Xen tan dark lotion

I love tanning, all of my body tans really well... apart from my legs. They are whiter than white when the rest of my body is golden; great! The only way i can avoid this is by using fake tan- easy, right? WRONG. Finding the right fake tan is a long and tiring process. Most of the tans i've tried have had something wrong with them whether it be that they make a certain part of my body look awful whilst the other look great (cough Palmers "gradual" tan cough) or streaky. I've been wanting to try Xen tan for a while so when i got sent a bottle i was delighted.

The product has a strong marzipan scent which personally I love but could be a problem for others. The product dried after 2 minutes and developed over 2 hours to create the natural tanned look that can be seen below:

Before

After

I used one pump for the bottom half of my leg and another for the top half, making this 2 pumps per leg. The bottle comes with a large amount of product so will last me a while. I found the product to be really hydrating and make my skin feel really soft.

I would advise you invest in a tanning mitt, i used (this) one, as the product stains your skin if you apply a dollop to a certain part of your body.

Make sure that you exfoliate before to make sure no tan gets stuck around/on the dry skin making it obvious you're wearing fake tan.

Xen tan dark lotion* retails for £23.95 (here). Tan land is my new favourite place to buy fake tan from, they sell high quality fake tan at a lower price than the RRP AND they have free delivery. Win win!

Palmers Cocoa Butter gradual tan

After reading a load of fabulous reviews on this product i decided to pick it up. I read over many blogs that it gives you "a nice subtle glow" so couldn't wait to have this for summer.

May i just start by saying this is the fastest gradual tan around and not at all subtle. I rubbed a small amount all over my body before i went to bed to test whether any of it would rub off on the sheets. None rubbed off on my sheets but i woke up orange. Partly my fault as i completely dismissed the "wash your hands after use" sign on the back of the tube, I figured "hey, this is gradual tan! How much harm can not washing it off my hands instantly?". So. Much. My hands were left a patchy dirty orange colour.

When i used the product on my legs it wasn't particularly streaky but a lot of the product got stuck in my pores which made it extremely obvious i was wearing fake tan. It made my legs so orange that you could even see the orange through my black opaque tights... delightful.

However, it was a completely different story when i used it on my upper body. I was left with a subtle golden glow, absolutely no streaks and no product sinking into my pores.

Overall, i'd avoid using this product on legs and i deeply recommend you wash your hands thoroughly after use. This is a great product to use on your upper body as it leaves a really natural tan whilst moisturising at the same time. The product smells a bit like nutella which i quite like but a few of my friends weren't a fan of the smell. Buy for £5.35 (here).