Like every girl I enjoy having an even, streak-free tan and as I am quite prone to sunburn, I usually have to resort to the fake kind. For years I have been using gradual tanners by Johnsons, Garnier and Dove but I hated waiting a week or so for the results. So about a year ago I was in my local
Savers and spotted the brand
St Moriz. I heard about this brand before on YouTube being comparable to other self tanners such as St Tropez which is worth around £20, so for
£2.99 I thought I would give it a go! Ever since then this has been my go-to fake tanner. I love it so much, I'm on about my 4th or 5th bottle!
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| St Moriz Instant Self Tanner Mist £2.99 - £4.99 (depending on which store) |
Product line
I use the
spray/ mist version of this product but there is also a mousse (
medium and
dark) and
lotion which, like the spray, develop your tan. There is also a
souffle which is designed to boost your tan and give your body a shimmery glow. Finally there is also a shimmery
dark bronzing powder.
Features
Now, I've only ever used the spray/ mist version of this line so I cannot speak on behalf of the other products. The mist has a tint of green to the tanning product which means when it has developed, it will not be a horrible shade of orange but a natural tan colour. I wasn't expecting this from a product that's so cheap but it really does make this feel like a high end tanner! This is also one way it can be comparable to the St Tropez line as their products (as well as looking similar) also have this green tint.
The tanner is also fragranced, so when you spray it onto your skin it smells quite fresh but at the same time has an undertone smell of the good old biscuit. I'm not fussed about the fake-tan-biscuit smell so I am quite happy with the smell of this self tanner.
Application
Also, St Moriz spray tanner is so easy to apply. The spray device is designed so that you can hold the product upside down and it will still disperse the product. This means hard to reach places like your back and legs are easier to tan. Also, as the product comes out really dark it provides you with a guide line colour so you can see where you have applied the tan which allows you to create a more even outcome. I apply the fake tan directly onto my skin and buff it in with my tanning mitt (sorry I can't remember the brand but I also got this from Savers for £1 and it also comes with 2 black latex gloves - bargain!). This is then washed off about 6-8 hours later to reveal your actual tan!
How long it lasts
I usually apply 2 or 3 coats of the tanner over a 3 to 5 day period. This allows me to build up a good tan
which can last up to a week at the most if I moisturise regularly.
Because I went to a wedding on Friday 20th this gives me a great opportunity to actually show you the product at work!
When I am in the shower I use my
Dirty Works Buff Your Stuff body exfoliator (featured in my
June Favourite's post) to get rid of any dry skin which will allow my tan to last longer. If I need to I will also use the white exfoliating side to the tanning mitt on my elbows and knees. Then i will moisturise using my
Garnier Intensive 7 Days Replenishing Lotion (featured in my
June Favourite's post) where ever I am putting the tanner and focusing on my elbows, hands, knees and feet.
I then apply my tan. I work on one part of my body at a time, first my arms and then my legs in this case. I spray the tan in long lines so that it covers the front, back and side sections to my arm or leg. Don't forget to tan the tops of your hand and feet! Make sure you spray it about 6 inches away from your body and spray it at an even pace. Don't worry about the fact it comes out
extremely dark as you will be buffing this in and washing it off later on. I then buff this in with the brown soft side to the tanning mitt. The whole process takes around 15 to 20 minutes. I then leave my tan for about 8 hours then wash it off in the shower before bed.
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| * Topside of my arm before tan | Underside of my arm before tan |
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| * Topside of my arm around 5 minutes after application | Underside of my arm around 5 minutes after application |
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Because I applied this tanner about 3PM it meant that there was no daylight when I was washing it off. Because of this I haven't taken a photo of what it looks like at this stage as the lighting will not give you a true indication of what it looks like before you wash it off. All that happens is that the tan will go darker and again, don't worry about this as you will be washing this off.
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| * Topside of my arm the morning after washing the tan off | Underside of my arm the morning after washing the tan off |
*There is no editing in these photos
As you can see the first layer is quite natural looking so if this is what you wanted you could leave it at this stage.
And there you have an even tan which looks like you used a more expensive product than it actually is! To maintain the tan longer I moisturise twice a day. So overall I think this fake tanner is amazing! It's definitely worth more than £2.99, but I don't mind if it's kept at that price haha! If you are getting bored of gradual tanner then give this product a try and even if this is your first time using an instant tanner it's a great beginner's product as the first layer of tan will not be very dark (unless you use
a lot of product).
I hope you found this review/ application process useful! Which fake tanner do you use?
Amie ♥
