Lauren’s Way

I have put off writing this post for too long, so I thought it was finally time to finally get down to the nitty gritty with the new tan on the block that everyone is talking about. I’m sure you have all heard of it by now, but ‘Lauren’s Way’ is tanning range created by ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ star Lauren Goodger. I have to say I am a massive fan of the show, and although the cast can sometimes look a little on the orange side (yes, I’m looking at you Joey Essex), I am usually quite impressed with their ‘Marbs-glow’, so I was pretty excited to give this a go! I was lucky enough to pick up a bottle of their ‘Tanning Lotion Beach Bronze Colour’* at The Only Way Is Blogging Event 2 months ago, and the ‘Lauren’s Way’ crew hooked me up with their ‘Self Tanning Bronzing Mousse’* last week, so I have been able to give the whole range a good and fair test. 

I have to say this product is super-hyped in the bloggersphere, many fake tan addicts have touted this is as their number one tanning choice, so I had really high expectations for this product. My thoughts? Well…..

When it comes to which is better – the lotion or the mousse? They work exactly the same; there is no difference in texture, smell, longevity, colour, nothing – they do exactly the same job, so it just comes down to your personal preference. However, when it comes down to the actual performance of the tan itself, I have mixed views. I have to say the appearance and style of the bottle is ok, nothing special, but I do like how both the lotion and mousse have a pump action so you can be systematic in your application. The price isn’t bad either, the lotion usually retails for around £15.95, and the mousse for £17.95, but even better they can both be purchased in a special set for just £20 at the moment which is an absolute bargain (link here). A lot of people have praised the watermelon scent to this product, but I personally hate it – I think I have become accustomed to the sweet marzipan smell of Xen-Tan 😉 The actual application of both the lotion and mousse is extremely easy, both glide onto the skin leaving a pretty intense guide colour and, perhaps the best thing about this tan is how quickly it dries. This stuff sinks into your skin in seconds, seriously, no sticky residue and I can go to bed feeling nice and soft instead of slimy (nice!). My problem with this tan is the actual colour it leaves you with; I tend to apply my tan before I go to bed and leave it on for around 8 hours while I sleep, before showering it off in the morning. When you wake up you will look ridiculously brown, this is a tan that definitely requires a rinsing off before you face the world. But in the shower most of the colour goes down the drain and you are left with the slightest hint of colour. I have to admit it works ok on my arms and chest but on my legs it doesn’t really do that much! Although I do give it some kudos for the fact it has an extremely olive undertone – no ompha-loompa orange here! As for longevity, the colour on my arms sticks around for 3 days before wearing slightly around the wrists and needing a bit of a scrub.

I think my problem with this tan stems from the fact that I have recently started using the Xen-Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe and it is amazing. Not the easiest product in the world to apply, but seriously gorgeous colour that lasts around 7 days, I will pop up a review soon 🙂

I know I have given a pretty mixed review of the Lauren’s Way here, but this tan won’t sit unloved in my rapidly expanding collection. I think the way I will use this tan is as a ‘topper-upper’, to intensify other tans on my 3rd day of tanning. Plus like I said this gives a seriously intense guide colour, which makes it ideal for slapping on before a night out (although don’t get caught in the rain or spill drink down yourself or you will look slightly speckley).

For those of you that want to give it a try, I’m actually quite excited to announce that I have my first ever discount code to give you – oooooooohhh! Vivianna Does Makeup readers can get 25% off all tanning products until the 31st August 2011 with the code – Blog222. How cool is that!? If you were interested in the Tanning Lotion & Self Tanning Mousse Set, that is currently on sale for £20, you could get an extra 25% off, making it £15 which is less than the price of one bottle (link here)!