Filed under: fashion, makeup, streaky tan, sunless tanning lotion | Tags: australian gold, cream, creamy gelato, derma dark, dermadark, fake, gel, indoor, lotion, tan, tanning
I’ve used the Australian Gold Creamy Gelato tanning lotion a few times now. I’m not sure I’ll buy it again, but here’s the info.
Fragrance
The fragrance is allegedly “melon smoothie,” but I find it’s more like a cross between fake lime and something non-food that’s vaguely acidic. The fragrance earns only a 3 out of 10 from me for its artificial scent.
Self Tanner – DermaDark Blend
The tanner itself is quite good and not streaky. The tan isn’t as dark as I was hoping it would be (given that this is a ‘bronzer’), but it was nice and even and not at all orange. I would recommend layering this one. It gets sticky if you use too much, but apply thin layers once or twice a day and you’ll eventually have a nice tan.
Moisturizer
This is more of a gel than a lotion, so it’s not super-moisturizing. You’ve got to be careful to not use too much, or it dries before soaking in and gets sticky. I give this a 3 out of 10 for moisturizing capability.
Ingredients
This lotion does not have parabens, and is one of the first paraben-free products Australian Gold has come out with. That, I like, but the ingredients label overall isn’t any better or worse than other tanning products IMO. I give this product a 5/10 for ingredients. There’s no tingle to this lotion (I don’t like tingle anyway, but if you do, consider yourself advised) and it allegedly has 92 minerals added to help you get a better tan on an indoor tanning bed. The primary reason I chose this lotion was for the DermaDark bronzer, with which I was satisfied, but by which I was not overly impressed.
Overall Rating
Overall, this is a nice lotion, but is probably overpriced. The only really compelling reason to choose this lotion is if DHA-based tanners don’t work for you. Next time, I’ll probably get a traditional lotion rather than using the DermaDark gel again.
Filed under: orange palms, streaky tan, sunless tanning lotion | Tags: bronzer, bronzing, derma dark, designer skin, dha, lotion, moisturizer, orange, self tanner, streaky, tan in a bottle, tanning lotion, tinted, tinted love
I’ve been using Tinted Love moisturizer from Designer Skin for about three months. This product is great! If you’re sick of streaky orange tans from a cheap drugstore bottle, this is the one for you.
Fragrance
The Tinted Love lotion has a “Kiwi Pear” fragrance, according to the manufacturer, which basically just smells light and fruity and a little bit sweet to my nose. Think strawberry ice cream crossed with fresh watermelon, or daquiri mix, or something like that. It’s certainly pleasant and not overpowering.
Moisturizing
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing “parched like an alligator” and 10 representing “just dipped myself in a vat of jojoba oil,” I give the Tinted Love moisturizer a moderate 6. The lotion gives enough moisture to knock out any dry, scaly patches I might have, but it soaks right in and doesn’t leave a residue. It’s just right for after my morning shower, but isn’t enough for serious winter dryness.
DHA Self-Tanner
The self-tanning component of Tinted Love is DHA-based. So, about 12 hours after application (maybe as soon as six hours, depending on your body chemistry), you’ll get that post-tanning-lotion smell that is the DHA reacting with your skin. However, it’s very mild, and is not bothersome to me, and is certainly less than its drugstore equivalents.
The tanning Tinted Love provides is very, very even and never streaky, no matter how hurriedly I apply the lotion. Tinted Love falls into the category of gradual tanning lotions, and with my very pale skin, it takes about three consecutive days of application before I look like I have a healthy glow. If you have darker skin, this will help you maintain your tan, but it won’t do the whole job. For that, I recommend more serious bronzing products.
Sometimes, DHA-based self-tanners will turn your palms and feet orange. Well, I’ll tell you guys one more time, this does not happen if you invest the money in a decent self-tanner from a company that specializes in manufacturing tanning lotions, like Designer Skin or Australian Gold. These products have additional pH-balancing ingredients that help your skin absorb the DHA in a way that won’t turn you into a carrot. So, yes, you can get a gradual self-tanner from your local big-box retailer, but if you actually want a good tan, just pull out an extra $10 or $20 and get something from your local tanning salon (or buy a lotion on Amazon for half price, like I do). You can buy a $7 bottle of lotion and then throw it away after two uses, or you can spend $15 on this stuff and have it last for several perfectly-tanned months. C’mon. There’s no reason for orange tans! This is 2009!
Ingredients
Tinted Love includes moisturizing oils like hemp and avocado, as well as vitamins A, E, and C. While not all of the ingredients are natural, the ingredients label seems relatively benign to me. I feel that the beneficial ingredients of Tinted Love outweigh the potentially risky ones. You’ll find nourishing aloe and white birch in here, but you’ll also find cetearyl alcohol and other “conventional” ingredients, as well as a copious amount of fragrance. But, remember, if you’re looking to tint your skin artificially, you’ve got to expect some of that. Again, I’ll use a 1 to 10 scale. If 1 is “I wouldn’t touch this shit with a 10-foot pole” and 10 is “pure as the undriven snow,” I give Tinted Love an 7 or 8 on the ingredients list scale.
