Facial fake tan

As we all know, I am a great believer in my beloved Xen Tan Dark Lotion, in combination with the Sienna X aerosol mist for days when there is no one to tan my back. However, as I no longer get my face in the sun (SPF 50 and Sun Togs hat are always with me), I do have a bit of a brown-body-white-face situation and I looked to rectify this.

I am extremely careful what I put on my face. I only use active ingredients in their purest serum form and oil free, fragrance free products over the top. I therefore thought I probably shouldn't be using body tan on my face. I have used the Clarins Liquid Bronze tanner for years however as it gives quite a natural tan (compared to my body which goes very dark even with SPF 50 use), it has to be used repeatedly to give colour, and whilst this worked well, it also resulted in various blocked pores and comedones. I therefore avoided any gradual tanners as I do not want to have to apply a product daily to get a result when I already have a hefty skin care routine with very carefully chosen ingredients.

Therefore I looked for specific facial tanners with minimal ingredients and minimal oil.

I have tried A LOT for you. Prepare for some fairly hideous photos. Apologies in advance.

La Roche Posay Anthelios Self Tanner

I thought I would first of all see what one of my favourite skin care brands had to offer from their self tan. This comes in a large bottle as I believe it is meant for body, however good old La Roche Posay are famous for their no nonsense, non irritating forumlas so I was quite happy to use this on my face.

 As you can see, the result is VERY natural, and would only really pick up in darker lighting. I found the formula quite sticky and I definitely would not want to try applying make up over it. However, unlike a lot of self tanners, it does not have a guide tint so if you used a good primer you could apply make up over it without it affecting the shade until it developed.

Verdict:
Not for me. This would require multiple applications to get to the desired colour and I have way too many other skin care products I would rather use than fake tan.

Xen Tan Medium Dark Face Tanner Luxe

Whilst this is marketed as a gradual tanner, I purchased the medium/dark option so that it would give a strong enough result on one application.

The "light vanilla scent" is anything but light. My nurse could smell it from where she was sitting despite me wearing a mask. It is a lovely smell, but the level of fragrance that this product must contain to give said scent terrifies me. It does apply very nicely and leaves less of a sticky residue, however it does come with a guide colour which is slightly on the orange side. I would definitely recommend wearing make up over it as it is not a pleasant shade on its own.

See below

Clockwise from top left:
Before, during, after 1 application, after 2 applications

As you can see, the guide tan is quite dark and orange, it gave a good change in shade however it clung to my darker areas of pigmentation e.g. around my chin and mouth. You could definitely apply it avoiding these areas to give a nice result, or if you are blessed, apply all over.

Verdict:
Good colour however I woke up the following day with a huge spot and blocked pores so will categorically never use this again.

Hylamide Glow Booster

I did not even bother to take photos with this as it did absolutely nothing to my skin. It was a nice but slightly sticky serum but absolutely no tan occurred. If you were very pale this may work, and give a slight hint of colour. The best thing is that it does it without DHA which can be irritating on some skins.

Vita Liberata Invis Foaming Tan Water in Super Dark

This seemed to be the answer to my prayers.
1) Super dark so only one application needed
2) Virtually nasty and oil free
3) Light, foam texture
4) No transfer
5) No guide tan

HOWEVER this was without doubt the WORST tan I have ever used. It clung to every single patch on my face. I had zero dry patches but it clung to every area of pigmentation I posses, even the ones that do not even show up in sunlight. I have shown below the patchiness. I look furious/depressed because I was.

HIDEOUS.
I wouldn't even use this on my body.

I therefore thought I would try my Xen Tan Dark body lotion on my face and ta da, perfect results. I avoid any areas of pigmentation e.g. where my melasma is, and it blends evenly and perfectly after 1 application.

Conclusion

If you have perfect, evenly toned skin, I would go for one of the mousse tans or the xen tan face. If you are a human being and have any patches of pigmentation or dryness, I would stick with whatever your favourite body tanner is, and just use it as a one off.