Beauty Review: St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse

Now I have never been the biggest fan of instant self tan as I always want my fake tan to last for a long time without having to touch it up but I THINK I can safely say that I have been converted after coming across this (cheap) beauty!

And yes, I am talking about the St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse (please ignore the absolute state my tanning mitt is in in the picture above)!

Before I came to university, the only self tan I used was the Decleor Self-Tanning Milk Natural Glow cream which is a self tanner which you have to leave on for about 8 hours and then shower off the next day and I think this is still my all time favourite, however it is very pricey (about £24)!!  So I had to find an alternative for when I'm scrounging off my last pennies as a student and I found the delight that is St Moriz.

This self tanner is definitely my favourite cheaper tan and for how much it is (about £5), it is actually pretty damn good!

Picking the right colour

Picking the right colour when self tanning is a tricky one to get right as you don't want to go too dark as it might result in you either going incredibly patchy or just plain orange; but you don't then want to choose too light as this may not do anything to your skin colour!
My flat mate had St Moriz in "Dark" but I thought I would opt for "Medium" as I am suuuuper fair skinned (I used to get called Snow White).
"Medium" turned out perfect for my skin tone and it means I can put various layers on without it getting too dark!

Application

As you can see in the picture right at the top of this post, I use a self tanning mitt (which you can buy from just about any drug store).  Self tanning mitts are great when it comes to getting an even coverage and make sure you have no secret streaks - which no one wants!

The tan itself comes out in a very light mousse (but PLEASE make sure you shake it in between pumps as it will settle and lose its mousse texture) and only takes a few rubs to get it smooth and even on the skin.  I would recommend using a mitt instead of gloves when using a mousse as it gives a much more even colour.

It says on the bottle to leave it for at least 4 hours before getting wet and this is definitely a must!  The tan develops over this time and so the longer you leave it, the darker it'll be.  I like to use this as a gradual tanner rather than instant so I normally opt to apply it after a shower, sleep on it and then shower the next day to get rid of any dreaded fake tan lines!

This does mean, however, that the tan will fade quicker, but then I just add another layer on - SORTED!

Aftermath

These pictures were taken just after I had applied it and you can see that I already have an instant tan and glow.  I then left this overnight and showered the next day and I can safely say that I still have a tan!

The tan itself has a bit of a smell to it, but it't not a horrible smell like some self tanners have, it's more like digestive biscuits!  Another benefit you get when using this product is that it leaves your skin feelings so silky smooth that you don't really need to use moisturiser!

This self tanner also dries within about 10 seconds so instead of doing the awkward Fake Tan Walk (you know, the one with your arms stretched out wearing next to no clothes - we've all been there), you can instantly put your clothes back on (however I would advise them being baggy and sloppy clothes as they may smell of fake tan a bit afterwards).

Downfalls

The one and only downfall I have with this product is that it fades fairly quickly but I am used to using self tanners that last for at least a week (as this is what they're meant to do) whereas this one is primarily an instant tan.

Overall, I give this product a 4/5 and I am definitely going to keep on using it!  I could slowly be becoming a fake tan addict...but shhh!