Like a lot of girls I love a good tan. Im forever on the hunt for new products that are going to give me a deep tan with as little hassle as possible. As you can probably imagine, this has led to a a few dodgy products being tested and I've been every shade of orange over the years. There has been some little treasures along the way but the road to finding the perfect faux glow has been a rocky one with so many failing to live up to expectations.
Loving Tan is an Australian brand and seems to be dominating the "My Fake Tan Routine" videos on youtube lately, (yes, I love fake tan that much that I spend my time watching other people do theirs!) and being the green eyed little consumer that I am, I set out to find where I could get me a bottle of this liquid gold! Fast forward 3 days and my well travelled package landed into my pasty little hands. I opted for the Ultra Dark formula as like I said before, I love to be very dark, but there are shades to suit everybody's preferences on the website. Quick side note but if you are in the UK I 100% recommend purchasing through Princess Polly, I can't believe my parcel arrived in the UK so quickly, after being shipped from Australia.
Loving Tan
One of the things about Loving Tan that initially caught my eye was the fact that it contains Erythrulose, this is an ingredient that helps to banish orange tones, leading to a natural olive tan. Also, many other self tanners contain around 3-5% DHA, Loving Tan Ultra Dark boasts a massive 13%. This is so exciting to me, DHA is the active ingredient that tans need to develop so the higher the percentage the deeper the tan. And lets be honest the most obvious attraction is the packaging. Who wouldn't want that pretty pink and white bottle sat on their dressing table?
Pre Tan Prep
Preparation is key to getting a good even tan. So prior to applying I jump in the shower to defuzz & exfoliate. Paying close attention to areas that the tan tends to cling to, the ankles, knees, elbows & underarms. I always like to wait for at least an hour after I've showered before I start the application, the heat of the shower causes our pores to open, so I like to give them time to close over again to prevent the tan from sinking into the pores and making my legs look like speckled eggs.
Application
Before I start, I like to I completely cover my hands & feet with a lightweight body lotion and apply a thin layer to the areas I previously mentioned. This stops too much tan clinging to these areas & developing darker than everywhere else. I apply around 2-3 pumps of tan per limp and buff it in using a mitt, leaving my hands free of tan until later. To get a better control of the product, I use a buffing brush to really work the tan into my face, neck & hands. I personally like to apply a second coat to my legs, arms & chest once the first is dry but that's down to personal preference. After giving myself a few minutes to dry I throw on some loose fitting pj's and hop into bed.
Results
Waking up the next morning I was quite alarmed at how dark the tan actually was, especially on my face. But after a quick rinse in the shower, I was left with a beautifully even tan. I didn't use any products at this point, allowing the water to rinse off the guide colour which came off nice and easy. With a lot of other self tanners, I feel that I have to repeat the process the following night but with Loving Tan Ultra Dark, one application was enough to give me a lovely natural yet deep colour. Another major bonus for me was the scent, most fake tans have a really distinct odour where as this particular product is very pleasantly fragranced and smells quite sweet. Now it is early days but I do feel like this could be my new holy grail tanner. Even the fact that I have to order it from Australia doesn't put me off as the shipping was so quick it's probably the same as ordering from a UK website. I really want to try Loving Tans 2 hour express tan next, the idea of only having to wait two hours for my tan to develop sounds like pure heaven to me!! I would love to know your opinions in the comments.
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