Product:- Fake Bake Tanning Mousse

Purchased from Amazon.co.uk - £18.95

Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 7.6 x 17.1 cm ; 209 g

........ Review.........
Due to my unsuccessful relationship with Saint Tropez regarding my misguided attempt at becoming a tanned, bronzed goddess throughout the winter season and ditch the Morticia Adams look. I decided to try Fake Bake another well known brand within the Fake Tan Industry. After researching the product online and ordering through Amazon. My pale, dry skin was still in the recovery phase from the Saint Tropez experiment so I hoped that Fake Bake would provide a "top up effect" without causing further patchy skin issues.

I really, really, really like this product and it scores highly for me due to the following:-

Usability and functionality - As a consumer of quite a few beauty products, functionality is often neglected especially when considering that beauty products and in particular Fake Tanning can fall into the messy product spectrum. What I loved about this product was the simple yet ingenious wipe able... take note... plastic wipe able squeezy bottle. When tanning, I tend to be a grubby urchin and get tan almost everywhere due to constant re-application in the bid to beat the winter pasty look and emerge a bronzed goddess. Being able to wipe the bottle time and time again is a great feature and the squeezy bottle also came in rather handy, whilst grappling with bottle in one hand with slimy, tan covered mitts. The lotion is neither too thick nor too thin in consistency and was easier to apply than the Saint Tropez mousse that I had previously used which due to its moussey texture tended to disintegrate during the transition from palm to body.

End result:- My skin glowed, glistening and shone and suitably mimicked the effect of lying on a tropical beach for a week. With a spring in my step I walked to work and was complimented throughout the day regarding my newly acquired even tan. The tan was only patchy on my face and ankles and this was due to my poor application skills and the fact that I hadn't researched the Tan market thoroughly and have now discovered that facial tanners are available to compliment your body tan. From the nearly effortless application to the even toned, dark brown tan this product is a winner for me.

...........Packaging.............
Fake Bake packaging appears to me as rather kitsch 70's and evokes Charlie Angles Farah Fawcett connotations - which I surmise is due to the bronzed, 70's flick haired lady adorning the front of the bottle.

The Bottle is a plastic almost oval shape and is a chocolate brown, meatallicy color. The front of the bottle presents a transparent label with a lady positioned in an almost crouched position highlighted in Gold. The Fake Bake Logo is a quite script type font in gold and lies at the top of the bottle. I presume that the bottle is brown in order to evoke bronzed, tanning connotations and imagery to a potential buyer.

The Packaging would definitely stand out against Saint Tropez for example when placed on a shelf in a shop. But I am not convinced that the product would stand out for the right reasons. I personally thought the packaging looked quite cheap. The lid is placed at the bottom of the bottle and is a flip lid top in the same chocolate brown packaging. The bottle was easily wiped clean after being mauled by my tan stained hand during the application process.

..........Application....
The Flip lid and squeezy bottle was extremely user friendly and I thought that the squeezable bottle was a good idea regarding functionality. The Lotion came out of the flip lidded top with ease; the lotion itself was a very dark brown color and quite a thick consistency. There was a strong odor which smelt quite chemically but with a sweet undertone. The Lotion was surprisingly easy to apply, due to it's thickness I thought it would be quite difficult but the lotion dispersed onto my skin and absorbed easily. Upon application the dark brown color didn't diminish and rightly or wrongly, I used the brown smears as a guide to how badly my application skills were.

The lotion did require quite a lot of blending in and I found that the more I blended the dark brown patches, the more I seemed to be rubbing off the tan. I did find that the lotion took a long time to dry on my skin and I waited for 40minutes before I stepped into some loose fitting clothing and carried on with my evening. My Partner did comment however on the smell and that it smelt of moldy biscuits.

.........Application Guidelines.......
I would recommend exfoliating and moisturizing the skin prior to application to ensure an even tan and not to over blend the product even if it looks patchy. If you have dry skin, moisturize before applying the tanning product for a longer lasting smooth tone for your tan. For superb hydration use our Oil-Free Moisturizer before and after treatments.

