I like to feel like S&LC is a safe space, so I’m going to confide in you all.
I have very pale skin. Sometimes people comment on it. They say I’m an ‘English rose’ (please), or insist I stay out of the sun. But pssht, this ain’t no secret…. Here’s the real deal; this milky silhouette you see right here? It’s all a facade my friends. It’s a big dirty lie. This is me with tan ALREADY ON.
High five to the small percentage of you nodding your heads with familiarity here. I’ve been using Garnier moisturising tanners for a few years now. Not gonna lie. It’s a royal pain in the backside. I’m a lazy girl and one that doesn’t appreciate any additional steps in routine. But after a few streaky disasters, self tanning products generally terrify me.
Skinny Tan piqued my interest because they promise to hide your cellulite as well as make your skin look fit and brown. If I can still eat a cake and look great then I’m down, so I went to the launch event of their new 1 hour Express Mousse at Farm Girl Cafe in Notting Hill, to investigate further.
Formed in 2012, Skinny Tan are considered one of the UK’s fastest growing tanning brands. If you go into a Superdrug, you’ll have probably seen their products on the shelves. They’re a vegan and cruelty-free brand, using natural tanning actives with smoothing organic oils and firming guarana to tan, contour and reduce the visible appearance of cellulite.
The Express Mousse is the 12th and brand spanking new product in their range. It gives you a light tan in just 1 hour, medium in 2-3, or you can leave it on overnight to go dark. I have a wedding to go to this weekend, so thought I’d take the plunge and try it out. Eek. Here’s what happened….
1. Preparation
This could be where I’ve been going wrong in my lazy tan routine, but it turns out that prep is a VITAL step. Using an exfoliating body scrub or pre-tan primer creates a smooth canvas and help minimise streaks, so I used the Exfoliating Mitt with the Skinny Tan Pre-Tan Primer for the first time and my god, I might just use this every day in the shower everyday anyway – my skin’s never felt so soft!
2. Application
Time for mitt #2, the Dual Tanning Mitt – again something that I wouldn’t usually invest in, but honestly, it was heavenly. I used the Express mouse directly on the mitt and applied over face and body. It felt like ACTUAL velvet, made life 1000x easier, and took no more than 5 minutes.
3. Rinse + Results
So yeah, I chickened out and left it on for just under two hours, in which time I did my nails, watched several episodes of Friends on Comedy Central and also wrote this, so it was all very productive.
When I rinsed it off, there were zero streaks, including hard to reach back areas. It gave a gorgeous warm glow, that was deep, natural and nothing like some of the cheap orange results I’ve got in the past from other products. It looked so natural that I decided to do another arms and leg application for 2 more hours (so 4 hours in total). I’ve never been able to get away with even a medium, let alone medium-dark before so this is a genuine big moment in my life.
Above: before and after (or after and before if you’re viewing on mobile)
I feel like I’ve discovered a celebrity secret here…..I sort of look like I’ve just come back from sunning myself on a nude beach in the Maldives. But most importantly, my skin even doesn’t need an Instagram filter. Life made. Those mitts though….they’re both reusable and I still have tonnes of product left for more applications to use them with. Also, during my development hours, I accidentally sat upon my crisp white bed sheet many a time, and also wore a white dressing gown – both of which have remained white with zero transfer.
The tan claims to last for up to 14 days and will fade gradually with skin, which I calculated would save me at least an hour that I’d usually spend on gradual tanning moisturiser over the course of two weeks! Absolute game changer. I’ll be back for more.
Products used:
Skinny Tan Exfoliating Mitt – £5.99 Superdrug
Skinny Tan Dual Tanning Mitt – £5.99 Superdrug
Skinny Tan Pre-Tan Primer – £9.99 Superdrug
Skinny Tan Express Mousse – £27.99 Superdrug
I like to keep it real (in the least coolest of senses), so all views are my own.
By Holly Earp
Enjoyed reading you're review on this product. Like you my skin is as pale as can be, and never found a self tan that doesn't leave me looking streaky or patchy in places (and I dislike spray tans an won't use sunbeds) so have invested in this myself today to try ready for a friend's wedding this weekend along with the pre tanner, after glow an dual tanning mit. Looking forward to trying them out soon 😊
Glad to hear it Nicola! I'm the same with sunbeds, much prefer to fake it. You'll love the products, they're still my fave. Don't be scared to leave it on overnight either, I do this every time now and it never comes out orange or streaky. Enjoy the wedding!