You know, sometimes, enough is enough - well, that's it, I can't bare with my pasty skin anymore. It's not that I'm as white as Casper - despite my attempt at a funny title - it's just that I think my skin lacks that healthy glow which is easily achievable with a tan.
Now, before someone raises the skin cancer issue, please rest assured that I would never recommend baking in the sun unprotected - I have never stepped foot in a tanning bed in all my life and that's not going to change soon - I mean, why pay to damage your skin? I will admit that one of my favorite thing to do in the summer is lounge in the sun, but I would never skip sunscreen - I try to wear an SPF of 30 at least.
What bugs me is that even if I lounge all day in the sun in the summer, I only ever get the slightest hint of a tan, which drives me absolutely crazy, so I figured out I could use a little help, and that's why Project Farewell Casper was created. This is meant to be a little series in which I will share my fake tan experiences with you.
I have chosen to start this project with XEN-TAN Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan because despite having tried very few self tanners before, none of them gave me amazing results such as this one - but more on the negative experiences in another post.
I got XEN-TAN Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan from Apothica.com on a whim because I had to use my gift card before it expired and I thought, why not treat myself to a high end self tanner? $26.00 for 5 FL. OZ / 148 ml is more than I will ever pay for a fake tan, but I figured out that if I did not work out, at least I would not have wasted "real" money on it.
The first thing I noticed about this product was, of course, its scent. Now I don't really care for that "biscuit" smell, as lovely ladies from the UK call it, but XEN-TAN Deep Bronze has a light but heavenly vanilla scent that I was not expecting at all. Of course, this delicious smell disappears when the tan sets, but like I said, I don't really mind.
I love when my fake tans have a guide color, otherwise, I'm 100% to create an absolute mess! XEN-TAN Deep Bronze has a strange greenish-brown color straight from the tube and it goes on fairly sheer, but I'm able to see when I apply it. I love its super light, almost gel-like texture that is very quickly absorbed in the skin. I did not have any problems applying this product with my bare hands as they were not stained - just be sure to thoroughly wash them after tanning.
I am not entirely sure what to think about the instant color claim because I can only see a very slight difference compared with my natural skin color. However, the tan does start to develop after around one or two hour, and in the morning, I'm left with gorgeous bronze skin! I love it so much that I never want to wash off the excess tan but I would recommend to do it because I have found out that this tan does stain anything white you will touch if it's not properly washed off.
L - R: pasty white vs 4-days-old tan
The self tanners I previously used barely turned me yellow, nothing like the natural golden I was expecting, but I was happily surprised with this product! It is actually designed to provide a medium depth self-tan with one application, and I have found this to be true - it's not as dark as I was expecting from the "deep bronze" claim, but it's a beautiful believable tan. The best part for me is that it does last a while - I have never experience a fake tan that was still going strong after three days, but XEN-TAN Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan lasts up to five to seven days when I properly moisturize my skin, and it does not fade patchy at all.
Another great thing? Because it contains moisturizing ingredients such as shea butter, gingko biloba and green tea, XEN-TAN Deep Bronze did not leave my skin feeling dry and itchy, and I did not even feel the need to apply a body lotion after the self tanner.
4 days after application
I have never gotten so many compliments about my tan than I did after using XEN-TAN Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan! Seriously, the day after I used this product, my coworkers asked me where I had gone for the week-end to look so tanned and that it suited me really well.
Overall, yes this fake tan is on the pricey side, but because I only need to re-apply once a week, I feel it will last me a long time. I can't wait to try more XEN-TAN products - I think I might get the Deep Bronze Luxe next time, which promises a dark tan.
Overall, yes this fake tan is on the pricey side, but because I only need to re-apply once a week, I feel it will last me a long time. I can't wait to try more XEN-TAN products - I think I might get the Deep Bronze Luxe next time, which promises a dark tan.
XEN-TAN Deep Bronze Instant Self-Tan is available at Apothica.com for $26.00 for 5 FL. OZ / 148 ml.
