REVIEW: Cocoa Brown Chocolate Whip Oil-Free Body Moisturiser

Us girls all love to be bronzed and beautiful and to achieve this most of us will fake it rather than bake ourselves on tanning beds. We also all know that to maintain a fab fake tan we need to moisturise daily to keep skin hydrated while ensuring your tan stays intact. However, what most people don't realise is that if you use a moisturiser with oils in it that this will actually work at removing your fake tan rather than maintaining it!!!

Cocoa Brown Chocolate Whip Oil-Free Body Moisturiser

Marissa Carter, owner of Cocoa Brown being the tanning genius that she is has come up with a great solution. An oil free moisturiser that gives you the right amount of hydration you need to helps maintain a beautiful tan. Introducing the ever so lovely Chocolate Whip Oil Free Body Moisturiser.

Marissa says that this moistuirser can be used in three different ways:

• Firstly before you apply fake tan this can be applied to the notoriously dry areas such as hands, feet, knees, elbows etc. This should be done no matter what tan you use to ensure that the tan doesn't cling to dry areas resulting in an uneven and unsightly fake tan. I love this product for this purpose. I have used moistuisers in the past that were way to thick and oily for this that they acted as a barrier against my tan and so I was left with tan free knees, feet, elbows, the works. Not a nice sight for a Saturday on the tiles!!!
• Secondly Marissa recommends using this starting from the day after you have applied your tan to prolong the life of your tan and also an even fade off of any residue. This definitely gets the thumbs up in this department. I have seen a great improvement in the length my tan lasts since using this
• And finally she suggests using this everyday to leave your skin moisturised without feeling oily or greasy. It's recommended to this use even if you don't have tan on. I am not a fan of using it in this way. I prefer to use a more luxurious moistuiser when I am not wearing tan.

This is really a super moistuser for using while sporting a tan, it is hydrating enough but absorbs super quick and leaves no residue on your skin. However, it doesn't give me enough hydration for non tan days. I like to use thicker products on non tan days just to give my skin that extra boost of moisture.

The packaging of this product is what I expected from Cocoa Brown, cute, girly and easy to use with a hint of pink. It comes in a 200ml tube. I love that it is fuss free to use (like all their other products). The plastic of the tube is soft which means you can squeeze out every last drop of the product.

I was a little surprised to see the product was brown. But it really suited the name!!

If you are familiar with and love the smell of Cocoa Brown's 1 hour tan then you are going to love the scent of this! When you first apply it you get the familiar whiff of Tahitian Gardenia but then as you rub it in to the skin the cocoa smells comes to the surface. It is not overpowering but it definitely has a scent that lingers on the skin which for me is a big plus especially as it masks any fake tan smell. 

If all of that wasn't enough, Chocolate Whip is actually good for your skin too. It contains Vitamin E which is known for its healing properties such as improving the appearance of stretch marks, age spots and maintaining general skin health. It also contains Panethenol which is great for people with acne prone skin as it doesn't clog the pores and so will not produce sebum in the pores.  I would really recommend this for anyone that suffers from body acne as its lightweight and full of acne fighting ingredients.

Overall, I am very impressed with this product and will continue to use it to help maintain a glowing and even tan. And at €7.99 for 200ml you definitely cannot ask for much more. Chocolate Whip Oil Free Moisturiser is available from Penney's, good pharmacies nationwide and FeelUnique's website (although it is €9.99 on this site). See here for a list of stockists.

For a perfect tan I would recommend using Cocoa Brown's Tough Stuff all over the body in the shower to exfoliate the skin, then use Chocolate whip on dry areas and then apply Cocoa Brown's 1 Hour Tan. Keep tan maintained with a daily application of Chocolate Whip. 

Have you tried Chocolate whip or any other Cocoa Brown Products? 

Do you use a moisturiser daily to maintain an even and natural looking tan?

Thank you for taking time out to read this post. Have a wonderful day.

Happy Tanning Ladies 

Love and Cuddles
XXXXX

REVIEW: Wow Brown Ready to Glo Dark Tanning Liquid

I have had the a bottle of Ready to Glo Dark Tanning liquid from Irish brand Wow Brown in my "to try drawer" for some time now but with one thing and another I didn't get time to check it out but I finally did it and Boy have I been missing out!!!!

