When the Vogue Shopping team asked me if I would be interested in testing out Coco & Eve’s fake tan range, I was apprehensive. Previous experience of using self tanners and spray tans have left me haunted: I turned up to my school prom looking like Georgia from Angus Thongs & Perfect Snogging, with legs like “giant cheesy puffs” covered in uneven streaks of orange and collected residue on my elbows and knees. Don’t even get me started on my hands which, no matter what I did, never blended with the rest of my body.
So, I learned to embrace my fair, natural skin colour for most months of the year, except in late spring when it gets warm enough to dig out short skirts and dresses. By that point, it’s been eight months since my legs last saw the sun – and it shows. When it comes to selecting a formula, I prefer a mousse, as I find them easier to apply evenly compared to gradual tan lotions. I decided to road test Coco & Eve’s Express Tanning Antioxidant Mousse over the brand’s original Bronzing Foam, for the simple reason that you only needed to let it sit for an hour – instead of the usual six – which seemed much more my speed. My only concern was that, unlike the original, there was only one shade available: dark tan. (More on that later…)
The instructions were simple: exfoliate, don’t moisturise, apply with circular motions and leave for a minimum of one hour. (To err on the side of caution, I went for 58 mins.) I used the brand’s Microfibre mitt to apply the tan, which gave me more control over the application of the product, and worked from the bottom of my leg upwards – a technique I learned from “pros” (my friends) to avoid creasing the tan. I started off with one generous pump onto the mitt, which I dabbed onto the skin before buffing frantically in those all important circular motions. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the process, and the tan actually smelt really nice – dare I say, fruity and floral? It was easy to blend and as soon as it was rubbed in, the initial dark-brown, greenish tinge I had been afraid of faded into a more natural colour.
When I was done, I was quite proud of my work – especially given I was very out of practice. But I could immediately see that there were sections of tan that had overlapped and looked darker than others, with the typical build-up of tan around the ankles, and parts that looked like they had been missed entirely.
The countdown to the wash-off had begun. I spent the majority of the hour pacing round my flat, scared to sit down for fear of spoiling my work or the soft furnishings. At some point, I obviously forgot about this and laid on my bed for a quick doom scroll, but I can thankfully confirm my white sheets were, miraculously, left unmarked – which was an added bonus.
When the time came to shower, I could instantly tell that this was turning out much better than I had hoped for. Once fully rinsed off and moisturised, I was genuinely thrilled with the outcome. It was subtle, which for me was perfect as I wanted it to look natural on my fair complexion. For a darker tan, you’d just need to leave it on longer. All my worries about patchy streaks were forgotten, as even the parts that had looked uneven pre-shower had washed off nicely; leaving a light bronze underneath. My sensitive skin felt moisturised and not irritated, and it lasted well for about four days before fading. All in all, I ended this experiment glowier than when I started – and I’ll definitely be using the formula again for a pre-holiday top-up. I’d recommend it to all the pale queens out there who might want to try self tanners this summer, without it being obvious you’ve done it.
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