I’m sure by now, you’re all aware just how much I love fake tan. I practically bathe in the stuff. I have a specific day for tanning and a specific day for exfoliating (or scrubbing the old stuff off). I’m a much more confident person when I’m tanned, I look healthier, I feel healthier and all of my clothes look better on when I’m bronzed.
I’m a loyal tanner, I’ve stuck to my usual brand for as long as I can remember. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Until now.
I’d heard about Skinny Tan through Facebook (the company has also appeared on the TV show Dragons Den). I’d seen a page on my timeline pop up advertising the brand. This looks interesting I thought, Skinny Tan? Really? I’m all ears (or eyes).
I contacted the company to see if they would like me to test the product and write a review on my experience. They were up for this and prompt sent me a tester pack which I received the following day. Good service!
I tried the product (7 Day Tanner) last Tuesday 9th September. I had prepped my body as I usually do when I tan (on a weekly basis, without fail). I had exfoliated and shaved the day before and I always apply moisturiser to dry parts like knees, elbows, arm pits etc. It prevents the tan from sticking to these areas too much I find.
Skinny Tan had provided me with a really soft, luxurious mitt to apply the tan with. I used to use gloves religiously but decided to revert back to the mitt last month and haven’t looked back since. It makes applying the tan that much easier and I think it improves the overall look of the tan too. I always use gloves underneath as I’m yet to find a tanning mitt that stops the product from seeping through the mitt and onto your bare hands. Not a good look if this happens I can tell you.
So, on to the application itself. Skinny Tan is a lotion and I’m used to mousse. I’ll be honest, I did find the application a little more laborious than I find it usually. I was concerned that as I was applying it, I was also rubbing it off. It looked slightly streaky during the application process. It took me longer to apply this product, perhaps that’s because I felt I needed to be extra careful as I hadn’t used it before.
The smell, I must write about the smell. It is LUSH. It has a coconut whiff to it, as I was applying it, my mouth was watering. I was imagining chowing down on a Peshwari naan bread after I’d finished tanning! My usual tanning product doesn’t have an offensive smell whatsoever but the smell of Skinny Tan is certainly a welcome addition!
Once I had applied, I had a good look at myself in the mirror (never an enjoyable task it has to be said), the tan looked good. I wasn’t orange (obviously it’s not the finished article until I’ve washed it off) and it didn’t look as streaky as I had previously feared. Skinny Tan advises you to leave the product to develop for a minimum of 5 hours before you can wash it off. I applied the tan at 6pm on the Tuesday evening, with the intention of washing it off when I woke up the following morning. This is what I usually do. Yes, my sheets look appalling. Yes, my other half moans every week. Yes, you can definitely tell which side of the bed I sleep on.
Wednesday morning soon comes and it’s time to see how I look. I’m nervous. Am I going to be going to work looking like an Oompa Loompa? Am I going to be horrendously streaky? No is the answer. I’m pleased to report the tan looked great. It didn’t look obvious, it wasn’t streaky and let me tell you what the best bit is; it didn’t leave any stains on my bedding. You would not have been able to tell that I had spent the previous night applying fake tan to my body ahead of going to bed. I was impressed, I have never had this with a tanning product before. Every self tan I have ever used has always left its tell tale signs behind on my bed!
Usually, after I’ve washed the fake tan off I apply a moisturiser to my body every day after getting out of the shower. I find this keeps the tan looking fresh and stops it from getting patchy over the coming days. Skinny Tan had sent me their After Glow product to try. One thing I will say about the product is; it’s slightly greasy. It left my skin feeling a little oily, however, it certainly made a difference to my tan. Over the coming days it didn’t go patchy at all, my tan faded quite nicely until it came to my exfoliating day, when I scrub my tan off and start over again. The tan scrubbed off quite nicely, it didn’t take much effort at all.
All in all, I’m impressed with Skinny Tan and I’m glad I tried it. I’m not sure I’d use it all the time, due to the cost (£26.99 if you’re wondering), it’s considerably more expensive than my usual fake tan. However, I had a few compliments on my tan throughout the week I had it, I put this down to it looking really quite natural. I’d certainly use Skinny Tan again (if I’m feeling particularly flush with the cash) and I’d recommend it to any other fake tan lovers out there.
If i shower every day (which i do) wont the skinny tan wash off?