I am a loyal customer of Fake Bake – I use the original self tan lotion, the 5 Minute Mousse and the Mousse Self Tan, depending on my mood, how much coverage I want,how much time I have, and the season. So, when I was sent a sample of the Flawless Coconut Tanning Serum, I quickly prepped my skin, excited to try it out.
I’m used to wearing fake tan, so I’d say I’m pretty confident in applying it – mostly thanks to Fake Bake’s brilliant colour guide. The serum has more of an orange tone than I’m used to, but I wasn’t too worried because so much of it comes off when you wash. However, when I showered the morning after application, my tan didn’t look as natural as it usually does – it was pretty dark! In addition, the tan around my feet wasn’t great (dark and patchy) so I must confess: I had to use tan removal wipes and exfoliating gloves to buff away some of the colour!
Basically, Fake Bake Flawless is super dark in just one application, so it’s not ideal for those with fair or medium skin, but it is great if you don’t want to take the time to create a gradual tan over a number of days – though I would seriously recommend you use a bit of oil around areas such as knees, heels and toes as it stuck to the drier parts of my skin (admittedly, I could have done more prep). My favourite thing? The fragrance. The coconut is really, really nice, and it doesn’t smell like most fake tans tend to, even after I’d washed it off, which is something that can’t be said of other tanning products (in my experience). My skin just smelled like me, a huge plus when using self tan. No dreaded, “OMG, you STINK!” from the husband when I carefully manoeuvre myself into bed.
I’d recommend Flawless Coconut Tanning Serum to those who have dark skin or for those who holiday regularly enough to maintain a natural sun tan. I think on darker skin tones, the serum would be amazing, almost acting like an airbrush (hence the name, Flawless), while for those who are all about sun worshipping on holiday, it’s the perfect product for prolonging an existing tan. It’s not that the serum won’t work on medium skin tones, it’s just that you need to invest the time on religiously prepping the skin before applying the serum – if you do, it’ll pay off as my tan is still going strong five days later. I’d also suggest it to anyone who’s put off fake tan by the smell.
Fake Bake’s serum is a winner for darker skin or maintaining a post-holiday tan, but honestly? I’ll stick to my old Fake Bake favourites – I’m not dedicated enough to tanning to get the best out of this one. 3/5.
Do you use fake tan? When I was in my early twenties I used sunbeds, but since the age of around 25 I’ve never used them again, worrying about health and aging. What do you think? Sunbeds, fake tan, sunbathing safely, or nothing at all? Comment below or get in touch via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Or, Snap me – my username is daydreamer.net.
Happy tanning, daydreamers!
