little white truths

You may remember that I fell in love with a Bondi Sands body oil earlier in the year (I've reviewed it here), so I went ahead and bought this 'Everyday' version to see if it's as good as the other one.

It's not. Sure it smells, feels and applies the same, but it's nowhere near as effective and you need to apply it a lot more often to get any kind of colour. 

So don't be fooled by the fact that this one comes in a larger bottle: there's a reason for it. That is, you'll be needing five times as much to get the same effect.

Bondi Sands claims/product details:

• Sand, sea and sun, the enviable Australian image
• Your skin will feel hydrated while developing a golden glow that's touch-dry in seconds
• Our innovative dual action gradual tanning formula provides a deep, long-lasting and natural-looking tan that hydrates the skin with every application
• Use daily to ensure a natural tan throughout the year
• RRP $19.99 AUD for 270ml, but do shop around (I bought mine for $11.99 when it was 40% off at Priceline)

I like that the bottle comes with an easy-to-use pump (see below).

Indeed, I've used so many body oils that only have a standard cap with a hole in it, that having a spray like this is a real treat: it saves a lot of mess and waste. There's a lot to be said for that.

Oh! Forgot to mention: the claim above that says the product is touch-dry in seconds, is absolutely true.

Verdict

I wonder how I'd feel about this product if I hadn't used the other one first. They're very similar in lots of ways (minus the efficacy) and I do love plenty of things about the original so it's possible that I might have liked this one more if I'd tried it first.

But I didn't, and the other one's light-years better so this one's getting a 'not for me' review.

It's a super thin oil that comes in a spray bottle. You spritz it over your body and then massage it in. While the other product is brown in colour so you can see where you've put it, this one's clear. I prefer the brown. Otherwise I risk applying it in the same spot twice because it is a dry oil so it's not immediately obvious where you've used it because it doesn't look or feel like oil on the skin.

One of the things I do like about this is the coconut scent. Indeed, it's easily the best-smelling self-tanner I've used. Plus it's a dry oil so once I've applied it, my skin feels hydrated but never greasy - meaning it should suit those who don't like the feel of oil on their skin.

While this product does eventually offer a believable, natural-looking tan, it takes a long time to get there. Indeed, I need to apply it four or five days running before I start to see some colour, whereas the other product is a one-hit wonder.

Not only this, the original also lasts a lot longer than this does (up to a week). This one vanishes within two days if I stop using it, and that's not what I want in a self-tanner. I want something that hangs around.

In other news it does fade evenly so that's a plus, although that could also be because it fades so quickly that you wouldn't necessarily notice if it were giving you patchy skin as it wears off.

I guess I should also mention that it says right there in the claims that you're meant to use this daily to ensure a natural tan throughout the year, so it's not as though it's promising to give an immediate impact or last forever: it's designed this way, it's just that it doesn't suit my personal needs. 

But if you prefer a tanning oil that you can apply daily without looking over-tanned, this might be the product for you. There's nothing else wrong with it as far as I'm concerned, and even the fact that it's clear isn't an issue if you're applying it daily because if you miss a spot one day then you won't be tanned enough to notice and you'll likely cover that spot on the next application.

Overall I don't love this product and you're much better off getting the first one I reviewed - unless this one's more your cup of tea. 

While the first one I tried is a real stand-out in terms of tanning prowess, this product is essentially a nice-smelling dry oil and I didn't buy it for that reason: I bought it because I wanted a decent tanner. (Mental note to read the claims on the back of the products first, before I buy them!)

Not for me.