Vita Liberata Rapid 4-7 Day Tan Mousse

Being so pale, I was dreading the fact of having to show my legs in shorts.. without having a tan. I don't think I am one of those people who actually look good being pale, and I think I look much healthier with a tan. I haven't used self tanning products since the beginning of high school, and they were these low quality wipes that gave me streaks and only lasted a day or so. I finally decided I was going to pick up a lasting self tanner, preferably the well known 'St. Tropez', but when I got to Sephora I saw this brand and thought why not, lets try it!

Vita Liberata's Rapid 4-7 Day Tan Mousse claims a tan that will last 4-7 days. It also promises a tan that begins developing in 30 minutes and continues to develop the longer you leave it on. 1 hour for a light sun-kissed glow, 2 hours for a medium bronze tan, and 3+ for a lusciously dark result. The tan will continue to develop deeper the longer you leave it on without showering. This is initially why I decided to purchase this. I wanted something I could apply and wash off without having to sleep in.

Other promises that are listed on the box of this self-tanner is odour remove for zero smell, a selectable shade, moisture lock for 72hr hydration, and a perfect fade. Vita Liberata's self tanners are also packed with mainly organic ingredients or ingredients that are derived from a natural origin.

Ingredients:

Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Water, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Dihydroxyacetone, Cucumis Melo (Melon) Fruit Extract, Troxerutin, Saccharide Isomerate, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Fucus Vesicolosus (Bladderwrack) Extract, Litchi Chinensis (Lychee) Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Extract, Hydrolysed Silk (Soie), Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Extract, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, CI 17200 (Red 33), CI 42090 (Blue 1), CI 19140 (Yellow 5).

When I first opened the box I noticed that the 'included mitt applicator' was actually mini-sized and only big enough to fit on 4 of my fingers -__-. I did get used to it and it ended up working well but I would obviously suggest investing in a larger one. 

First Application Attempt: So beginning my self-tan experiment, it was a few hours before I had a family event, I decided to apply the self tanner without shaking it and in return I was getting fast drying results that I could not blend in for the life of me. It was so frustrating and I soon after realized it was likely because I had not been shaking the bottle. I left the self-tanner on for an hour and a half, hoping to achieve a nice glow, but when I washed it off I saw that it hadn't worked at all.

Second Application Attempt: My second attempt I decided to apply the self-tanner before bed and wash it off in the morning. I know I wanted to avoid doing this but it seemed to be the only way I would have time for it to develop. I applied it before bed and only got 5 hours of sleep, and proceeded to wash it off in the morning. I finally achieved a light tan and it was nothing too drastic, nor did it look orange!

1: Shows the difference in colour on my skin after the second attempt (where I left the self tanner on for 5 hours ish), 2: Difference today, after 3rd application

First Impressions: 

My impressions of the tanning mousse after using it twice; once with no results and once with noticeable results are.... it claims zero smell, but there is a light standard self-tanning smell to this. I mean, you definitely can't go out without washing it off, but after the first wash you can still smell it on your skin. Not sure if other people can smell it too… but I hope not.. It does seem to go away after the second shower.

As mentioned in my first attempt, this product dries very quickly and needs to be blended fast. Oh and do not forget to shake it constantly while applying! It was really stressful the first application because the product kept drying so quickly, it was literally impossible to blend in without leaving darker spots or streaks. After realizing I had to shake it (dur..silly me) I had a bit of an easier time.. but you still need to blend fast! The product dried very quickly, and you are pretty much able to go to bed in 15-30 minutes. It will still feel a bit sticky on the skin, but if you're waiting an hour it will still feel the same on the skin, so I don't think it makes a difference.

Thoughts:

It is definitely not a '1-3 hour tan', I'd say it's ideal as an overnight 'sleep with it on' tanner. 1 hour and a half left me with no tan or glow at all so leave it on for a minimum of 4 hours if you want results. I did leave it on for 12 hours during my 3rd application and I don't think it was still developing after the 4-5 hour mark, because it left me with the same colour I would have probably gotten if I left it for 5-6 hours. I think that the more you continuously apply this, the darker you will get. As in, if you apply it 3 days in a row, you'd be much darker than if you applied it once and left it on for, let's say 20 hours. 

It didn't stain my clothes or sheets as far as I know, I can't really tell as I have darker clothes and colourful sheets. But after washing it off in the morning, it did not stain the white top I wore that day :) I have heard mentions of a 'golden glow' with this product and I definitely agree with it, it is not orange on me at all. Friends did notice I got tanned after I used this 2-3 times, but it was not quite noticeable after the first application.

Lasting Power, Exfoliating:

The colour is definitely long lasting and lives up to it's 4-7 day claim. Edit: The colour lasts me about 4 days before looking noticeably faded in certain spots. You might be able to get away with applying this once a week with the proper care, but I'd say every 4-5 days. I didn't feel like major exfoliating was a must, regardless I still had certain areas that attracted more or less product than I wanted it to. So I'd just say to focus exfoliation on the areas you see building up or attracting less colour, and lightly exfoliate the rest of the body. Like the creases in my forearms, the colour was a bit patchy there and just didn't want to stick. But like with a real tan, there are certain areas that don't necessarily see as much sun, like the insides of your arms, neck, etc. Also upon application, there were certain areas that looked like the colour clung to more, but after showering it all ended up being quite even enough.

If you want a very natural looking tan, I'd suggest applying it slightly heavier on areas of the skin that the sun would likely hit the most, such as your outer arms, shoulders.. and apply it more liberally on places that wouldn't see as much sun and wouldn't tan as easily.

For the Face? 

I'd prefer to use a different tanning product on the face that is actually meant for the face, due to my sensitive skin. But this definitely could work for use on the face. Just make sure to try and mix it in with your moisturizer and apply it a lot lighter than you would on the body, just so you do not have a super dark face. You can always darken with bronzer, but it will be impossible to give the illusion of a lighter face. Vita Liberata actually has a few tanners that are specifically made for the face as well.

Pros:

Natural colour, 'golden glow, no orange!

Colour is buildable, but not too drastic or dark

No streaking, or patchiness (after washed off)

Lasting colour, lives up to it's 4-7 day claim but best to apply twice a week

Cons:

Not a 1-3 hour tan! Didn't develop as quick as it claimed

No 'zero smell' or pleasant scent, scent is standard self tanner smell :)

Included mitt is a mini mitt, not full sized!

Dries too fast, need to blend very quickly
Application is not as easy as I would like

Expensive for the small bottle of product, seems to be running out very quickly :(

Overall,  I am liking this tanner after getting the hang of it from my first attempt fail. I know now to leave it for longer than suggested, and I end up with great results. I would definitely consider repurchasing after I have tried some other self-tanners out on the market, as this one is very expensive for the amount of product ($52 CAD for 100ml/3.38oz). Edit: I would likely not repurchasing, I am more than halfway done with the bottle already, and there are many cheaper alternatives out there that may have easier application. I am happy I gave it a try, however. You can find the Rapid 4-7 Day Tan Mousse and other Vita Liberata products at Sephora or on their online store here.