This is the newest addition to Wow Brown's ever growing D.I.Y tanning range.

It really is a special little bottle of tan. Instead of making a sticky cream type consistency the lovely girls Fran and Don of Wow Brown decided to concentrate on giving us a product that contains really high level of direct DHA (what makes us darker quicker!!). The result is a liquid tan that resembles spray tan in a bottle.

On first use I fell in love with this tan. It is very easy to apply. All you do is spray it directly onto a tanning mitt and rub in circular motions from feet all the way to your face(yep it's safe to use on your face too!). Simple. It goes on effortlessly and isn't sticky at all. It really does remind me of a salon spray tan in a self tan version! And best of all it dries instantly which is my favourite thing in a tan because I hate to wait around for ages while it dries in.

Alot of tans claim not to have that dreaded fake tan smell but this one actually doesn't have a strong smell at all (slight fake tan smell towards end of development time but far less than other tans I have tried). Everything this tan claims to do it does well!! 

This tanning range was created by Fran and Don who are salon owners after they couldn't find a tanning product that ticked all their boxes as professionals and so they decided to create their own and you can really tell by this tan that they have dedicated alot of time and effort into it as there is very little negative things to say about the formulation of this tan!!

I love the bottle it comes in too. It looks tiny but infact it has 100ml's inside which means you can bring it in your hand luggage for a weekend away. You will get 7 to 10 full body applications from the 100ml bottle. The spray nozel that dispenses the product sprays just the right amount onto the mitt to ensure you don't overload the skin with too much liquid.

This tan can be washed off after 5 hours or left on for a deeper tan. I HATE leaving tan on for too long and especially overnight so I put this on in the morning and rinsed it after 5 hours. Before I rinsed it I looked extremely dark but once I rinsed off the colour guide I was very happy with the colour it gave me. Not overly dark but a really gorgeous golden, natural looking tan. I do think if I was going out on a night I would either apply a second layer after rinsing the first or leave it on longer because the colour I got after 5 hours wouldn't be enough for me for a night out! The reason I hate to leave tan on over night is because it gets so sticky and smelly during the night but this tan wouldn't do that as you don't even feel it on your skin and it has a minimal scent, Wow Brown refers to this as the "boyfriend friendly scent" which is very cute!!

Before Application                 After rinsing 

Ready to Glo Dark Tanning Liquid can be purchased directly from Wow Brown's website or from any stockists nationwide. It costs €21.99 for 100ml bottle.

I have read other reviews on this product and some people really didn't like it but I am just being honest when I say I had no problems at all with this. I always make sure I exfoliate thoroughly before application and also moisturise my dry areas. 

I hope you found this review helpful and please feel free to comment below telling me your experience of this fantastic tan!!!

Have a great day
Anita xxx


***This product was sent to me as a PR sample for review. However this has in no way affected my review. The opinions above are 100% my own opinion and I would not recommend a product if I wouldn't buy it with my own money. 

Karora's Express Bronzing Mousse.......... Rave Review

So let's face it, we all want to look our best at all times and that includes having a bronzed and beautiful body but most of us just don't have the time to primp and preen ourselves for hours. Well I have recently discovered a tan that gives you really amazing colour in minimal time. Interested? Keep reading my lovely....

Introducing one of the latest products from the Irish brand Karora. Their new Express Bronzing Mousse is described as "a new breed of luxury tanning mousse with skincare status and a development time quicker than ever before where you decide your personalised shade of bronze". Sounds good??

Love the packaging of this product.

Well in my opinion it is bloody well fantastic.....

First off I have to give some attention to the great packaging of this product. If you like expensive looking products that don't resemble tack in any way then this is a winner for you. The deep purple packaging with a hint of pink and gold peeping through screams velvet luxury. As this is a mousse consistency the pumps can often be hit or miss on these products but Karora has this one spot on. It isn't an aerosol type can but instead its a pump that dispenses the product perfectly and without any fuss. This tan is part of the Skinwear range from Karora which is a really big range of products that are perfect for getting you ready to bare all. This range includes a few new launches including a CC Cream aswell as some of their original products in new funky packaging. Their Original and Dark tanning mists are a favourite of mine and featured in my Current Fake Tan Favs post months back. You can read this here.

Fuss free pump. A great little addition.

