Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze

Howdy folks! Before I get into the wonderful world of tanning I just want to take a sec to apologise for the HUUUUUUGE gap in posts. A mix of personal and family issues meant I just completely lost my blogging mojo, and to be brutally honest.... blogging was the last thing on my mind! Things have finally started to calm down so I'm gonna try ease myself back in!

So with that said, I've recently been mucking around with the newest additions to the fabulous Cocoa Brown family! Each will get their own post, but first on the chopping block is the gradual tanner- Gentle Bronze.

I'm pretty much anti gradual tanners, the smell is just too much for me- even off products that promise to have NO fake tan smell at all. But inevitably I always wake up in the middle of the night to a waft of digestive biscuits....and I'm just not able. I have so much trust in Cocoa Brown that when I was promised a biscuit free healthy glow, I fully expected to get it. And I did!

The lotion itself goes on silky smooth and dries really quickly. My skin was left feeling really soft and moisturoised and I noticed an even, streak free colour developing after just a couple of hours. There's even a very subtle colour guide so you can see if you miss anywhere. Neither myself, or my hyper sensitive mammy, got any smell (other than Cocoa Brown's signature floral scent) from the lotion.

I love Gentle bronze, I find it much handier than a full on tan! I love the fact that it eliminates my Irish blue hue, without me needing to adjust my make up routine to blend everything together! The colour I achieve after 1-2 days is absolutely perfect for every day wear!

It's a lovely addition to my Cocoa Brown collection, and I have a feeling it will be my most regularly used! Gentle Bronze retails at around €5.50 and can be found anywhere that sells the CB range!

Happy (gradual) tanning!

He-Shi gradual day to day tan

I want to preface this post by saying that I have little faith in gradual tanners. I have neither the skin, nor the patience for it to ever work out well. I have tried many, many gradual tanners (Dove,  Johnson's etc) and have always found fault, be it the smell, consistency or overall colour development.

Before heading along to a Slattery's communications blogger event yesterday I had only heard of the He-shi brand in passing, I knew little to nothing about it, other than it being an award winning irish brand, and had never used it. I used the gradual day to day tan today and my first experiences have me very curious to find out more.

I used the tan after showering, on dry skin. Initially, I was wary as there is no colour guide. You just have to trust your instincts when applying. I applied it as I would a moisturiser, and honestly it kicks my regular moisturiser in the ass. It has a lovely, creamy texture. It spreads very easily and dries very quickly on the skin. My skin is still,  hours later, silky smooth and moisturised. The paraben free formulation also has a gorgeous smell that lasts on your skin for hours after applying.

As for the colour, it's hard to judge after just one application. I'm not a bronzed goddess yet, but my skin has lost that ghostly pale blue tinge it usually has. I'm going to apply again before bed,  and again tomorrow so I will update this post with how my colour develops.

Another thing I love is that you get a grand big chunky tube, there is lot's and lot's of the product to play around with. It retails for approximately €16.50, honestly a little bit more than I'd be willing to pay for a gradual fake tan. However, if over the next few days im as pleased with the results as I am right now, I could be persuaded.

All in all, I am very intrigued by this tan, and am almost raging I didn't opt for the instant tan to see the immediate results.