Review: Jurlique Sun Specialist Sunless Tanner

Hi Beauties! So it looks like the sunshine has arrived in Sydney (we are currently experiencing a ‘little’ heatwave haha)! Today it is currently 40 degrees where I am (that’s about 104 Fahrenheit I believe), so I am feeling a little pasty since technically the summer season hasn’t even begun and the sun is upon us in it’s full glory!

Luckily for me, Jurlique have just released a new sunless tanner as part of their new Sun Specialist range. For me tanners should ‘undetectable’. They should impart just enough colour, without looking orange or over the top. And of course it should also not be streaky. Never be streaky!

So what does Jurlique promise to deliver with it’s new sunless tanner?

“This lightweight, non-streaky tanner is designed to provide multi-benfits of a natural, golden sunless tan, protection from environmental aggressors and intense hydration. Specially formulated with Sweet Orange fruit extract to help gently produce a natural, bronzed glow, and new Superberry Complex, a fruit extract blend that delivers essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids to condition and protect the skin from environmental aggressors. With a hint of colour for an instant glow and Safflower Seed Oil to deeply hydrate, skin feels smooth, soft with a healthy-looking colour and luminosity. Creates a gradual, customised radiance that deepens with each application.

How to use this product – Gentle exfoliation prior to use is recommended. Apply evenly to clean skin as you would apply a daily moisturiser. For streak-free results, blend thoroughly to ensure all product  is absorbed and apply sparingly to elbows, knees, ankles and hairline. Allow to dry before dressing and wash hands thoroughly after use. Wait one hour before showering and swimming. Colour will develop in approximately two to four hours, depending on skin type and care. Reapply daily for a deeper colour and to maintain colour. Suitable for face and body.”

From the description I thought that this tanner almost sounded like a gradual tanning moisturiser (seeing as it’s build-able and hydrates deeply). As it is more on the expensive side, I hoped that it provided more colour than a gradual tanning moisturiser (this baby retails for $45). Luckily, it does provide more colour! I’ll start off by saying that while I am fair, tanning products usually work quite well on me because I have more of a neutral/yellow skin tone and I do naturally tan in summer. I think this tanning cream slash gel is yellow based and as such provides more of a golden bronze tan, rather than a red based chocolate tan.

The cream feels very light and does feel gel like (but not completely). Now I’m no tanning pro – I can’t be bothered using a tanning glove or waiting 30 minutes naked for a tan to dry lol I like to apply tanning creams after a shower or bath (which I usually take at night) using them in place of my usual body cream or oil. I then wait an hour or two before going to bed so it settles and then wake up all sun kissed (well that’s usually the plan lol)!

I apply tanning creams where I would naturally tan quickly (i.e. my legs and sometimes my arms, shoulders and chest area). I never use fake tan on my face because I don’t think my other skincare products would work quite as well if they had to be applied over the top of tanning cream. Also, the tanning agent in 95% of tanning products (DHA) does naturally attract a few free radicals to the skin upon intense sun exposure and I’d rather not risk using it on my face (plus if I’m honest, it’s way to much effort for me – and more on the free radical business down below). If you are like using tanning product on your face, then this cream slash gel should work well both on the body and face because of it’s light texture. Luckily, applying this tanning cream after a bath or shower (once towelled off of course) applies very well without leaving any streaks.The application is ‘sweetend’ by the creams scent of sweet oranges <3 Love!

The tanning cream/gel has a light caramel colour to it once out of the tube, so directly after application your skin is automatically *subtly* sunkissed. One application results in a very natural light tan (perfect for those of you who don’t naturally tan in summer). A second application results in medium golden tan. I waited a day inbetween applications and I also shaved my legs in the bath right before the second application. While the colour slightly faded after shaving (since shaving naturally remove some dead skin cells from your skin), the second  application still layered beautifully.

At the moment, I think a medium golden tan is most natural looking for ‘spring’, but of course – you could keep building up the colour! Now during my second application, I did get a little lazy and I didn’t rub in the tan quite as diligently as I should have on one arm – so one of my wrists is a little uneven in colour (you can see where the tan ends and my natural skin tone begins). It’s not super noticeable because the tan does look so natural – but – being a decent tanning product that imparts colour and all, you still need to take a little more care when slapping it on (unlike your regular moisturiser).

Unfortunately, the scent of sweet oranges fades and once your tan has developed, and then your left with a pretty standard fake tan scent. I do love the sweet orange scent upon application however (and because the sweet orange is from an extract, it doesn’t smell artificial)! While I wouldn’t say that the product dries out my skin (like some tanning products can) I can’t say that I experienced ‘deep’ hydration. I think you should most definitely still use an additional body moisturiser/oil to help extend the life of your tan. Safflower oil and glycerin does impart some moisture into your skin, so after application your skin doesn’t feel dry at all. To keep your skin comfortable for a longer period of time, once your tan has developed, I would recommend using that additional moisturiser,

Note: Now I did mention that DHA can induce or attract free radicals (which it does) and these free radicals work by breaking down the amino acids and protein within your skins layers. Intense sun exposure does not help with this process. What is fantastic and quite innovative, is that Jurlique have added antioxidant plant extracts into their tanning cream to help counteract this process (most tanning products don’t do this). I still believe fake tan is better than a real sun tan – and like everything, if you use sunless tanner in moderation and stay out of the sun when UV rays are high to – extreme – you should be fine! Protecting your skin with sunscreen and moisturisers containing antioxidants is fabulous the best thing you can do for it long term. I keep fake tan around for the warmer months, and I give my skin breaks – as I said, moderation is key and be smart about your skin care 😉

Here is the full list of ingredients for the Jurlique Sunless Tanner –

Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dihydroxyacetone, Heptyl Undecylenate, Saccharide Isomerate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Erythrulose, Hydrolyzed Citrus aurantium dulcis Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Echinacea purpurea Extract, Viola odorata Extract, Viola tricolor Extract, Trifolium pratense (Clover) Flower Extract, Bellis perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Arctium lappa Root Extract, Stellaria media (Chickweed) Extract, Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) Extract, Usnea barbata (Lichen) Extract, Tasmannia lanceolata Fruit Extract, Syzgium leuhmanii Fruit Extract, Kunzea pomifera Fruit Extract, Fragrance/Parfum*, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Caramel, SD Alcohol 40-A (Alcohol Denat.), Benzyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Lecithin, Myristyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Lauryl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Limonene*, Linalool*, Amyl Cinnamal*, Citral*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*.

You can find Jurlique’s Sunless Tanner on their official website here. Jurlique is becoming more accessible (boutiques and counters are popping up all around the world) so you should be able to find a stockist for their products on their webiste. Adore Beauty don’t seem to stock it just yet (but I’m sure they will!).

I thought this graphic was hilarious and is so spot on lol the sun is powerful! We don’t often think of it as a star – and it is 🙂

Are you a fan of fake tans beauties? What are your go to products? I was always a bigger fan of gradual tanning moisturisers, but I’m loving this Jurlique tan at the moment! The Elle Bache Great Tan (another fab Australian skincare company) is another goodie I fell in love with last summer (I only tested a sample and that sample lasted me for aggges) so I might have to do a comparison with that tanning cream also 🙂

Now, don’t mind me while I pass out from the heat 😛

Beauty Bee~

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