The consistency of this tan is beautiful, it is a mousse but it is so velvety and smooth to apply. It goes on effortlessly with a mitt meaning that you don't have to buff it into the skin at all. However, it does give you enough time to mess around with the product to ensure you cover all areas. When you first apply it it smells to me like citrus. However, as the tan develops you do get a hint of the nasty tan smell which I am not a fan but because you only leave this on for a short time its not so bad. The smell isn't overpowering like other tans though.

You can leave this on for one hour, two hours or three hours and customise your tan to suit you. The longer you leave it on the deeper the tan will be. This is fantastic as it allows you to have a light tan for midweek and a beautiful bronzed deeper tan for the weekend. So no need to buy separate tans for different occasions. Of course me being a tanaholic I left this on for the full 3 hours and before I washed it off I looked radiant, however when I washed it off I was very disappointed that I didn't look any darker than before applying (see second picture below). So I got out of the shower moisturised and went about my business. Then after around an hour I noticed that my skin was a beautiful bronzed colour (see third picture below), it must have taken longer to develop on me than three hours and it states on the packaging that the colour continues to develop after rinsing and this is exactly what it did. So what did I think of the tan when it did develop??

1)Before Application
2) After washing off after 3 hours
3) After rinsing I left for around 1 hour and this was the result

To say it was the nicest bronzed exotic looking tan I have ever used is not an understatement. It gave me a really deep but very natural looking tan, almost like I was just back from a week in the sun. I was so happy with the results. It lasted perfectly well for around 5 days and began to fade after that but very evenly and no streaking at all. I wanted to thoroughly test this tan and so I packed the product on my feet to see if it would cling to any drier areas. I was very happy to see that it was slightly darker in the drier areas but didn't look in any way unnatural or cakey, you could easily get away with wearing open sandals even after I applied it in this way.

The only thing I can say that I didn't like about this tan was that after application I knew the product had soaked into my skin but yet I felt sticky in place for the three hours until I washed it off. I thought it was just me the first time but then I tried it for the second time and it was the same again. It was a little disappointing in this regard. However, if you are happy to sit and wait for the tan to develop then it is definitely worth it because the results are damn right amazing.

Like all of Karora's range of products this tan is free from any nasty chemicals and has added skincare benefits that leave your skin looking plump, perfected and very well hydrated. I think this is why the tan looks so well because it leaves your skin so hydrated that this, mixed with the beautiful bronzed look makes your skin look youthful and just simply glowing. Honestly, the more I use this product the more I fall in love with it. It gives me such a beautiful but natural tan. 

Finally, the best thing about this tan is that is it is safe to use during pregnancy as it is all natural and free from all those nasty things that irritate sensitive skin. There is some essential oils in this but they are only used in minimal amounts so are not harmful at all. That comes straight from Karora's mouth too!! 
Have I talked enough? I tend to do that sometimes. Here are the details of where to buy this product:
You can get this product in Lloyd's pharmacies nationwide, Mccabes Blanchardstown and Dundrum, Sam McCauley chemist and pharmacies nationwide.This will set you back €29.99 for 150ml which may be a little pricey for some people but you do definitely get what you pay for.

Have you tried any products from Karora's new Skinwear range? What is your current Fake tanning essentials? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a wonderful day my lovelies.

Anita xxx



***This product was sent to me for review but this has in no way affected my opinion. My opinion is 100% honest and trustworthy. I would not recommend a product that I would not purchase myself.xxx

Product Review- Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan

So, I know nearly every Irish blogger has reviewed the new Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan by Marissa Carter but I also know some of my followers have asked have I tried it so I thought I would write this review to let you all know my honest thoughts on this product.

Love the packaging, easy to use and not messy at all

Well first off I have to say I do like this tan, after only two uses its not my favourite tan of all time (that could change with more applications, I do tend to change my mind alot!?) but it does give some of the high end brands a run for their money!! It is a great tan that gives a lovely colour and glow to the skin and for a really reasonable price. I will definitely be repurchasing!!

Cocoa Brown is the brain child of Marissa Carter (owner of Carter Beauty, Blackrock Dublin). I had no doubt that this tan would be a great product as Marissa is know for her exceptional work in the beauty industry and so I knew this tan would be up to the same standard! I just LOVE spending money on products that I know someone has put so much work and pride into. It makes it all the more easier to part with your hard earned cash I think.

