Saturday, 10 April 2010

Xen Tan: Once A Week Self-Tan - Review.




I purchased Xen Tan after reading positive reviews by Hannah and Talita and decided I would use it the night before going to ''The Casino' (a nightclub in Guildford which is in no-way a Casino - the new owner intended to turn it into a Casino but the council denied the request so they called it 'The Casino' regardless to annoy the council. Childish yet hilarious).





I apply all of my fake tans with the Soltan mit (£3 from Boots) and not with the rubber gloves which I received with my Xen Tan as I find using gloves means you get streaks and 'finger marks' whereas using a mit really does enable a flawless application of fake tan.

My first thoughts regarding this tan is the smell - it smells like vanilla! This is the very first and I believe only fake tan on the market which has a pleasant smell when applied. The smell if the first advantage it has over it's competitors on the market and the second is that it feels like a moisturiser. After applying St Tropez you're left looking muddy and feeling sticky until you wash it off - with Xen Tan I felt as if i was applying a moisturiser and it dried completely within about 5 minutes. The real bonus for me was when I applied this to my face and found that it did not leave my skin feeling dry and tight (St Tropez feels disgusting on your face) but fresh and moisturised which lasted until the next morning. Xen Tan contains 'shea butter, vitamin e and anti-oxidants' whoever decided to add these ingredients I applaud you as they honestly make such a difference. It is effortless to apply, you can get dressed 5 minutes later and not spend the rest of the time feeling sticky and walking awkwardly and it leaves your skin feeling thoroughly moisturised and smelling like vanilla.
As I applied it I have to admit I was slightly worried, anyone that uses St Tropez knows you can really see it once you've applied it! The guide colour of St Tropez is very very dark whereas the guide colour ('the sheer instant colour') of the Xen Tan is, exactly as it states on the bottle, sheer. This means you can apply Xen Tan to your face and leave the house looking only slightly bronzed and smelling great whereas with other fake tans (e.g St Tropez) there is no way you could go out and about with the guide colour on because you look as though you've landed face-first in a pile of mud.

But due to the light nature of the guide colour I did worry that I wouldn't turn very brown.
.....I was wrong!

The fantastic thing about this tanner is that there is no hint of orange to it. The pictures above are after one application of the fake tan and as you can see I am definitely brown. The picture on the right clearly shows that Xen Tan gives a fantastic colour after just one application.

The weekly tan boasts a 'New time release ingredient' and I have absolutely no idea how they have achieved this or the science behind it - but the tan lasted on my face for 3 days with no re-application which is amazing considering I would have washed my face at least 5/6 times. I often find that I am left with either a white face and orange body or vice versa but this tan did not fade immediately and when it did it faded evenly. By Friday (5 days after application) it had faded from my face and thus I really needed to scrub it off my body - which is never easy with a fake tan and Xen Tan is not much different. I have had tonsillitis so perhaps if I had been exfoliating and moisturising I could have made the tan last 7 days.

Overall this tan leaves you with a very natural sun-kissed tan with no hint of orange. I believe you are left a colour similar to that of St Tropez however Xen Tan has several significant advantages with regards to smell, ease of application, comfort after application, longevity and beneficial ingredients. Xen Tan Once A Week Self-Tan retails at £25.95 the St Tropez bronzing lotion retails at £20. Both are expensive but I believe for a bit more money you do get a nicer feeling, longer lasting tan using Xen Tan. The reason I rated it 9.5 instead of 10 is because of the price tag - it is expensive and I appreciate that lots of people would not want to spend just over £25 on a fake tan.

But you can call me a Xen-Tan convert
- I will definitely be re-purchasing!

Rating:
9.5/10

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17 comments:

  1. people are always mean and evil and like to bring others down! keep your head up high and keep doing what you like! people don't realize that blogging is a hobby not something mandatory! xoxo

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  2. @ClassyDea66 - thanks lovely :) i've had so many nice comments which i'm so grateful for. xxxxx

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  3. I am so pleased you're happy with the Xen-Tan...mine arrived today & now can't wait to try it out!
    Also, pay no attention to the 'anonymous' e-mailer...some people are just so vindictive, sitting behind their computer screens - how sad their lives must be..!
    xxx

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  4. I'm so excited that this review is so positive as I'm going to get some Xen Tan in the post any day shortly and am so so excited to try it, it looks so gorgeous, as do you xx

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  5. i love love love xen tan. it makes st tropez seem rubbish in comparison imo. i also feel the colour works better with my natural skin, st tropez leaves me with a weird orangey hue

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  6. Smells like vanilla? I am all over that!

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  7. I was contemplating buying this as a new user of instant tan. Your review has made my mind up for me! Thank you!

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  8. One of these days I will muster up the courage to go darker than my pasty pale color. You look great!

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  9. I love xen-tan.Don't worry about the "anonymous emailers" like Georgina said.Be what you want to be, do what you love to do and don't give a shit about them to put it bluntly.They don't have guts.
    I followed you blog.Can you please take a look of mine and follow back if you like it?

    http://redheelpearls.blogspot.com

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  10. Im thiking about buying this, thanks for the review :)

    Follow my blog please
    http://foreverglitter.blogspot.com/

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  11. @Georgina - Oo do a review on it! Interested to see how others get on. x

    @Lucy- it is great but that spray tan you had looked SO natural!x

    @hannah- Yeah I used St Tropez the other day and i absolutely hated it! Sticking to Xen Tan from now on!x

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  12. @Aleksis - It really does it smells gorgeous!x

    @Ericka - do it! I am naturally whiter than white trust me x

    @FashionFreak - will take a look at it now x

    @Charlieee - Will take a look at your blog now xx

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  13. It looks so lovely on you! I can't wait to try it out :D

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  14. this looks great! does any one know if it causes break-outs?

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  15. looks great deffo want to try it now, love the review, will be following :) xox

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  16. Just about to purchase some xen tan but googled reviews of it first and i couldnt have found a better one! You look absolutely gorgeous in those pictures and im so envious of your gorgeous dress!
    Excellent review from one of my favourite bloggers :) xx

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  17. xen tan dark lotion is amazing!
    the mitt made me streaky and it was hard to apply (going flaky) i changed body wash and now get streak free applicaton with the mitt :)

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