Fake Bake guidelines are as follows:- Week 1:- Apply Fake Bake 2-3 nights in a row to build a good base tan as desired. Following weekly:- Apply 1-2 times weekly for maintenance or as desires

...........After Application.........
I kept the Lotion on for 12 hours and showered in the morning, as with the Saint Tropez the water ran quite a dark color. But... I was very surprised by the end results. The Tan was actually very dark and lacked the orange color that Saint Tropez had left. The tan was evenly distributed with my ankles again being the tell tale area. I think the feet and ankles are my Tanning Achilles Heel so to speak.

The color lasted for 3days without re-application and daily showering didn't diminish the depth of the color. Again the application around my face was very patchy and I can only concede that it may in part be due to my large oily pores and that maybe a fake tan designed specifically for the face is my best option.

...........Company Info............
Fake Bake originated in the U.S.A. in 1995. Fake Bake was the first self-tan to combine naturally derived tanning agents DHA and Erythulose - guaranteeing longer lasting (up to 50% longer), more natural-looking results. The retail range was an instant success with beauty experts and celebrities alike. Accolades and endorsements quickly followed. However, what really triggered the rapid rise of the Fake Bake Phenomenon was when the range was voted No.1 self-tanner (tested against 22 other self-tans) in the influential New York Times. In 2001, salon owner Sandra McClumpha introduced Fake Bake to the UK, where she developed Fake Bake into a premium spa/salon treatment and convenient, flawless spray tan. Beauty Therapists were trained to exceptional high standards in the application of Fake Bake to ensure customer's expectations were exceeded. Source:- www.fakebake.co.uk

............Ingredients...........
Purified Water, Ethoxydiglycol, Dihyidroxyacetone, Propylene Glycol, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Dimethicone,Glyceryl Stearate Peg 100 Stearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Erythrulose, Stearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 86, Cethyl Alcohol, PPG 5 Ceteth 10 Phosphate, Benzophenone-3, Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Pvp/Eicosene Copolymer, Dehydroacetic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Xanthum Guru, Panthenol - aka Vitamin B5, Citric Acids, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Caramel, Guaiazulene, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1,FD&C Yellow #6, D&C Red #33.

There is an array of chemicals in the Product but also some natural ones too, I have selected a few of the ingredients below to enable the consumer to make an informed choice regarding the purchase of the product based upon the natural/chemical balance of the product.:-

Ethoxydiglycol is generally used as a solvent and carrier in skin care products and is also know as Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether. Ethoxydiglycol is a used to thin out products and increase viscosity.

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, more commonly known as aloe vera gel, is the liquid or its dehydrated solids from the leaf of the Aloe barbadensis plant. The juice from the mucilaginous inner fillet has traditionally been used in cosmetic and nutritional (drink) applications due to it's nutritionally rich properties which soothe and hydrate the skin.

Soyabean oil is popular as a cosmetic ingredient due to being high in natural source lecitihin, sterolins, and vitamin E. Soybean oil is easily absorbed and leaves a smooth sensation to the skin.

Parabens have been under considerable attention the past few years and there is a huge debate regarding their safety within Cosmetic products. Essentially Parabens are preservativesand can be found in cosmetics and all manner of hair care products. They are esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid and the debate regarding usage was ignited by a study which linked parabens in deodorants to breast cancer due to parabens mimicking human estrogen which is known to stimulate cancer. Since publication the study (which sadly I can't remember who it was by), has been discredited and to date no more scientific proof has been offered to support the original theory. Although from an Environmental perspective Parabens are not good news due to the estrogen mimicking effect of the products which are absorbed by the body and deposited as waste into the water systems or directly flushed into water systems in the form of shampoo and shower gels. The Contraceptive pill is also being flushed into our water supply via human urine, the high levels of estrogen in the water supplies and its impact upon wildlife is currently being studied and anyone who is interested in researching this further would be well advised to Google paarabens and water supply.

Fake BakeTM contains DHA (Dihydroxy acetone - derived from sugar beet) and Erythulose tanning agents. Both are naturally clear in color and work by "tanning" the melanin cells which lie at the very top layers in your own skin - safely! The higher the levels of melanin you have, the darker your tan will be. Fake Bake do not test on animals which is a positive for me.

.........Value for Money........
The Product is great value for money and the tanning liquid goes a long way - I have used the product 5 times over two months and still have more than half a bottle left. I don't think the current Amazon offer of £18.95 for 209g is excessive and feel that Fake bake is a good investment regarding a quality tanning product.