Would I buy Designer Skin’s Tinted Love lotion again?
Yes! I do plan to buy this product again. It only cost $15 on Amazon, and you get a whoppingly huge 20-ounce pump bottle.
Coming Soon: Australian Gold Creamy Gelato Derma Dark Review
Also: a new technology has come into the tanning market recently, called DermaDark. This is a non-DHA tanning agent, and I’ll be doing a review soon on a lotion I’ve purchased that includes DermaDark as its tanning ingredient. Stay tuned for my review of Australian Gold’s Creamy Gelato lotion, forthcoming sometime in the next few weeks.
Other manufacturers are selling similar lotions under other names. There’s a natural bronzer from Designer Skin called Opti-Glow, which I assume is similar to Australian Gold’s DermaDark products. So if you guys like one particular brand over another, look for a non-DHA bronzer! Most companies are coming out with some equivalent of this.
These products allegedly do not turn orange like DHA. I’ll let you know what I think of the DermaDark lotion very soon!
Filed under: orange palms, streaky tan | Tags: fake bake, fake tan, streaky orange tan, tanning mistake
You’ve gone to the tanning booth. You’ve used some DHA-based fake tanning lotion. And now, you’re orange, you’re streaky, and you’ve got a huge special occasion involving a strapless dress – so you’re freaking out. What do you do? How do you fix your fake tan?
Truth: there is no “magic” way to fix a fake tan.
HOWEVER… there are a few ways to tone it down a notch or two.
1. baking soda scrub. this alters the pH of the skin, and can help recently-applied fake tan chemical (DHA) to not bond as strongly to the skin. if your tan has had a chance to set, though, you might not find this to be effective.
2. good old fashioned exfoliation. scrub, scrub, scrub. microdermabrasion scrub is a good idea here – it’s expensive, but if you’re getting married and buying expensive professional pictures, $60 at the cosmetics counter will be well-spent.
3. if the above fails, try vinegar. I like apple cider vinegar from the health food store. you can also try lemon juice.
Only time and scrubbing can really fix a fake tan… but since this seems to be a common problem this time of year, I thought I’d post again on this topic.
I’ve given brand recommendations before for fake tanning stuff, but here they are again:
Fake Bake
Australian Gold (my fave)
Designer Skin
all these brands can be purchased on amazon, or at your local tanning parlor. Amazon tends to be much cheaper.
When in doubt, get a Mystic done at a professional tanning salon – use the barrier cream provided, do the poses correctly. It usually turns out really well.
Filed under: facebook, makeup, regret, sex change, streaky tan, sunless tanning lotion
Two of the blogs I read regularly, one of which pertains primarily to makeup and the other of which pertains occasionally to makeup, both posted entries about makeup-related regrets today.
- Eyeshadow primer from Target. (I recommend Bare Escentuals if you can afford it, and Origins if you can’t.) It’s 1/3 the price but it’s also 1/3 the quality of the department store brands.
- Mascara from just about any major brand. (I recommend Ecco Bella.) Dries out my lashes and doesn’t come off easily. The Ecco Bella mascara is so easy to apply and it comes right off with jojoba oil, and it conditions my lashes. Be careful to get a nice, liquidy one – sometimes if they are on the shelf too long, they dry out.
- Clinique acne skin care line (awful for sensitive skin; I recommend Aubrey Organics instead). I turned red, itchy, blotchy, painful, broke out worse, bad, bad, bad.
- Joico shampoo and conditioner (overpriced and smell chemical; I recommend ShiKai). Incidentally, I have heard that it is best to avoid using shampoos and conditioners that contain silicones, because apparently they coat the hair shaft and make it shiny, but they also make the hair more brittle and prone to breakage/splitting.
- Lush products (I never use them before they go bad and they’re awfully expensive; I love them, but need them to come in smaller containers).
- Okay. Never, ever, ever buy Suncoat products. Except the nail polishes. The eyeliner and mascara sucked ass and you know, the cream eyeshadow wasn’t horrible, but it was waaaay overpriced. If you want good natural makeup, there is no better place than Silk Naturals.
- Most self-tanners because I usually turn into an orange streaky freak from using them. BUT, I really like the Australian Gold products and I like the Victoria’s Secret Bare Bronze face tanner and I loved the Bath and Body Works gradual tan in the signature scents until it was discontinued. I have heard a lot of good stuff about Fake Bake so I might try that soon. Also: Mystic Tan is the shit, and I highly recommend getting Mystic done at a salon, but never, ever buy the home products because the spray bottle leaks (see previous post on this topic).
Okay, right, so that’s my initial list of makeup products that I regret buying. I am sure there are others, but I felt the need to warn my fellow consumers away from those particular products.
Filed under: baking soda, orange palms, streaky tan, sunless tanning lotion
So, I go to the local tanning place to buy self-tanner. Last time I went to the local tanning place to buy self-tanner, I got this amazing lotion that never leaves streaks and doesn’t look orange and smells beachy-fabulous.
