Xen Tan Transform (Xen-Tan Transform)

Member Name: Clareowen

Product:	Xen-Tan Transform
Date:	24/06/09 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Doesn't smell like fake tan and is a natural colour

Disadvantages: None

Every year I buy a different type of fake tan. This is due to the fact that every fake tan I have tried makes my legs look really orange and often quite streaky. I have even tried gradual tanners, but they don't give enough colour on their first application, and then look too much on their second.

I was therefore dubious about buying another self tanner when I came across the Xen Tan website. There has been quite a bit of press regarding this brand in magazines and newspapers. It has been hailed as the first fake tan with natural olive undertones (rather than orange ones!) and supposedly did not have the usual vile self tan smell to it.

Eventually (bearing in mind that St Tropez and Fake Bake were around the £20.00 mark), I decided that I would give Xen Tan a try and had a look at their UK website (www.xentan.co.uk) to see which product would suit me best.

The site gives information about each of the products that XenTan produce, including the dark and deep bronze tans. There is a section explaining which type would suit you better, and as I am fair skinned, they state that a dark tanning product should suit me better as lighter tans would naturally make my skin look more orange. For people that aren't particularly used to fake tan, they also suggest the above product, Xen Tan Transform, which is a gradual self tanner, enabling you to "build up" the level of tan. I decided to opt for this product, mainly because you can purchase it from Feelunique.com for £11.99 delivered (170ml).

The tan comes in a plastic tube with a screw top lid. It has a small hole in the tube for you to squeeze the tan out of and this is quite useful as you don't get too much out at one time. The cream itself is white in colour, which I was a little dubious about, as I'm always aware of the fact that I may miss bits unless there is a guide colour. Xen Tan assure you however that it doesn't matter if you put too much on, as the tanner will only give you a certain level of colour at one time. The only way you will come out streaky, is if you put on too little and don't cover yourself. The cream smells absolutely lovely and has a fruity aroma to it rather than the horrible fake tan smell you usually get.

As usual, I had exfoliated the day before and had used body cream on my legs a couple of hours before application. Just before I applied the tan, I applied a little more body cream to my knees and ankles as I tend to find that these area attract more of the self tan, and the body cream evens things out a bit.

Applying the fake tan was relatively easy. I started at the thigh and worked downwards, only using what was left on my hands over my knee and ankle areas, and making sure that it was rubbed in in circular motions. It took about 5 minutes before my legs felt dry enough to dress again.

The tan takes about three hours to develop. The instructions on the bottle state that you should not shower or bath for that period time as it will affect your tan.

After the three hour period I could see that my legs had developed a lovely light brown tint to them which was nice and even and looked as if I had natrually darker skin that I actually have. I would say that it took a further hour for the colour to totally come out, and I must admit that once it had developed, you could then smell the fake tan smell.

There were a couple of small areas on my ankle bone (which is natrually quite a dry area), where it did look a little darker, but after a shower this seemed to even up.

I applied a further coat of tanner the day after, and I now have lovely golden brown legs, which don't have the tango affect.

XenTan is not the absolute perfect fake tanner, mainly because I don't really think that such a thing exists. You do still have to watch how you apply it to the drier skin areas such as your knees and ankles, but this is more to do with your application and preparation than the cream itself. It does however give the most natural looking tan I have found for my skin colour, which I think is really important, as if your legs look naturally brown, people won't necessarily notice that you have a miniscule area on your ankle which is slightly browner (but they will do if it is florescent orange!).

I would certainly recommend this self tanner, especially for the fairer skinned. If you are darker, or want a deeper tan, one of the other products from the range may well suit you better.

Summary: Well worth giving it a try