So here are a few of the things I like about this tan

• Its Irish, and we all know I am a massive fan of supporting our own!!
• So inexpensive (€7 in Penneys, €7.99 everywhere else)
• Mousse consistency so dries almost instantantly
• Colour guide allows you to see where the product is going
• It smells really lovely which is strange for a fake tan (the smell is Tahitian Gardinia to be exact)
• LOVE the fact that it develops in 1 hour and can be rinsed off after that time or can be left on for longer if you require a darker tan. The tan stops developing after 3 hours. I love that you can apply this in the evening and rinse it off before bed as I find it very difficult to sleep while stinking of fake tan.
• It doesn't have the usual "sticky" fake tan feel off it. 
• I actually used this on my face (which I wouldn't normally do) and it hasn't caused any breakouts!!!
• It does not contain DHA (tanning agent) so is great for sensitive skins. It instead contains vegetable derived tanning agents
• It leaves the skin sunkissed as opposed to tangoed

I mentioned that I love that it dries instantly but this can also be a con as you have to work super quick and make sure you really work it in to the skin which can be daunting on first application as you are not sure of the product, trial and error is the only way forward I think. But be warned this bad boy dries quicker than any tan I have ever used before. 

I would also suggest (and it is suggested on the packaging also) that you exfoliate really well prior to use and use a light moisturiser on dry areas (ankles, knees, elbows) .

I would apply this product with a mitt because it is super quick drying so it may be too late to wash your hands!!

 

After application     After 1 hour        After 3 hours

I applied this tan in the evening time.When first applied it gives a light tan to the skin (this is the colour guide), I then took a picture after 1 hour and then after 3 hours and I then rinsed the product off. You will notice the colour guide wash off in the shower but don't worry its not the tan coming off!! It doesn't leave you with a really intense tan but more of a natural bronzed look that on my skin looked very natural. I have read reviews that people say they applied it on two consecutive nights and it was too dark. I did not do this but I did apply it after two nights after the first application and I think it gave me a nicer tan the second time round. I was really happy with the colour after two applications, it wasn't too dark for me.

Overall, I am really impressed with this innovative product and I do think it is worth a buy and would definitely recommend everyone tries it out, especially because it is so darn reasonable and plus we have to support the Irish!!

This is only the first in a range of Cocoa Brown products I believe so I am really excited to see what Marissa has in store for us!!

I would love to know your thoughts on this product if you have tried it. I hope you all have a wonderfully sun-kissed week and I will chat to you all later.

Love Anita xxxx

My Current Fake Tan Favs!!!

My busy schedule doesn't allow me apply fake tan every two to three days, or maybe I am just too darn lazy to do that so when I look for a tan I want something that's easy to apply, doesn't streak, gives me a goddess glow and fades off evenly so that I don't look like I haven't washed in weeks (not the look I am going for right now). Impossible I hear you say???? Well......actually I think I may have found the "perfect" tanning products......Drum Roll please!!!!!!!

Introducing Karora Self Tanning Mist and Clairns Liquid Bronze self tanning for Face and Decollete.These two little babies are great products and have not yet failed me....I have used them both for a long time and I have NEVER even had a lickle streak from them....not even once!! That must be a first for me!!!! Want to know more??? Ok, lets be having ya!!

For a natural, sunkissed glow I use Karora Self Tanning Mist Original on all parts of my body (apart from my face and neck.....we will deal with that later). At first I was sceptical because I had only ever tried cream or mousse type tans. Karora Mist as the name suggests is a lightwieght Liquid Mist! Karora claims that this mist is a tan that "glides on skin effortlessly, dries instantly and delivers an even rich golden tan lasting up to 7 days" I would have to agree with this, I am amazed at how quick this tan dries in. It reminds me of the feeling of a spray tan and I have to say it looks like one too. Everytime I apply this tan it looks like a professional beautician has applied it as I am streak free and evenly tanned. What more could you want??? Well if you are fussy like me you would want more and guess what Karora gives us more... Not only does it have skin firming benefits but it is "fused with a propritary blend of pure active botanicals, vitamins and essentials oils of Acai berry and Argan". So a botancial based tan with skincare benefits, that keeps you glowing for days, that doesn't streak, has sleek and sassy packaging and best of all is Irish made, seriously there is nothing else to say. Karora has it sorted!!!

