Babbles About... James Read Liquid Tan (Review)

Hi Babblers!

It was my birthday yesterday and an essential part of my birthday eve (I'm I too old for a birthday eve now?!) is some essential fake-tanning. If you've read some of my previous posts, you'll know I'm pretty pale. Living in (not so) Sunny Glasgow, it's a little challenging to get that all-year-round glow without a little assistance :)

I used to be a bit of a fake-tan junkie a few years ago and had a very establish routine. I've used numerous fake tans from budget to expensive, from St Moriz to St Tropez. Although I'm not as regimented in my tanning schedule these days, it's still nice to have a subtle glow in the cold depths of February.

Formula

After years of trying different tans, I'd decided that a foam formula was for me - easy to apply and a subtler result than a lotion. James Read offers a few different formulas but for my Birthday tan I used James Read Liquid Tan* in Medium (although there is a liqht version as well). I was a little apprehensive as I've never used a liquid tan and this was a bit of a new concept to me.

It is very liquid and I wasn't sure exactly how blendable it would be. I needn't have worried as I actually found it more blendable than foam tanners I had used in the past.

Application

I used a tanning mitt to apply the tan, squirting a small amount of the bottle at a time and blending (with a little help from the boyfriend on the back) . It goes on very evenly although I know it's all about how the tan looks after developing! I had a small 30ml sample and used about two-thirds of this for a full-body application so it seems a full-size would last forever.

It does have a slight 'fake tan' smell but I personally think all tans do!

I applied before bed leaving the tan to develop about 8 hours.

Results

So here are the results....

When I woke up, the tan looked pretty dark but rinsed off to give a nice, even glow. As you can see in the picture, it's not hugely dark and looks very natural. I also haven't noticed a fake-tan smelling lingering thoughout the day which is a huge-plus!

I didn't get any 'are you wearing fake-tan' comments on my birthday which I think is a really good sign I wasn't looking oompa lumpa orange :) Overall, I'm really impressed with this tan and is definitely one I'll keep in mind when I'm needing a 'from a bottle' tan - although a holiday is much preferred!

You can buy James Read Tan from QVC or directly from the brand's website.

My Birthday

So this was all in prep of my 25th birthday. I had a lovely day and was spoiled by my lovely boyfriend and family. I woke up to this really pretty (and rather yummy) birthday cupcake :)

Have you tried this tan? What's your go to tanning brand?