I have never, ever written a blog post about a tanning product before and that’s mainly because I had never really found one that I thought was worth writing about. So many tanning products perform the same on me and none of them have ever really stuck out in my mind (well, in a good way anyway lol) and I say this as a person who has tried their fair share of tanning products.
When the the tanning brand Isle of Paradise launched earlier this year it was EVERYWHERE!! There was absolutely massive hype surrounding this brand and its products. It wasn’t just the colourful packaging that was attracting people to this brand but all of their products are 100% vegan, cruelty free and organic. Their products contain organic tanning actives + avocado, chia seed and coconut oils to help achieve a healthy glow without parabens, sulphates, mineral oils & phthalates. With all of this hype, I really wanted to do an Isle of Paradise review for you all.
The other appealing thing about this brand is that their tanning products come in three different shades (light, medium and dark) to suit different skin tones. Their products are also available in different forms to suit your personal tanning preference. They have a mousse, tanning drops and a tanning water.
To make things clear, they have a different colour for each shade of tan as follows:
Peach = Light
Green = Medium
Purple = Dark
People were going crazy for it when it launched so I thought I needed to try this out for myself!
In order to thoroughly test the products I thought it made sense to choose the dark tanning line as there is more room for error with a dark tan. Light and medium tanning products can be more forgiving and not as noticeable when they go wrong.
I ordered mine on Boots online during a 3 for 2 offer so I thought I might as well try the three different types of products. I ordered a mousse, the tanning drops and the tanning water.
Isle of Paradise Dark Tanning Water
I have never tried a tanning water before so this was definitely the product that I was most excited to use.
On the brand’s website it states that this is a “self tanning water with colour correcting actives + a violet base for a natural, bronzed glow with no streaks, no smells or orange tones”.
I followed all of the recommended steps when it came to applying my tan which involved exfoliating 24 hours before application and moisturising all dry areas (hands, feet, knees and elbows) directly before.
It is recommended that you mist the tanning water over your entire body (leaving hands and feet until the end) until it is saturated. I thought it would be safer to work on one limb at a time so that’s what I did lol. I started with my legs. When I had finished misting the water over my first leg I used a tanning mitt to pat it into my skin (using mostly stroking and dabbing motions). Once I had rubbed it into my leg I would use the excess product that was left on the mitt and just swiped it over the top of my foot. Fake tan really sticks to your hands and feet (especially ankles) so you should use it very sparingly in these areas. One tip that I have to help blend fake tan into hands and feet is to not only apply moisturiser beforehand, but also after. After I have applied the tan I will take a big dollop of moisturising cream and rub it into my hands, blending upwards on my arm and then I rub the palms of my hand on the back of a towel, especially the wrist area to get rid of any unwanted tan. I do the same with my feet, rubbing the moisturiser into my feet and up my leg until everything is blended. I know that this may sound like a strange application technique, but it really works for me to make everything look more natural and to avoid streaky, orange hands and feet.
I used the same application method on my arms, leaving my hands until the end and lightly rubbing them with the excess product on the mitt. Once I had finished tanning my body I wiped the soles of my feet and the palm of my hands with a damp cloth to remove any unwanted tan from those areas. I then applied some cream to my hands and kind of rubbed it up my arm a little bit too to make sure everything blended ‘naturally’ lol. I do this with whatever tan I use as I think it really helps to make tan look less obvious on the hands.
A little warning if you try out the tanning water – it goes everywhere when you are spraying it which can be very annoying, so I always put a big towel on the bathroom floor when I am using this one. The other slightly difficult thing is that the tanning water does not have a guide colour, it is completely clear so make sure that you spray it all over and carefully blend it, making sure you don’t miss a spot.
I also applied the tanning water to my face. Before doing this I put some vaseline on my eyebrows to stop the tan from clinging to them. Then I just sprayed a couple of sprays directly to my face and dabbed it in with my tanning mitt. It was as easy as that. I usually hate putting tan on my face because of the stickiness and smell but this made it so, so quick and easy.
After application the tan dries slightly into your skin but it does remain a bit sticky until you wash it off. However, I have definitely tried other products that felt worse than this.
My biggest complaint about all fake tans in general is the smell! I absolutely hate it!! Some people say it smells like biscuits but that is not how I would describe it – I wouldn’t complain if I smelt like biscuits lol. This tanning water smells really nice as I apply it but as it develops it definitely has that underlying ‘tan scent’, but it’s certainly not as strong as most other tans. The smell of tan is masked quite a bit by a coconut scent, which is good. One thing I will say though, is that once you shower after applying this tan, that is it for the bad tan smell!! It goes away after that first shower which is definitely not my experience with all other tans that I have tried. I usually still smell them on my skin the day after applying them (even after I have showered) and I cannot stand that!!!
