Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Shade to Order Sunless Tanner

My latest sunless tanning product is a break from my usual Lancaster or St. Tropez products. I was sent this Bath and Body Works tanner from a PR company and I admit I was a bit nervous to try it out. My usual tanners are foam and tinted. This one is not so had this product not been sent to me, I might never have tried it out and broadened my beauty horizons. The product that I am referring to is the True Blue Spa Shade to Order Select-a-Shade Gradual Tanning Lotion. This is the first tanning product I have used that is gradual, not tinted, and a lotion. So I did need some practice to master this one.

The Bath and Body Works websites gives the following description to describe the product. "Isn't it comforting to know that you're only one shade away from the perfect sun-kissed color? By choosing your desired shade and simply adjusting the setting on the dual chamber, you can customize the intensity of your sunless gradual tan while you lavish your skin with nourishing, oil-free moisture". The product has seven settings, setting 1 is all self tanning lotion and setting 7 is all body lotion. I have found that setting 4 or setting 3 works very well to create a gradual tan for my skintone.

The Bath and Body Works website lists the advantages of some of the active ingredients in this product. They state that glycerin helps the skin retain moisture. The aloe vera in the product soothes and smoothes the skin. Vitamin E moisturizes, conditions, and helps to protect the skin during application and later. Also, this product does not have the traditional sunless tanner chemical fragrance that I am used to. The fragrance of this tanner is a coconut orange flower mix and is much more pleasant than the chemical scent of both the previous tanners that I have used.

So what do I think of this product? I have both likes and dislikes of it. I love the fragrance and I do enjoy the gradual part of this product. After about two applications, I look as though I spent a day at the beach, instead of a week in Rio. For someone with paler skin, this helps to create a more natural look and not a huge transformation overnight. I really wish that this product was tinted, it would be much more helpful in application. The overall application was actually much easier than I thought that it would be. The hardest parts for me to get even are the typical areas: feet, knees, and elbows. The use of a lotion instead of a foam really helps to keep my skin hydrated and it doesn't itch as badly as it usually does when I use the foams.

If this product was tinted, this would be an amazing product because it has some other great attributes. Bath and Body Works has come quite a long way since I first used their tanners when I was in college...I look natural and not orange!

photo courtesy of Bath and Body Works