Ladies and gentlemen, we've discovered a couple of great gradual tanners for our summer bods, (mine mostly resembles a cinnamon role at this point, but that's okay) and so I decided to delve into new realms. The face tan. Tanner of the face. Bronzer of the cheeks...You get the idea. With most fake tans I've tried, I found that they weren't quite suited for the face. Sure, they matched the glowing bronze of the rest of my body, but something about the formulas made them sink into my pores and stick to dry patches. I wanted a fake tan for my face I could wear without makeup, one that would bronze up my face in a natural-looking way without the weird patches. And so I went straight to the Beauty Bay website and found, well, a lot of options. Too many options for a novice to decide, and so I trusted the reviewers and found that the Tan-Luxe The Face drops were being raved about. So I selected the Light-Medium (I've learnt my lesson), parted with 15 well-earned Stirling pounds, and I waited the one day for delivery because I'm impatient. Here's how I got on:
Day One
Rips open Beauty Bay package. Tosses other items aside (new post on that coming soon). Finds Tan-Luxe box. And no. Surely it's not that small. Checks invoice. Have purchased the 'travel size' bottle. £15 for a bottle no bigger than my thumb. Uncool. Hope to Christ the reviews are right. Website suggests applying 1-3 drops with a face serum or moisturiser. I apply with my Lacura anti-age serum as it seems to match the consistency of the tan best. Use 2 drops for entire face, smack bang in the middle. Still fuming at the bottle size. Throw packing out in fit of rage as I rub the products in. Wash hands well as suggested. Wait 10 minutes for products to dry before applying makeup. Now wait to be golden and glowing.
Day Two
Removed makeup last night after a late shift but was too tired to check for results. Woke up today with a golden face and a streak on my hands. Woops. Definitely wash hands more thoroughly next time (had to spell check 'thoroughly' there...am I okay?). Pretty pleased with the results. Even finish, no patches or weird dry spots. Hasn't broken me out like lots of new face products do. Happy days. Have to say the 'fragrance free' claims are a load of bull. Definitely smells pretty strongly of fake tan, but it's nothing a layer of moisturiser and a facial spray can't fix (my current fave is the Revolution Hyaluronic Acid Spray) Ditch the foundation for the day and apply a light layer of concealer to my under-eyes, a sweep of eyeshadow and a dash of highlighter to the cheeks and I'm out the door. Halved my makeup time and I still feel confident.
Final Thoughts
So after one application, the drops lasted about 3-4 days before going patchy, meaning my face went half a week without foundation for the first time since I discovered the skin-coloured liquid. The light-medium bottle was pretty dark compared to my natural skin tone (which, for reference, is ghost white), but once I blended it down my neck, the colour wasn't too crazy. But definitely don't go for dark if you're anywhere near as pale as me cause that stuff will OXIDISE like a mofo. On the plus side, it didn't sink into my pores and actually had a pretty blurring effect on my skin. Did some research and discovered the normal bottle (30ml) retails for £24.50 on the Beauty Bay website so I may repurchase when I run out, which will probably be pretty soon. I loved the confidence it gave me and how quick my morning routine became, which is pretty handy when you're working more than usual and just don't have the time to apply a full face every day. I got lots of compliments on it and some people said it looked more like a BB cream than a tan because of the coverage, however it is so much more light weight than any cream. It doesn't feel like there's anything on your face. The one thing I did notice during the days without makeup was how much more moisturiser I used when I didn't have a foundation making me oily throughout the day. For the sake of my skin, I should probably go bare-faced more often to let it breath and prevent all the oils. All in all, I'd say the Tan-Luxe The Tan was a pretty good start to my face tanning experiences, but now I'm on the hunt for a cheaper dupe. Always looking for a bargain. Until next time, friends!
Where to bUY
Beauty Bay - £24.50 for 30ml