When I first used this tanning water, I washed it off after about six hours, which I was afraid would be too soon, but the tan stayed put on my skin and it looked amazing when I got out of the shower. In the past I have used tans that have just washed straight off my body even after sleeping in them for eight hours! This is definitely not one of those tans.
It developed into a lovely golden, olive toned colour and really wasn’t the dreaded orange colour at all! The tan on my face looked very natural too, which I couldn’t believe! Tan is usually always a give away on my face. It gave a really natural and healthy glow and looked very even all over my body (I was meticulous during the application process though lol but I was glad to see that it paid off).
I felt as though the tan developed into an even deeper tan over the next few days and it lasted on my skin for at least a week. When it was wearing off it didn’t go patchy at all and it remained looking extremely natural until I scrubbed it off with exfoliating gloves in the shower.
I absolutely love this tanning water and I can honestly say it is the best tan I have ever tried. The application process is so quick and easy, the scent is less intense than other tanning products and the colour is really natural. My skin usually goes very dry after I use most tans but it didn’t happen with this one (presumably because of the clean ingredients it contains). This really is a high quality tanning product and I am completely sold on it.
Isle of Paradise Dark Tanning Mousse
Isle of Paradise’s mousse is also a nice tanning product. I apply it in the same way as the tanning water – one limb at a time and only rubbing the excess on the mitt across my hands and feet, following up with moisturising cream on my hands.
If you like to see your tan when it is going on then the mousse is a good option as it contains a guide colour, which means you can see exactly where you are putting it (although this also means that you have no excuse if it doesn’t come out good lol). I find it to be a little less sticky than the tanning water which is a plus.
The colour develops in exactly the same way as the tanning water, but I did find that it was a little less forgiving on my hands and feet, so make sure to really moisturise those areas before applying the tan, and again after.
For some reason I found the mousse to be a little bit more drying on my skin that the tanning water, but nothing too serious.
Both the mousse and the tanning water have around the same wear time on my skin and the colour is exactly the same. It just comes down to personal preference as to whether you prefer to apply a mouse or the tanning water. I personally find the water easier to use and I think it is much quicker too as it requires less rubbing and blending.
For me, the Isle of Paradise mousse is not as much of a stand out product as the tanning water. I didn’t notice a major difference between it and other tanning mousses currently on the market but that not to say that it isn’t a good tanning product because it is.
Isle of Paradise Dark Tanning Drops
The last item in the Isle of Paradise review is the Tanning Drops. I really love the concept behind the tanning drops and I think they are a really creative product. The idea behind the product is that you don’t have to substitute your favorite moisturiser or serum with the tanning drops. The idea is but you just add between 1-12 drops (depending on how dark you want your tan to be) to your serum or moisturiser and apply to your face. Then you have the best of both worlds. The more drops you use the darker your tan will be. Make sure to wash your hands after applying the tanning drops to your face!
You could also add the tanning drops to your body moisturiser if you wanted a very light glow but I haven’t used them in that way myself.
When I first used the tanning drops I erred on the side of caution when it came to adding them to my moisturiser as I wasn’t sure how dark it would develop. The recommendation was between 1 and 12 so I went for about 5. The next morning when I woke up I really didn’t have a lot of colour on my face. Since then I go for the full 12 drops and that always works out just right for me.
As with the tanning water and mousse, the colour of the tanning drops is very natural. However I actually find that I get a more even tan on my face when I use the tanning water. It just mists over my face more evenly and is less obvious around my hairline and I love that.
I really do like the idea that you can just mix the drops with your skincare and waken up with a golden glow. I think this is great for someone who likes to maintain a tan on their face. Personally I just prefer to use the tanning water on my face when I am applying it to my body. It’s quick, easy and I get a better result.
Alternatively the tanning drops are good for top ups. The tan on my body always last a lot longer than on my face so the drops are a good option to use on my face in between the times that I use the water or mousse to tan my body.
That’s it for my Isle of Paradise review! I genuinely think they are great tanning products and I love the whole concept behind the brand and how it caters to everyone’s needs, whether you prefer a light or a dark tan. I also love that it is cruelty free and contains all organic ingredients. I think you can really tell the difference on your skin when you use this compared to many of the other tanning products on the market and it is also competitively priced. Last but not least I love the simple but pretty packaging and branding. It is definitely a tanning brand that I can see myself using for a long time.
If you only wanted to buy one product from the range I would highly suggest the tanning water. It is definitely my favourite out of the three products. I absolutely love it.
I hope this review was helpful to anyone who was considering trying this brand out. I think it’s fair to say that it is for sure worth the hype in my opinion :).
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