Project Farewell Casper - St Moriz Dark Instant Self Tanning Mousse

I recently introduced you ladies to my new blog series, Project Farewell Casper, in which I share with you my self tanning adventures. My first post was about XEN-TAN Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan and as much as I love it because it provides a natural tan that lasts more than a week, I was looking to achieve a deeper tan so when I learned through Kristelle that St Moriz - a popular brand of super affordable self tan products among UK bloggers - was actually available on Amazon, I decided to jump on the bandwagon.

As far as I know, St Moriz is absolutely impossible to find in Canada, but I managed to find two websites who are willing to sell and ship these products to Canada at a reasonable price, Blush Cosmetics and Cosmetics Factory. Both have an Amazon store and I decided to order from Blush Cosmetics because the shipping fees were lower than on their website - $3.99 for three bottles of St Moriz Dark Instant Self Tanning Mousse, which were $7.90 each, for a total of $26.40. I was also really surprised to receive my package in only three days because usually, shipping from the UK takes forever!

My items were nicely packed in a box protected with foam, completed with a 10% coupon code for my next order on Blush Cosmetics website.

On the opposite of XEN-TAN Deep Bronze, St Moriz's scent is not what I would call pleasant altough from what I have read on blogs, I thought it would be worse - I guess it's just the typical fake tan scent, that does not go away until I shower.

St Moriz has a gorgeous dark golden brown guide color which makes it easy to see exactly where the product goes - although I'm still able to apply it streaky and patchy with occasional weird residues on my arms and chest (?!) even though I make sure to exfoliate beforehand, but I blame this on the fact that I'm still a newbie and also maybe because I apply it with gloves instead of a tanning mitt. The foam is really nice, it's lightweight, non-sticky and it dries fairly quickly - I don't really mind this anyway because I like to apply self tan after my shower at night and then put on dark clothes before going to bed.

L - R: Before and after

A word of warning though - please don't apply St Moriz Dark with your bare hands because it stains really bad! I wish I had a picture to show you, but even after scrubbing and scrubbing my hands, they were still orange and on my patches of eczema... it was an horrendous dark brown! Also, even though I waited around four hours before going to bed, in the morning, I found my pillow and my sheets to be stained orange...

After the so-so instant results of XEN-TAN Deep Bronze, I was expecting to be disappointed by St Moriz Dark as well but no, I was absolutely delighted to see that my skin instantly turned a gorgeous deep brown! When I wake up the next morning, I feel that the tan on my face looks a bit "muddy" so I like to wash it off but I don't wash my body because it's the exact color I wanted - deep golden brown, but never orange!

St Moriz Dark Instant Self Tanning Mousse

I didn't notice St Moriz Dark Instant Self Tanning Mousse being drying on my already parched skin but of course, I apply body lotion in the morning anyway, or even before applying the fake tan if I want a more subtle result. I'm sad to report that my tan fades after only two days even if I make sure to moisture twice a day, and it does fade quite patchy on top of that. I'm not someone who has the patience to re-apply self-tan every two days so often I will simply exfoliate, which helps the tan fades more evenly, and I will re-apply after a week.

I also noticed that after a few uses, the bottle started to leak at the top when I shaked it before use, even with the cap on! Maybe wrap it in an old towel to prevent any mess.

If you live in Canada, I would recommend to get St Moriz Dark Instant Self Tanning Mousse from Amazon via Blush Cosmetics.

Guest Post: The Best Indoor Tanning Lotion For Fair Skin

This post was written by Steve and Jess from Snizzap.com Tanning Lotion Reviews

(image: weheartit)

Lots of people enjoy tanning indoors and most believe you look and feel more attractive with a sun-kissed glow. What many tanners wonder, however, is which tanning bed lotion is the best choice if you have pale
or fair skin?

First, it is important to understand why you need to use a lotion at all. When you tan indoors (or anywhere for that matter) you are subjecting your skin to damaging Ultraviolet (UV) rays, and without preparing your body for this exposure you put yourself at a higher risk for dry, red, itchy skin or a variety of health conditions. Lotions manufactured for use in tanning beds contain special ingredients that harness the power of the UV light to enhance your color and help protect and nourish your skin to keep it moisturized and healthy.

Most of the top rated lotions sold in salons, however, contain added bronzer or tingle ingredients in their formulas that are best used by someone who already has somewhat of a base tan. If you are new to
tanning, or have very fair skin, intense bronzers can possibly cause your color to streak or be too orangey, or they may make you get too dark too fast which might seem unnatural. Lotions with added tinglers have been known to cause reddening or itching of the skin in some tanners, so those are best left to try after you have some color and understand how tanning is affecting your body.

(image: weheartit)

Any lotion that does not contain bronzer or tingle ingredients is a safe bet for newbies, but there are a variety of lotions marketed directly to this group. These products will have the phrases "Step 1", "Base Tan Builder" or "Accelerator" in their names, and they are generally the ones made for people who are just starting out in tanning beds and need to develop a base before moving up to the more advanced lotions.

Another very important thing to consider is how long you spend in the tanning bed your first few sessions, and at what level you're starting out at. Most salons will have lower and upper-tier beds to choose from. If your salon has options, the higher level beds tend to burn less and brown more than the lower level models. They'll probably be more expensive, but if you're serious about getting a natural glow you might want to spend the extra money. As far as how long your sessions should be, in the very beginning you should spend no more than about 5 minutes inside the bed. You should also not go tanning more often than once every few days, this will prevent you from turning red or burning. Once your body gets used to the routine you can slowly increase the length of your sessions, up to a maximum of about 12-15 minutes.

These tips will help you get a sexy dark glow while avoiding the common issues people encounter when tanning like dry, red or damaged skin.

(image: weheartit)

Interested in being a guest blogger? Please let me know!