Xen Tan Absolute Lux

Hey beauties! So, finally a little beauty post from me. I know they are few and far between at the moment, sorry about that, but as you can probably tell my life is a little pregnancy and baby focused of late.

I really do keep meaning to film a couple of beauty tutorials for my YouTube channel too but never seem to get around to it before it gets too dark in my house! 

Anyway, onto Xen Tan. 

So, I finally did it. I gave in to the beauty blogger hype and purchased the cult tan. If I'm honest I think the full price tag of £40 is a little too much to pay for a self tan, but I found mine on Amazon at a much friendlier price of £25. 

I've been using this about twice a week for just over a month now, so I think that's a good amount of testing time. As you can see this tube has been well loved, so it's about time I shared my thoughts with you. 

I'll start with the positives... 

Firstly, my favourite thing about this tan has got to be the colour. I've had so many compliments on it and really prefer the colour of this tan to any other I've tried, including my beloved St Tropez mousse. That's really saying something too!

It's the closest I've ever found to the colour that I would actually get if I had a real tan from sunbathing. 

Next, the smell. I know that smell isn't normally a positive thing when reviewing a self tanning product, most of them are really strong and offensive! But I feel like Xen tan is an exception, they've managed to mask the 'tanning smell' with a nice gentle vanilla scent. 

Obviously it does still have a hint of tan smell, but mostly it's rather pleasant. This is a huge plus for me, I apply my tan at night before I go to bed and it's do much nicer going to sleep on a gentler smell (and I'm sure hubby would agree too!). 

Although initially I wasn't crazy about the cream form (more on that later) it did make my skin feel moisturised afterwards, which I don't think is something I've ever got from a tan before, I usually like to moisturise first. With Xen tan I don't feel the need to do so, (with the exception of elbows and knees). I actually like putting this on my face as it has a nice texture. 

The staying power is very good, I tan once or sometimes twice a week. But, bear in mind that I also shower every single night so that affects the staying power. I'm sure if this wasn't the case, I need only apply it the once! 

Okay, now for the things I'm not so keen on...
The formula of this tan is cream. Now, I've never ever used a cream tan before. I've always been a mousse or spray lady. So, the first couple of times I used this, I found the application a little tricky. I used a mitt, just for the practical reason that I wanted to avoid stained hands. Although I'm 100% positive that it would look better if I could apply it with my hands, very annoying. 

Anyway, on application it gives a little instant colour but not a huge amount, so it can be quite tricky to see which areas you've covered. The first time I applied, I was NOT good at this. I woke up so patchy the next day that I wouldn't have normally given this tan another try if I hadn't liked the colour so much. 

As you get used to it though, it becomes easier to apply and eventually you find the knack. 

I also found as I neared the end of the tube that the packaging hindered my tanning. I am aware this sounds ridiculous, but knowing you have product in there that you can't get too is so frustrating! This really would work better if it was in a pump bottle, and I think that's the case for all self-tans. It's just easier and less messy. 

The last thing I didn't like about this tan is that it's tough to exfoliate off, in order to get the next application looking even. You can get there, but it's more effort than it should be! 

So all in all, despite the bad points, I ended up really liking this tan. I wouldn't pay the full price for it, but as long as I can find it discounted it will be my tan of choice this winter. Gotta keep a bit of colour on us haven't we ladies? 

What are your thoughts on Xen Tan? Whats your current tan of choice?