Saturday 24 November 2012

REVIEW - FAMOUS DAVE'S FAKE TAN MOUSSE - yes or no?

Another day another fake tanner. Now this one I was excited about as I had been eager to try it for quite a while.

Famous Dave's Fake Tan Mousse has been talked about a lot in magazines and the views have been favourable. So lets see what it is really like...

The bottle is nothing exciting. A little bit like St Tropez packaging.

Famous Dave's
So lets take a look at the claims...

Famous Dave's Claims (we will come back to these later)

  • Creates a golden tan without the need for age-robbing sun or tanning bed exposure
  • Dries to the touch almost immediately as it is applied to the skin
  • Gives you an instant, streak-free and non-sticky tan that can last up to 7 days
  • This professional tanning formula is developed using a blend of natural ingredients and antioxidants
  • Compliments your existing tan by deepening and evening out your skin tones
  • Contains a guide colour to ensure even application
  • Paraben-free
  • Not tested on animals; no animal-derived ingredients
  • Can be used all year round to give the most natural looking tan you will ever have from a bottle!

The application
  

After bathing and exfoliating, I was ready to apply. I applied using this glove I got previously. When using a mit I tend to wear gloves underneath as I find that tanner can go through the mit and get my hands all stained.

Before Applying

The guide colour is absolutely gross. A horrible green... this is not looking good so far!



It gets worse when the green is applied to my skin, I am not impressed with this look at all.  No chance of going out the house after applying.

Straight after applying (notice the green top right)

There deffinitely is a smell, quite sweet. Not too much fake tan like or chemically though.

So I began applying starting with my face and working my way down to my feet as I usually do. I applied some moisturiser to my hands as I find this stops the tanner from developing too darkly on my hands.

My first impression was that on my face it looked green, pale and awful. I didn't think it would be dark enough when it developed as there really wasn't much of a tan colour at all.

The mitt is the only way to go when applying this one, I tried it with just the gloves and it didn't blend in at all.

It was quite sticky 10 minutes later as I got dressed for bed. Although the green was begining to fade and a very light brown was developing, things are looking up!
8 hours later...

Lets see how it did 

I woke up in the morning expecting not to look brown but I actually did. In fact it was a good job I added the moisturiser to my hands first as they would have been way too dark. After showering I am still pleased with the colour (in other words it didn't all run off). It is a lovely golden brown. However, It is not very even at all. My chest is a totally different colour to my arms, not great!


Final result

Day 2 and it just doesn't look great. Will see how it fares after another day or 2.
Day 4 well this is the total limit for Dave's it is begining to flake off and really not looking good especially on my hands, very dry and almost scally.  Not great!


Day 7 I haven't reapplied and it is looking bad. My legs are pretty cracked and scally... yuk feel like puking.



After 7 days


So lets review the claims
 

  • Creates a golden tan without the need for age-robbing sun or tanning bed exposure - Does create a golden (ish) tan 
  • Dries to the touch almost immediately as it is applied to the skin - 30 minutes later and still sticky!

  • Gives you an instant, streak-free and non-sticky tan that can last up to 7 days - very ambiguous! that 'can' last 'up to 7 days'. This definitely did not last 7 days!!

  • This professional tanning formula is developed using a blend of natural ingredients and antioxidants - no comment

  • Compliments your existing tan by deepening and evening out your skin tones - there was nothing even about my skin tone after applying thats for sure.

  • Contains a guide colour to ensure even application - A gross green one
  • Paraben-free - well this is a positive
  • Not tested on animals; no animal-derived ingredients - very impressed with this one.

  • Can be used all year round to give the most natural looking tan you will ever have from a bottle! - well I don't agree that it is the most natural ever from a bottle

Summary  


before left - After right

Overall I am not very impressed. Although I like the colour and that it doesn't all run off after showering.


I just don't think it is worth all the hassle for 2-3 good days of tan.
And the nail in the coffin is that it cracks and is difficult to buff off... this always puts me off using a tan again and needless to say I will not be buying another bottle!

4/10


Will you be trying this tanner? Have you tried Famous Dave's and had a different result?

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7 comments:

  1. Congratulations! This is the best thing, Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a nice information.
    Tanning

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Veronica :-) always good to read reviews when looking to try a new tan x

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  2. Hi I found your blog via Twitter :) Just wanted to say that I've been using Famous Daves for over a year and it doesn't look anything like the photo with the foam. If you only paid £5 for the bottle (did it not come with a lid) maybe it's faulty? Just wanted to comment as this is my fave tan! HTH Nic xx

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    Replies
    1. Hi there. The bottle did come with a lid but the funny thing is I had bought another bottle from Boots full price took it home and it came out so green I did think there was something wrong with it so took it back for a refund. When I saw this one I thought I would give it another go but to no avail I am afraid. I do say I like the colour but I couldn't get over the flaking off part. This is not to say it isn't great on other skin types, this is only my experience :-) Ashly x

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  4. Hi Ashly, I had the exact same problem as you. I have used famous dave's gold label mousse for years and it is perfect, dark and flawless. However, I also bought the reduced blue label one from boots and was horrified by it. Patchy and pointless. I looked 'minty' it was so green initially. Couldn't leave the house. Please try the gold label version. It has incredible reviews and really is one of the best. X

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  5. Thanks for the recommendation Tam! I will definitely try the gold one next time! Nobody likes to be a mint eeep!

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I love reading all your comments :-) contact me on twitter @AshlyLondon I would love to chat with you xxx