Fake Bake Tanning Body Butter - Review

It's that time of year again! The time when you start to daydream in history lessons about beaches, sun and wearing shorts without shivers and goosebumps - the time when every pale girl in the nation starts wishing they could tan. Luckily for us, we live in the 21st century - when fake tans provide just as good a tan as real ones.

Since I discovered fake tan a couple of years ago, I've been searching for my holy grail - but I have to admit I still haven't found it. There are those that provide a gorgeous colour, those that last a lifetime, those that cost literally pennies - but never one that combines it all. So I'm looking down different routes - I want to try different types of fake tan in the hope that one day, one will catch my attention and be that holy grail.

So whilst browsing around the web, I came across this little pot of loveliness - the Fake Bake Tanning Body Butter, £12.99 from Xtras Online. What drew me to this was that it's targeted at people with dry skin - which is a great change from the usual drying tanners.

It comes in a body butter form and is scarily dark in the tub. When opening the tub, the tan has quite a strong chocolately smell, which I found a bit weird at first but it soon faded once applied, and though it then took on a slight usual 'burnt biscuit' fake tan smell, it didn't last long and wasn't at all strong. I used the enclosed gloves to apply it and found that it soaked in really easily, just like a usual body butter - though it did take a bit longer to dry due to it's moisturising nature. The guide colour was a gorgeous golden sheen, and because it was moisturising it would easily be acceptable to apply and head straight out for the night. The next morning I woke up and checked the colour and it had gone pretty dark, but not at all orange tinted (ignore the photo, it makes it look far more orange!) and had a lovely golden glow. After a quick shower, the colour was a mid tan and looked beautifully natural and streak free. The colour lasted a good 4-5 days and faded nicely.

The only single bad word I have to say about this product is that you don't get much in a tub - I'd say 4-5 uses, which isn't much for £13 a pot! Despite this, I loved using the product and will definitely repurchase when I run out - the best part I found was that because it was a body butter as well, there was no need to moisturise afterwards which often ruins the colour of the tan.

Though I wouldn't say this was a 'holy grail' tan, I still loved it (I think I'm holding out for a perfection that doesn't exist) and I'll continue to use it - now bring on summer!