I am not a beauty expert and I don’t normally write about beauty products but I wanted to share a beauty experiment I tried on the advice and encouragement of a friend who has helped me with finding a fake tan product I can use without ending up looking like an umpa lumpa. This is for anyone afraid of having a go at using a fake tan because they think their skin is just too pale, the contrast will be too great or they have seen too many bad examples of streaky girls to join the club.
My friend who is a fake tan expert, has been tanned ever since we met, come rain or shine, in the dead of the UK winter she always looks like she has just returned from two weeks in Barbados.
Me on the other hand you’d describe as pale and interesting although with no holiday escape to the sun booked I decided to have a go with a gradual tanning product recommended by my friend.
She has given me two, Effn and James Read sleep mask body tan. And recommended I purchase when budget allows Awesome Bronze Daily Self Tanning Lotion from Beauty Pie currently on sale at £25 and £15 if you are a member. If you buy a lot of beauty products she assures me the savings on a beauty pie £59 per year membership is well worth it.
I haven’t tried this one yet but my friend tells me of all her recommendations this is her favourite. I guess why she was able to gift me the other two.
So here are my findings for very pale skin. I tried the James Read sleep mask body tan initially to retain a natural tan and it worked really well. It was a gradual build up and extended the life of my natural tan for a good couple of months.
However when I tried to use it on really pale skin, the results weren’t so great. It did come out a little bit orange, I was putting it on super pale skin remember. The coverage is better than fake tans I have tried in the past and there wasn’t the usual build up around the ankles and knees, I did exfoliate pretty well before application and I did use a mitt to protect my hands.
On top of a natural tan I give the James Read product 9/10. On my natural skin 5/10.
The pluses were no terrible smell and it didn’t come off on my clothes or sheets.
The Effn Tanning Serume Medium Dark Honey an Ultra Dark Caramel colour which also comes in two other darker shades too, ultra dark mocha and dark maple at £23.99 in Superdrug, £28.00 on the Effn website, was better even on untanned super pale skin. It’s available in Superdrug in the UK.
The packaging is really nice, a muted nude tube with a lovely feel to it before you even start. This self tan is also vegan, cruelty free and states never tested in animals.
The best thing about this one it literally smells of absolutely nothing, completely fragrance free.
Because it states medium ultra dark caramel on the tube I was very cautious starting with a small amount evenly distributed and well rubbed it. It went on very smoothly, left no residue and I was able to build it up over a few days, again I didn’t have the knee and ankle build up although because I am pale and I didn’t put it on my face the difference between body and face was a bit noticeable so probably a little bit dark for me, even with only a couple of applications. I really liked it though, easy to apply, moisturising, no smell, a big one for me and did build up over time.
If the shade was a bit lighter or I was a bit tanned I would probably choose Effn over James Read for the end results and overall ease of application and moisturised feeling on untanned pale skin.
I have asked my friend to get me the Beauty Pie Awesome Bronze Daily Self Tanning Lotion to try when she next orders because at £15 member price I thought it was worth having a go although she tells me it’s the mousse that comes in a hairspray like bottle she prefers over all the others, sadly currently out of stock but when it comes back it should work out the best value and best overall result for me.
Great news, it’s called Beauty Pie Awesome Bronze Self Tanning Mousse and I’ve bought three boxes for £25 in total. A great steal on Vinted. One for me, one for my neighbour and one for my friend who has given all the advice and her two other products, the Effn and the James Read to try.