little white truths

I bought this product a while ago when St Tropez was 40 per cent off at Priceline, and I wouldn't have paid full-price for it because it retails for $49.95 AUD - too expensive for a body tanner in my books!

But I wanted to try it because I love a good oil, I love a good self-tanner and I also love St Tropez, so this product seemed like a no brainer to me and I wanted to see how it went.

Long story short, I do like it but it's not my favourite tanning oil so I wouldn't buy it again. More on that below.

St Tropez claims/product details:

• Our most luxurious tanner yet, for the ultimate natural, golden glow
• Naturally fragranced with essential oils for no self-tan smell
• Streak-free and easy to apply
• Quick-drying and non greasy
• Ultra hydrating with even fade
• 100% natural tanning actives
• Vegan friendly formula
• RRP $49.95 AUD for 100ml, but do shop around

One thing to note is that while I like the look of the hard plastic bottle (it looks fancy), I really think they should have included a pump.

They didn't. Instead we have one of those dropper holes (see below), and while admittedly it's not too messy, I still think that for this price we should be getting a pump, which I would find easier to use.

Verdict

This is a good product but it's expensive for a self-tanner and I would only ever buy it on special, and to be honest, I wouldn't even buy it on special again because it's not my favourite tanning oil. I prefer Bondi Sands' offering (reviewed here) for reasons I'll go into below.

It's a super thin oil that comes in a bottle with a small hole in the cap, through which you dispense the product - and as mentioned above, I would much prefer a pump because I find those easier and less messy to use.

It has a thin, light texture and a little goes a long way so I don't need to use much per application. This makes it great value and I've barely made a dent in this thing, even though it's been open for a couple of months - so I guess in the end it's not super expensive on a per use basis and that's something to keep in mind.

The product comes out a warm brown colour so you can see where you've applied it, which is my preference - and while I do notice a difference in colour as soon as I've used it, that colour does become a little deeper over the next couple of hours.

Something that bothers me about this product is the very strong, ginger scent. It's so strong. It's so strong that I find it to be overwhelming, and it also lingers for hours after application so I stink like ginger after I've used it and that smell hangs around not only on me, but also in any room I've been into. Not what I want.

I do however love the colour I get from this product. Yes it's warm but it's not orange (it's more of a golden brown) and I'm constantly surprised by how brown I look after using this, even though I've applied so little. The tan also lasts for a week - despite the fact that I exfoliate my body twice or three times weekly - and it also fades evenly so it never looks patchy.

Note that I also apply this product to my face and it works well for that too. I do prefer buying products that I can use for both the face and body because it cuts down on the amount of stuff I have in the bathroom cabinet, so that's a huge plus for me personally.

Also worth noting is that the effect I get from this is very similar to the Bondi Sands product linked above. Both turn me nicely brown after one application and both last well on the skin, and the main difference between them is that this one offers a warmer colour while the Bondi Sands tan is more neutral - so one shade may appeal to you more than the other, depending on your preferences. 

The other difference is that the Bondi Sands product smells of coconut and the scent isn't as strong as this, and while I love the smell of the Bondi Sands product, the pungent smell of this St Tropez one really bothers me. Plus the Bondi Sands is a lot cheaper so I would opt for that over this any day.

Overall I think this is a great product and I do recommend it, but I wouldn't buy it again for the reasons mentioned. Still, it's lovely and I like that it's a dry oil so it doesn't leave a greasy residue, and I think that a lot of people would enjoy this - so long as they can handle the scent.

A great product, but not my favourite.