Maybe it's the fact that I generally look slightly Casper the ghost/Corpse-like in the cooler months, or maybe it's the inner TOWIE in me (working on the show for a year has surely got to rub off in some capacity, right?) but I do love a good tan. It makes you look more toned, it gives you a healthy glow, and coming from someone who has only ever been to the gym once - for an induction day which I never followed up on #Slob - and lives off of Indian takeaways, that's pretty good going I'd say.
Which is why when I was contacted by the lovely people behind LDN: Skins to see whether I wanted to test out one of their products, I jumped at the chance. Now, considering I came back from Dubai little over a week ago - oh bore off love, would you give it a rest about Dubai... - I definitely wasn't in the market for a full on a fake tan, but a lovely deep glow that washes off allowing you to glam up for special occasions and swiftly eradicate all evidence with a simple shower - yep, I'm all for it.
As you can see I was sent Shade 3 of the instant tan which is the perfect colour for those who love a deep - but natural - olive glow. So let's get back to basics shall we?
Starting with the foaming exfoliator. I like this product a lot. Having just returned from Dubai I already had a natural tan, but I did start exfoliating right away to keep my tan as even as possible. It's a very liquid exfoliator and the exfoliating particles themselves are actually very fine. This means that it's very gentle and lets you get a good exfoliation without looking like you've been going at your skin with sand paper. (You know, because obviously some people do... *insert seriously confused emoji here*) It ultimately did a great job of prepping my skin pre-tan.
Let's fast forward to the most exciting part, the actual tan itself. As I mentioned above, I received Tone 3 which is actually an Instant/Wash off tan. So let's start with application. One thing to note is that is is extremely liquidy and if you're not ready for this, it may cause a bit of a mess if it runs off the mitt. Not a major problem, more of a tip I guess - because I'm here for all those important things in life people, all of the import things :) - Apart from that, it's actually quite easy to apply. It blends well and is relatively easy to spread around the skin. You do need to blend quickly to avoid it going patchy/streaky but I think that's pretty standard for all liquid tans. As it's an instant tan it obviously goes on tinted (...duh) which also makes it easier to apply.
Next up on the tick list - drying time. I was so impressed with the drying time of this product, within 1 minute of applying the tan, it already felt like it had dried enough to put my clothes back on but for the sake of testing the product - and my poor mum who would end up washing tan-stained clothes - I left it for 5 minutes and by that time it was completely dry. A completely non tacky, fast drying tan that's easy to apply, a big thumbs up from me.
Last but definitely not least, what was the colour like? I hear you all ask. Well, on a scale of Oompa Loompa to Victoria's Secret model - a contender for the worlds most ridiculous sentence right there, non? - I am pleased to say that it turned out to be a lovely olive brown, bronzed - but natural, and nowhere near as orange as the photo's allude (apologies again for that) - colour. It's definitely a deep colour but unfortunately as I'm already tanned it was hard to show this on camera. It also kept the colour really well and lasted throughout the day, what more can you ask for? (apart from to actually be a Victoria's Secret model, obviously...)
The final product in my newly acquired self tan arson is the LDN:SKINS moisturising lotion. Now, this product is actually marketed as a lotion to use on tricky areas to tan ie. knees, elbows etc. and post tan to keep it as long as possible. As you'll know by now I actually received a wash off tan so I don't know how effective the lotion actually is at prolonging their self tan, however I have been using it on my natural tan and so far, so good. It's a really nice, basic lotion... it's not overly moisturising - as that would make tanning over the top quite difficult - but it's nice, it does the trick.
Would I repurchase it? At £12.95, no I wouldn't, purely based on the fact I have a trillion and one body moisturisers that I won't even use up if I live to 100 years old, so for me it definitely isn't necessary, but if you haven't got a collection of moisturisers/lotions as ridiculous as mine and want to prolong your fake tan then yes, I'd recommend trying it.
On the subject of repurchasing I guess this is a good time to conclude/wrap it up/end my waffling, so - would I repurchase the exfoliator, £13.75? I would have to say no. Again though, this is because I have far too many exfoliators as it is, it definitely isn't because I'm not a fan of this product because I am. A big fan actually. So go and check it out :)
Would I repurchase the Instant Tan, Tone 3? Yes. At £24 it's definitely at the pricier end of the market but it is really effective (especially if you're a busy bee and don't have long to wait around for the tan to dry) and I highly recommend it!
So there you have it, my utter shite, waffling, rambling thoughts of the LDN:SKINS exfoliator, lotion and self tan trio. What I would love to know, is if you have any tanning recommendations? Or have you tried this and written a review yourself? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
As always, thank you so much reading. See you in the next post which I promise I will get my arse in gear to make sure it's an outfit one :) Have a lovely day!
xx
Labels: Beauty, Fake Tan, LDN SKINS, Skincare
