MissBudgetBeauty: St Tropez

Over the past few weeks I've been trialling the many fake tan products I have in my cupboard and will be sharing them all individually this month before hitting you with a monster tan post where I unveil my top picks, hopefully in time for some nicer weather.

First up is the St Tropez Gradual Tans for body and face. This is one of the only facial tanners I have and I've been wearing it with other tans I've tried so I feel fairly confident about reviewing it for you guys.

I decided since I was going to be trialling so many versions I would devise a marking scheme to ensure I was looking for the same things in each product . I will be looking at application, colour, longevity, wear and scent!

Application

As you'd expect with a gradual tanner this is a lotion formula. Great for drier skin types but be prepared to stand around a while waiting for it to dry. I think gradual tanners across the board have this same problem, it's easy to smudge before it's developed leaving you with a less than perfect streaky finish (see above). Other than that it wasn't unpleasant, it just doesn't really set on the skin. The facial tanner would be the same but I personally find it easy to keep my face clear long enough for the lotion to do it's stuff.

Colour

This might be one of the best I've tried for a natural colour. It's generally accepted that St Tropez develops in to the least orangey looking tan but it's going to be different from skin tone to skin tone of course. Although this is a gradual tan the medium/dark formula gives me as much colour as I would expect from a regular self tanner in one application.

Longevity

One application with no top ups lasted around 3 to 4 days and that's with daily exfoliation.. I was actually trying to get it to fade faster as it was pretty streaky on my arms so if you wanted to prolong it I reckon you could push to a week with the right care.

Wear

It wore off nicely but again I was exfoliating daily.. there was no patchiness (other than from the initial application) and had I been 100% happy with the finish I'd achieved I'm sure it would have looked very natural fr the duration.

Scent

The trademark fake tan smell is present after about an hour of applying but once you've showered (after the tan has developed) it's not noticeable.. I find as you sweat the scent returns so providing you shower daily you shouldn't have a big issue.

Summary

The finish I achieved was streaky but that's 99% application. I always apply gradual tan with my hands which are notorious for creating streaks in your tan, had I used a tanning mit I'm sure I could have avoided them. The colour and wear were really nice and it's really hydrating for a tanning lotion.

Would I Repurchase?

Yes, but I'd consider the Light - Medium shade for a less dramatic difference in skin tone. I've only use its 3 times in all but I think I have 3 or 4 applications left in the bottle and the facial tanner could last even longer so it's pretty good value for money dependent on where you purchase from. The cheapest stockist I've found is Beauty Bay where each is currently £9.80 but there are so many deals, shop around and make sure you get the best one at the time. I believe Boots are currently running buy one get one half off also.