The instructions advise to use rubber gloves and blend the tan into your skin in circular motions. Although I do agree with the latter I feel the best way to apply this is with a tanning mitt. I have done this right from day one and have never had a problem. Karora also state that this product has a delicate fragrance which it does however unfortunately like all products that contain DHA (what makes the tan develop) there will be a slight pong...but its not half as bad as other tans I have used.

As I use the Original version of this tan for the most part it doesn't give a really dark colour at all. It just gives a natural glowing bronzed colour that is in no way orange. You can however apply the tan for a few days to build up to your desired colour but for everyday use I love just one layer of this as you just look simply radiant and healthy....now that's the look I desire!! Karora Original is €24.99 for 200ml or €14.99 for 100ml and is available pharmacies and salons nationwide. I buy mine from the local Doc Morris Pharmacy. It can also be purchased online.

I did use Karora on my face and neck previously but because I am on a skincare buzz at the moment I decided to use a self tanner specifically designed for this area as I did feel the Karora was causing breakouts on my SUPER sensitive skin. I used Clairns Liquid Bronze tan for face before and remembered loving it so I recently repurchased it and now I don't know why I ever stopped using this in the first place...its the business! I love the texture of this product, its like a milk formulation that literally dries in instantly so there is no waiting around. I have often applied my foundation straight after this and it develops a really lovely tan under your foundation and best of all it doesn't break me out....Whoop Whoop. 

Clairns do recommend using a cotton pad to apply this but personally I apply it with my finger tips and be sure to scrub my hands afterwards! Like the Karora original this can be used for a few days to build up the intensity of the colour. 

There is no doubt that I will be using this product for a long time to come, because to date this is the best facial tanner I have ever tried...WOW thats a steep statement but a true one none the less. Also the sheer size of the bottle (125ml for a facial tanner is pretty huge) means this baby will be part of my tanning collection for awhile yet. 

The main things I love about this product is how quick it dries, how natural it looks on the skin and it doesn't stink too bad at all which is always a great trait. 
IF I did have one thing to say about this tan combo it would be that after one application the facial tanner seems to develop darker than the body one so I usually either apply the Karora(body) for two days and on the second day skip the Clairns(face) or if I only want one application I will slightly exfoliate my face the morning after I apply the Clairns. There is a seriously minor difference in the colours but I am just being fussy here. Clairns Liquid bronze self tanning for face and decollete is €26 for 125ml (I bought mine from Boots), this little gem will last a long time as you need the tinniest amount.

Karora do have other products in their current range. These include a Karora Self Tanning Mist in Dark which is the darker version of the Original one. This is considerably darker but is great for nights out as it gives an intense colour. I have only ever seen this in the 100ml size which is the same price as the Original formulation. The Original tan is a tinted mist which can be used as a colour guide but the Dark one gives an instant colour so you can have your glow instantly and then the tan will develop as the hours go by. They also have a Gradual Bronzing Moisturiser with SPF 15 which is €19.99 for 125ml. This is like the Johnsons holiday skin phenomena that once was only a zillion times better. Its a really luxurious body cream that has some self tanning agents in it that allows you to layer this product for a few days to create a natural looking tan. This is great for fake tan virgins or personally I sometimes apply this if I want to extend the life of my Original mist. As if this wasn't enough Karora have mastered the art of instant fake tan also. This beautiful product is great for days when you didn't have time to use tan that develops over a few hours or if you just prefer to have a tan for one day rather than a few. I also adore this for applying over my tan on nights out to give a beautiful sheen to the skin and add some extra colour, especially on my legs and arms. A little gem in my eyes, this product is €14.99 for 125ml. Karora also offers the smooth operator micro peel which is a grain free exfoliator that is supposed to be amazing for removing dead skin cells and could even be used to remove the last of your old tan before bronzing up again. I haven't used this product yet so I don't have an opinion on it at the moment but it is on my wishlist and I will be sure to share my thoughts with you all when I do get my hands on it, this retails for €12.99(I think) for 100ml.

Well ladies thats all for the moment. I hope you found this post informative and I will be sure to fill you in with any new tanning favourites in the future although for the foreseeable future i do think I have found my tanning holy grail. Have a beautiful sun-kissed day. Take care.

Anita xxxx



****This was not a sponsored post****