The first proper fake tan I ever tried was Fake Bake – I had gone to a Professional Beauty show, the ones that are filled with 16 year olds in white spa uniforms, and they were flogging this revolutionary wash off fake tan that didn’t streak or go orange, blah blah blah – anyway my friend bought one and forced me to buy one too.
I used it and I admit, I really liked it, and I am super critical about fake tan in any form. Roll on a few years, Fake Bake is super successful but I haven’t used it in a long time. So how well does it work now?
They say:
Fake Bake Original Self-Tan Lotion’s easy glide formula and ‘show where it goes’ cosmetic colour guide enables you to apply your self-tan with ease and confidence.
A combination of cutting edge , naturally derived tanning agents DHA and Erythulose work with the melanin cells which lie in the top layers of your skin to develop into a tan that compliments your skin tones for a perfectly natural looking results.
For me, what was the selling point of this product (then and now) is the fact you can see where you are applying it and you can shower the following morning and wash off all the excess and be left with a nice, natural even tan.
The wash off bit is important to me because god knows I am partial to an orange palm and a stained ear – being able to shower off the layer left on the top of your skin seems to really help give me a natural finish.
The colour is a really rich brown – I have no issues with Fake Bake’s colour, I think it’s quite lovely and natural.
The formula is similar to how it was when I first tried it a few years ago, but I actually think it was a little harder to rub in. I used this after a shower and I was stood there for a fair while waiting for it to sink in/dry. It was a bit sticky as it dried, grrr – this disappeared after I scrubbed it off 10 minutes or so.
This is not a fake tan I would ever apply then leave the house in.
I’d use this at the dead of night, as it made me look like I’d bathed in Bisto. Mr C complained about the smell then about the fact I looked like I had been covered in clumpy gravy.
The kind of effect on my NC35 skin:
Verdict:
This is still a great fake tan even though it took some effort to rub in, and I wouldn’t say that lightly – I would still use this when I want a colour boost along with my other favourite, Xen Tan.
Even though I look disturbing when using this, being able to wash it off the next day really leaves me with a nice, natural glow so the scary appearance upon application doesn’t faze me too much.
Fake Bake costs £26.95 or thereabouts. See the (huge) range here.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My sister loves this one – she’s the faux tan officionado in our family, although the more times I try fake tan, the more I like it… does this one last well on the skin?
Reply
Thanks for posting this. I actually just won a fake bake set and i have been cautious to use it because I am not much of a self tanner. I do use tanning beds, but like I said I won a 3 piece Fake bake kit and really want to try it. I heard that it takes a while to dry as well..How long did it last you??
Andrea
Reply