As a pale, freckly girl living in Scotland, I know a thing or two about self-tan mousse. I'm so pale, in fact, that when I went on holiday to Turkey one time, the locals took to calling me ‘boiled chicken’ — yes, really. I'm pale to the point of sometimes looking blue, and while some embrace the pale girl lifestyle, I simply can not and will not. You can prize the self-tan out of my cold, dead (blue) hands.
Naturally, with my abysmal melanin levels, I've tried and tested all of the best fake tans on the market, be they drop, tanning water or lotion, with varying success. Some have left my palms a dark brown shade that had me scrubbing at them with bleach (don't try that at home) in a desperate attempt to strip the colour ahead of a friend's wedding. Others have left me an unsightly shade of orange that even TOWIE-era Gemma Collins would have raised her eyebrows at.
However, amongst all the bad, biscuit-scented lotions and potions, I've found one trusty mainstay that's a tried and true fave.
Yup, Isle of Paradise's Self-Tanning Mousse. Specifically in the shade Medium. Let me list you the myriad reasons why.
Firstly, let's talk ease of application. The mousse texture means it's easy to spread on the skin, and I don't find that too much product goes on at once, immediately dyeing the skin. Instead, the mousse spreads lightly and thinly and covers skin in a nice, even way. This is aided by the guide colour, which let's you see exactly where the tan is going (and just as importantly, not going!) so that you can ensure equal coverage. Just what you want from a self-tan.
Secondly, the tone of this fake tan for pale skin is perfect. The Medium in the Self-Tanning Mousse range comes with green colour-correcting actives, which means that the final result never looks too orange. The Light and Dark versions of the tan also come with their own built-in colour correctors (the light is peach-based and the dark is violet-based). Instead, the colour is a nice, buildable natural tan. I've also found that there's minimal transferring (I wear old pyjamas to bed on tanning nights, and the light tan stains always come out in the wash), and the guide colour is very helpful for letting you see where the product is going.
READ MORE: I wore tan to give birth – these are the best express tans I've tried.
Third, the product itself is pretty amazing quality — it's 100% vegan, cruelty-free and organic. I didn't know this before, but while researching the tan for this article, I found out that it contains organic tanning actives such as avocado, chia seed and coconut oil, which all sound pretty good for you, and dare I say, ‘clean’. Not only that, but the formula is infused with hyaluronic acid and squalane to make sure it doesn't dry out your skin, too.
Now, my only slight criticism of this self-tan is that it's not really what I'd consider a ‘medium’ colour — it's more on the light side. But for me, I'd prefer to layer up my tan than to put on one layer and come out looking way too dark for my complexion. Applying a light layer, letting it dry and seeing if you need some more based on the guide colour is the way to go. I've only ever applied two layers max, and that was for going on holiday with a group of people who take a really beautiful tan. I, however, lose my tan as the holiday goes on and the self-tan washes away. Womp, womp.
Everything considered, this mousse is going to have a firm place in my beauty drawer for years to come thanks to its tone, easy application and price point. Let's just hope it's never discontinued.
READ MORE: The best face tans on the market, reviewed – and how to use tanning drops.
