Lauren's Way Darker Than Dark Lotion Review, Before and After

Now that summer is over and my tan has officially faded I thought I'd get back into the self tanning routine. Instead of going back to my old favourites, I thought I'd try something new. The Lauren's Way range has been created by Lauren Goodger from Towie. Immediately I thought of "orange" and I know you *probably* are too. I thought I'd give it a go anyway and instead of ordering the full size lotion, I opted for the starter set. 

The kit comes with the self tanning bronzing lotion in darker than dark, a tan enhancing moisturiser, glam tan, body polish and a tanning mitt.

I done the pre-tanning routine as I'm sure you know if you're reading this. I put a little moisturiser on the dry areas and also on my hands and then applied the tan using the provided mitt in circular motions on my body. The initial colour guard is scary looking - it looks black/green but it's what you want to apply it evenly. It dries really nicely - not too fast yet not slow that it leaves a sticky feeling meaning you have to wait ages before getting dressed. I applied three layers and then went to bed.

In the morning I woke up with the best deep bronze colour. No streaks and perfectly even, despite three layers which I did at 12.30am when I was half asleep. After I washed it off in the morning I was left with the colour below. It a deep brown with olive undertones which makes it really natural looking compared to others with a neutral undertone. And so much darker than I was before. Muy bien!

So far, I've worn it for five days without adding any more layers and it's faded really nicely. I've still got  colour - not as intense as the first few days, obviously - yet still looking like I've been on holiday. 

Any negatives? Yes it does smell like fake tan. Burnt cookies, you know the scent. Yet it's not as strong as any other tans I've tried which is a plus and the smell fades after a day. I don't recommend putting this on your face. It doesn't say you can't but as it's a quite thick lotion, it could possibly clog your pores up. I've fake tanned my face and it wasn't pretty - just use a darker foundation or add lots of bronzer.

I'm really impressed with this product. Definitely don't discard trying it because of the Towie branding, Lauren definitely knows how to create the perfect tan. I've just checked the website and their are so many other variations such as mousses, sprays and different shades to suit everyone.

I think this has become my new favourite self tanner and I have just placed my order for the full size :)

St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser in Medium/Dark

St Tropez Gradual Tan, £12.50

Two weeks ago I purchased the St Tropez Luminous Glow gift set from Feel Unique. I thought that £25.50 was a reasonable price for what you get: their infamous gradual tanner in medium/dark; the gradual face tan and the rose skin illuminator. All of which full size, can I just say! As soon as it arrived (two days later, gotta love their services) I instantly applied. After doing the "pre-tan" rituals, of course.

The last time I reviewed a gradual tanner I forgot to take a 'before' image. I didn't forget this time. I took a picture the evening I applied it and waited. The next day nothing happened, so I applied another layer. Big mistake. The colour I applied the previous night was just settling in so when I applied the second layer the areas I accidentally missed out were extremely obvious and streaky. I whipped out my tan remover and all was good.

On the third day I surprised at the colour; it looked very natural and holiday-esque.

Before and after. I always wear my white watch so show the colour.

Any fake tan application is difficult, especially if you haven't done it many times before. Having a colour guide makes it 10 times more easier to control where your putting the product. All of the gradual tanners by St Tropez are clear which is a pain because you don't know where your putting it! However, the good thing about the St Tropez line is that if you go over the same spot twice, it doesn't matter and isn't noticeable. You only start getting issues when you miss out areas! In addition, most people hate the smell of gradual tanners. I am one of those people. The smell initially was nice, but the day after was horrendous. It's been two days since I last applied it and thankfully the fake tan smell has disappeared.

I picked up the medium/dark option even though I'm pale. To be honest, I think if I chose the light/medium option I wouldn't see a difference in colour. Bare that in mind.

So here are my overall thoughts on this product...

Pros:

• Luxurious moisturiser as well as a tanner
• Doesn't take that long for colour to show
• Adapts to skin tone
• Reasonable price

Cons:

• Despite getting a 200ml bottle, it seems to go very quickly!
• After application, it has the fake tan smell
• Can make your hands go orange if not washed properly afterwards or isn't applied whilst wearing gloves or an applicator
• No colour guide

I hope this was useful to some!

Suzanna x