Fake tan is something I am quite wary of, having had horrendous experiences of being bright orange and streaky and not being able to get rid of it for a few days. I don't like having pale skin, especially during the cold winter months but fake tanning always seems such a chore. I thought I would dip my toe into the world of sun beds which admittedly works a treat at getting a great even tan all year round, but as the possible healthy implications are so huge, the cons definitely outweighs the pros and I didn't keep it up for long.

St Tropez were introduced to me fairly recently by a friend who always has glowing skin. Nothing over the top or tanned to the point it looks fake, but a bit of a glow with a sun kissed look. Her secret was St Tropez and I didn't hesitate to go out and try some for myself.

--- THE RANGE ---
St Tropez were first established back in 1996 and are now largely recognised as a professional brand specialising in self tanning products. They have a wide range of products available including their gradual steps which they are quite famous for, step 1 being the product I am reviewing here which is the Body Polisher. St Tropez do a number of products that have been designed to tan the skin in different ways including a spray and a gradual mousse. Their products are often used by professionals who do spray tans in beauty salons, which highlights the reliability of their products.

--- STEP 1---
The body polisher has been put down as step one as when it comes to fake tanning it should be the first part of the routine. Spray on or mousse fake tan is more likely to become streak when the skins surface isn't smooth so particular attention should played to areas which are prone to becoming dry as when the fake tan is applied, it may appear darker on these areas. Those areas include elbows, ankles and knees but I often find my neck can go streaky too so that might be worth considering. The whole body should be exfoliated gentley prior to exfoliating to ensure an even skin surface for the fake tan to be applied onto.

--- ST TROPEZ BODY POLISHER ---
This product is essentially an exfoliator. It comes in a 120 ml bottle that comes in a style of packaging that is typical of St Tropez products - relatively plain in a white bottle with the brand name surrounded by a black rectangle. It has a black lid which when pressed down on one side reveals a hole and the product is dispensed from there. The material of the bottle is quite flexible so when squeezing the bottle it isn't too rigid so I didn't struggle to get the product to come out. The body polisher itself is quite thick in its consistency and is a pearly blue colour. The beads inside it which exfoliate the skin are quite small, slightly larger than the size of a grain of salt and they blend in well with the rest of the blue polisher. The actual beads aren't as harsh as others I have used in the past so when it actually came to using the product it felt as though they were being much kinder to my skin than most other exfoliators.

--- PRICING AND AVAILABILITY ---
The whole range of St Tropez products can be found in most large department stores such as John Lewis and Selfridges due to their popularity. Most large Boots stores stock them too so you can also get some points on your advantage card! If you'd rather bag yourself a bit of a bargain it may be better to shop around online for a good deal on websites such as Amazon and eBay where they may be considerably cheaper. I would recommend cheapsmells.com which sell discounted beauty products and they stock this for £3.99, the retail price being around £10 so its a very good saving!

--- MY EXPERIENCE ---
I have always used this product whilst in the shower as I find it much easier to lather it up so it isn't as dry as when it is first dispensed from the bottle. I tend to use quite a lot of this sort of product at a time, more than necessary and I fill my palm with it and use it pretty much everywhere that I think the tan could streak. As soon as you rub it into the skin you can feel the beads and feel them working and getting rid of the dead skin. As mentioned before, they're not as harsh as others I have used in the past which I prefer as it makes them a lot easier to use. It is easy to dispense from the bottle due to its flexible material and makes it convenient when you have wet slippery hands! Washing the product off is also relatively easy but you have to make sure you scrub a bit as the beads tend to cling on to the skin a little bit. The whole ease of the product makes the process much easier than what I have experienced with other exfoliators in the past.

--- RESULTS ---
As soon as I started to wash off the body polisher I noticed how smooth my skin felt. I could immediately feel that the exfoliation had worked in getting rid of the surface dead skin. I looked specifically at the drier areas of my skin that I mentioned earlier and I noticed that my elbows, ankles and knees felt very soft and I felt confident that my fake tan would apply very well and evenly over the top. Even if you don't like using fake tan, exfoliation should still be a vital part of a beauty routine and it works well simply as an exfoliator and it is a great competition to its high street alternatives.

--- SUMMARY ---
I will be giving this product 5 stars as it is absolutely brilliant and while it is a little more expensive than some of its competitors, I think you pay for the quality and that is certainly what you get. This product definitely delivers in all aspects and I wouldn't expect anything less from a brand like St Tropez! I applied my fake tan a few hours after my first use of the body polisher and showered it off later in the evening. I was so pleased not only with the colour of the spray tan but how evenly it had set onto my skin. There wasn't any streaks at all and even after 5 days it was still in place perfectly. The body polisher is great value for money especially as a small amount of product goes a long way. My first bottle lasted a good 6 months with regular use. 5 Dooyoo stars!