St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil

Warmer weather is FINALLY here and I was in desperate need for a little bit of colour. This need commenced my first experience with self tanning. I don't subscribe to the Asian thought that "whiter, paler skin is better", but I also don't believe that fake-looking oompa loompa orange spray tan is for me. What I do like is a natural, sun kissed glow (without the obvious cons of sitting in the sun for hours on end). 

In the hopes of achieving a natural summer glow, I've been testing out the St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil ($43, at Shoppers, Murale, Hudson's Bay & London Drugs), which just launched in Canada as of April 2015 and claims to provide "a long-lasting, natural-looking tan with multiple skincare benefits". Sounds pretty promising, huh? 

Housed in a beautiful, frosted and weighty glass bottle, simply holding the product makes me feel all luxe inside. 

HOW TO USE IT (as recommended by Sophie Evans, St. Tropez Skin Finishing Expert): 

1. Cleanse and exfoliate skin well. Then apply eye serum if required. 
2. On clean, bare hands, apply 2-3 drops of the Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil and smooth over face (including eye area), neck and décolletage. 
3. Wash hands well after application and wait until the tan is touch dry before getting dressed. 
4. Allow the oil to absorb either overnight or throughout the day, for at least 4-8 hours before cleansing, to ensure a long-lasting tan. Moisturizer will not be required as the Brazil nut oil base fortified with Vitamin A and E, will keep skin hydrated while giving a healthy glow. 
5. For a deeper tan, reapply following steps 1-4. Alternatively, for a lighter tan, add a drop of the Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil to any moisturizer and apply all over face, neck and décolletage

HOW I IT WORKED FOR ME

I pretty much followed all the steps, exactly as directed..with some exceptions. I ended up using 4-5 drops instead because the oil absorbed so quickly into my face. After application, the oil felt slightly tacky but not only in a hydrated, moisturized way rather than feeling heavy on the skin. I decided to wait 8 hours to experience the full potency of the product. Throughout my day, I washed dishes, wrote blog posts, made muffins and gave my car a good washing. I was a little afraid that the spritzes of water from dishes and my car would make my tan look splotchy. There was a big sigh of relief when I found out when that wasn't the case. 

Pre-tan; Post-tan

This is the result of my tan after 8 hours, post-facewash. I used the Bioderma Sensibio Micellar cleansing water and a cotton pad to remove the product from my face, though I kind of wanted to leave it on because it felt pretty comfortable. There was little to no difference between my face with and without the oil on and the tan was still intact. Thanks to SPF foundations and regular chemical and physical exfoliation, my pre-tanned face is significantly lighter than the rest of my body. Post-tan, there's a clear bronzing and glowing effect that wasn't there before.  The tan lasted about 5 days and faded away evenly. 

The verdict? The St. Tropez Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil is a vacation in a bottle. It's not fake or in any way oompa loompa, just a natural, radiant bronze glow. A very small amount goes quite a long way and I love the fact that I don't need to risk sun burn (or even worse, skin cancer) to get a nice bit of colour on my face. 

Have you ever tried self tanning? 

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