Hats (and scarves... and gloves...) off to anyone who's got any kind of fake tanning routine on the go at the moment - to be honest, it's just a bit too Arctic for me to be standing around in the nip for even a little every couple of days gradual self-tan action. And while I don't mind being slightly blue on a day-to-day basis, instant tanners are being called into action when it comes to prepping for nights out.
Yes, yes - hideously unfashionable to be using self-tan in any incarnation. I know. But I can't stretch to a bottle of MAC Face + Body just at the minute and I feckin' need something to do away with the Mullingar corned beef look for public flesh flashing.
The Contenders
Two instant tans I've been using lately: St. Tropez Instant Glow Mousse and ModelCo Body Meringue Bronze Glow. (I'm a sucker for the word "glow", so I am.) The
Application & Colour
I used a mitt to apply both and found that they went on fine, being tinted mousses, although you get a bit more play time with the ModelCo product to make sure everything is nice and even and streak-free. Both claim to be suitable for any and all skin tones, but St. Tropez is quite a bit darker, giving more of an olive colour compared to the golden of the ModelCo. The St. Tropez tan gives a matte finish, which is grand, but there's a delicate golden shimmer in ModelCo's offering which is deeevine. It also fares better on the smell front, being slightly sugary scented.
There's quite a bit of colour transfer from the pair of them, even waiting longer than the recommended 10 minutes before dressing. Don't expect to be able to wear your favourite white anythings with these boyos.
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Wear & Removal
St. Tropez says it will wash off with soap and water. Grand job. However, ModelCo isn't quite as up-front about its staying credentials. In fact, it apparently contains a gradual tanner, but this has never materialised on my (pale) skin. I even performed a patch test just to be sure I wasn't going completely mad, but the gradual tan was a no show.
Both, as far as I'm concerned, are wash-off instant tans, and that's exactly how they behave. Hands will be back to their non-tanned selves with the first wash, although at least St. Tropez's mousse does actually require soap to be banished from skin. ModelCo, by contrast, is a total water wuss and vanishes at the first hint of the wet stuff. Bah!
The Verdict
In theory, instant tans are a brilliant quick fix. Colour is instant, so there's less opportunity for winding up with streaky or patchy limbs than with gradual tanners. By the same token, colour can be built up for intensity if desired. It's all very what you see is what you get.
I do find that the annoyance of white hands and clothes ruination almost outweigh the benefits, though. If someone held a gun to my head and my next mascara fix depended on it, I'd probably plump for ModelCo's mousse for its golden colour and shimmer and the extended play time (and not just because of the "meringue" in its name. Mmmm...)
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Provided the farming forecast had guaranteed no precipitation when I was wearing it, and I was off to a venue that was unlikely to house any pint-spilling maniacs, like.
