The St. Tropez Family

I adore being tanned. It sounds so unbelievably shallow and I can't really justify it. That's just the way it is.

I have tried and tested various self tanners over the years, but for some reason never really veered towards St. Tropez. As a student, I mostly stuck to drugstore versions of tanners, as price usually became priority. Although it was the first 'major' tanning brand I had ever heard of in my youth, I took to glossy magazines and drugstores in search for the perfect St. Tropez knockoff without ever giving it a chance. I finally gave in, after years of evasion, and purchased a few products from the brand. Surprise surprise, I took quite a shine to them, and they have now become a permanent staple in my beauty product collection.

These are the ones I have at the moment.

 

The Bronzing Gel: €29.99*

 The Bronzing Mousse - €27.89

 The Gradual Tanning Moisturiser: €17.75*

 The Illuminator: €20.38

I use each of these products in a different way, depending on my mood. The gel and the mousse are quite similar in principle, but obviously completely different in consistency, texture, and slightly different in colour depth too. The gel is thicker and richer, it's kind of got a treacly nuance to it, while the mousse is lighter, aerated (obviously!) and easier to apply and blend. I find I get better colour payoff from the gel, as it gives a darker finish, and a slighter more browner tone. The mousse on the other hand is somewhat frothy and gives a paler brown, if slight coppery/rust tone to the skin. Both gel and mousse are applied using a mitt all over the face and body, after exfoliation to buff away dead skin so that the tan has a perfectly smooth canvas and base to work upon. I find applying and rinsing off after 5-6 hours gives a faultless, rich, deep tan, although the tan can easily be applied before a night out without rinsing.

The gradual tanning moisuriser is a nice way to build up a light glow, although personally I'd rather just whack the gel or mousse on because I'm an impatient person! It does moisturise quite well and I sometimes slap it on before bed, as it dries in quite quickly.

The Illuminator is such a stunning product. It's the perfect highlighter. I use this in place of MAC's Strobe Cream on my body to highlight, as it's much thicker and gives a better glow. It contains gorgeous gold particles which sparkle in the right light when applied to the right parts of the body. It's also quite thick so a little goes a long way!

 

Do you use St. Tropez?
Hope you're all well and having a lovely Tuesday!
If you have Instagram, follow me on it! @noonabean

:) x