Before I left for Portugal, Debenhams sent me the new Utan Tanning Range to review for their beauty club. Utan is from Ultimo which we all know for lingerie. Here is what they say about the range;
"Available in an array of shades UTAN not only delivers a deep, even, long-lasting colour it assists in re-sculpting and reshaping the body contours. Easy to apply, streak-free and odour free."
The range at the moment has nine products, from exfoliators to gradual tanners, moisturisers to instant tan and medium shades to extreme dark shades. I was sent four of their products to review, two tans and the exfoliator and moisturiser.
Here's what I taught of each product:
Diamond Dust Body Exfoliator
Utan claims;
"Luxuriously helps to gently lift away dead skin cells to deep cleanse and boost circulation for a smoother even skin tone and texture. Step 1 in preparing for your perfect tan."
Now I am totally not one for exfoliating, never been part of my beauty regime really basically because I can not stand the big bits of sugar and salt that does be in exfoliators. And coming out of the shower all read and blotchy. So when I received this exfoliator I did not have high hopes for me liking it. But saying sure an exfoliator is an exfoliator one is the same as the next would be wrong. This has no bits, there is no blotchy red skin after the shower. Its basically like rubbing moisturiser into your skin. At first I taught that was basically it , that it was a moisturiser because of its non bitty creamy texture but it actually exfoliates! I had two blotches of tan on my hand from taking these pictures ( see picture below of tan), with a little squirt of this and a little rubbing tan blotches disappeared and no harsh marks as if you just taken off layers of skin.
I would defiantly recommend this exfoliator especially if your like me and do not like the harshness of other exfoliators.
Price: €22.50 for 200ml
Utan Diamond Dust Exfoliator on left, Utan Shimmering Gold Body Moisturiser on right |
Shimmering Gold Body Moisturiser
Utan claims;
"Is a golden iridescent indulgent moisturiser for the body that enhances the skin tone as it assists in re-sculpting the body contours."
Now it has not replaced my daily body moisturiser but has become my going out one. I just love the golden iridescentness it gives your skin and it looks great with a tan giving it another dimension and taking the flatness out of an all over color. I can not really comment on its other benefits as I only wear it on the very rare occasion of me going out.
Price: €24.00 for 200ml
Can not really capture it on camera but when you see it in the light its a beautiful golden sparkle. |
Self Tan Mousse Medium California Sun
Utan claims;
"For an instant golden tint upon application as the deeper, radiant color develops over 3-4 hours"
Now these pictures were taken back in May when I first received the product to review. When I was basically a ghost (lighter then Mac NC15)
Photos on left are before and photos on right are after.
Ever just wanted a hint of tan well this tan is for you. Its perfect for an Irish pale complexion there is none of that orangeness that you can get from other tans and even Sally Hansens Light Glow is extremely yellow in color. Which can be off putting on the redness that appears in Irish skin tones. This just gives you that hint of tan that looks completely natural.
Its easy to apply in its mousse form using just a tanning mitt and surprisingly no smell detected at all. It did not quickly wash off either or in dodgy patches like other tans I think I got about four days of sun-kissedness. There is only one off putting thing about this tan and its the price! Its very hefty! But if your into a good quality tan then by all means buy away.
Price: €38.50 for 150ml
California Sun (medium) mousse on left and Ibiza Extreme on right. |
Self Tan Lotion Dark Ibiza Extreme
Utan claims;
" For an instant silky smooth deep bronze tint upon application as the deeper, intense color develops in 3-4 hours"
When I received this package this bottle scared the beejaysus out of me and I refused to test it! It was a few days before moving to Portugal and the last thing I wanted to do was go there looking like an Orangutan. My ghostly skin would not have handled this well and I could not for the life of me put it even near a hidden area of my skin.
Well since arriving back my paleness is no more ( more on that in another post) and I am now around a Mac NC 25/ C3 so when it came to heading out with my bestie Amy last weekend, I bit the bullet and lashed the stuff on. Unfortunately I did not do before pictures of this and I could not take even pictures of my skin today because basically after 3 showers the tan is still there! So here is an after photo of just before I hit the town.
As you can see from the hands its a dark tan, I have Mac Face and Body N5 on my face including bronzer and its still not an exact match, the tan is darker. Application was easy and produced no streaks, downside is it proper stinks! Sleep in the bed with someone and you will be sleeping on the couch till you shower! It even bugged me in the bed and I was the one wearing it. Once you shower though the smell goes away and your not as dark as you were but you could totally head out again without applying anymore tan. And five days on I still have a color on me and its in no way patchy. If you can get past the initial smell then this is exactly what it says on the tin a deep intense long lasting tan.
Price(hefty again): €43.00 for 200ml
All Utan products can be purchased on Debenhams.ie and Ultimo.co.uk
*All opinions are my own, yes I was sent the products for review but in no way was my opinions altered to favor or disfavor the brand.*
It is nice to see an article dedicated to this important topic. Thank you for sharing.
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