version which is available in two sizes (118mls for £20 and 236mls for £30), also available in dark and very dark, and Sun Express Liquid Tan - said to be the version for self tanning devotees, comes with a mitt included for £22.

Would I Buy This Again?

Definately - Although it's in the medium to high price range, the results I achieved would definitely be worth paying for - I'm planning on trying the foam next time just for avoiding mess really, as as I found I needed to blend anyway, I'd probably find the foam a bit of an easier option

I'm going to also be very brave and test the facial lotion out - but please give me any tips you have for this as it will be the first facial self tan I've ever used!

Also, in addition to St Moriz (which I will be reviewing along with several million other people!), which other brangs would you like to see reviewed, and which would you recommend? Drugstore or high end - if you like it let me know!!!

MizzWorthy x