Dark Bronzing Sunless Mousse,7 fl. oz.

This is my favorite self tanner on the market. Many reviewers mention how bad it stains your hands. It's not that bad. I do wash my hands immediately after and take care not to get the mousse in my fingernails while applying it. That is harder to get off. Sometimes my hands will still look a little dingy afterward. But, not noticeable. And for the tan it gives you, totally worth it! If you're going to do your whole body, I would definitely recommend washing your hands a couple times throughout the process. I typically just do my face, neck, and chest and don't wash my hands until afterward. But, if I do my whole body, I will wash 2 or 3 times in between to be sure my hands aren't dyed. I put it on at night and wash off in the morning for best results. I also do a light layer. Heavy layers look less natural.This gives you a nice natural brown tinted color. Most self tanners give you an orange hue which SCREAMS self an. This brown hue is very natural looking. I never feel like my skin tone looks orange. Love the extra color boost it provides. Definitely recommend this product.Side note, this stuff lasts awhile! I have had this stuff for about two years and still have product left. Granted, I use it appx. 2 times a week and put a light layer on my head, neck, and chest. But, I'd say that is long lasting!The only con of this product is that there is no way to keep the pump from coming down when traveling. It would be great if there was a switch that could essentially turn off the pump. I'm wary of bringing it with me when I travel because it gets everywhere.

I have used and loved this product for years now, but they've lost a customer. A few weeks ago the bottle that I ordered had a defective pump, which was annoying but these things happen, right? So I went ahead and ordered two more bottles, just to be safe since I'm leaving the country tomorrow for an extended vacation. The pumps on BOTH new bottles I ordered are defective. What this means is instead of pumping out mousse, the bottle pumps out watery, liquid tanner that gets all over EVERYTHING. My bathroom is a disaster. If you try to power through, then the pump gives up altogether and liquid tanner starts leaking out the top of the bottle. Pretty great. After all the work you put in to splash liquid tanner all over your bathroom, you'll end up with a bad, streaky tan because you were trying to apply something akin to brown water to your skin and make it stick. This used to be a great product and I hope it can be again, but until this company gets their sh*t together with their packaging, stay away.

Like many others, I ordered this product after reading about it on MaskCara's blog 'The Perfect Tan' (http://www.maskcara.com/2014/03/18/the-perfect-tan/). While I would not call it perfect, and do not think it is totally deserving of 5 stars, I would definitely say it is the best self tanner I have used. I have used Jergen's (both the 3 day and 7 day lotion, and face lotion which is all decent but doesn't get very dark, plus takes a while to set), and L'Oreal Sublime Bronze (both the glittery stuff in the tube and the towlettes which are OK with some good practice but prone to be orange and streaky). I have never had a professional spray tan or gotten a Mystic tan or anything, but judging by how I've seen those turn out on my friends I think this is a really close contender! The bottom line is that I would definitely recommend this to a friend.OK Here comes the longest review ever:Here are the pros:-It produces an even, dark color. This is the most important thing to me in a self tanner.-This tanner has the most natural color of any I've used. You will see if you get it on your white towels, it's made up of reds, browns, blacks, so it really looks like you have been in the sun, even giving you a pinky sort of tan (though maybe I think that is the most natural for me because I am usually have my tan with a sunburn...)-Looks the most like a pro spray tan I've ever seen-It is easy to apply (I use the Fake Bake mitt)-It dries quickly (although it will transfer until you shower)-You can see exactly where the color is going as you apply, which makes it easier to not miss spots (although the bronzer will get on your clothes)-It doesn't have a super strong smell when you are applying it-The smell doesn't linger on you for days like some other tanners I've usedHere are the cons:-The bronzer in the product will transfer onto clothes, sheets, blankets etc. This may be a big deal to some people, but I don't think it is that bad if you are prepared for it. Wear old clothes, use old towels, etc. I was also able to get the tanner out of my sheets after a simple wash.-This means it's not really an apply and go product. For me, at least. Since I am so fair the dark bronzer makes me look a bit dirty. I'd go out at night to a dark bar like this, but if you splash any water on yourself, the bronzer will come off and it will look bizarre! Again, Not a big deal if you are prepared for this.-If you are looking for a super dark tan immediately, you will be disappointed after you shower the bronzer off. I don't think this is a huge deal but it may be a con to some people. You need to build the tan over a couple of days.-I am foreseeing that maintenance may be some work because the tan starts to fade after 2 days for me. But what tanning product, even a natural tan, isn't? So far I am still experimenting with what works best for my skin type, but I think my process is going to be 2 consecutive days of tanning, then 2 off. I'll try to update the review as I try more!-As another reviewer mentioned, it may stick in your pores. I noticed this happening on my legs a bit (but I have also had this with other tanners). I don't think it's a big deal because you can't even tell unless you are way up close. It also happened on my chest after 2 consecutive nights of application but once again only I can really see it. Sidenote: I have big pores.Here is my process, in case you are curious:1. As with any tanner, exfoliate and moisturize in the days leading up to your application. I use a loofah and am currently using Softsoap Body Butter Coconut Body Scrub. I shave the morning of (I apply my tanner in the evening with plenty of time before going to bed). Some say to put lotion on your knees, elbows, ankles, etc before applying. I personally don't but I do wipe the tanner off of those areas so it doesn't get too dark.2. Prep your tanning station. You will want to be in a well-lit area with a box or chair to put your foot up on to make getting the legs a bit easier. I also have gloves, my mitt, a washcloth with a damp part and dry part available.3. Make sure your hair is out of your face and if you are going to put the tanner on your face, make sure it is clean. I do wash my face, apply lotion, and then put the tanner on my face. I think this makes it come out less dark.4. Put on your gloves! I wear both so I can easily switch the mitt from hand to hand. One thing I like about Tanwise is that it doesn't dry immediately so there is some room for error, but you still need to work relatively quickly.5. Start your tan! I use one full pump per section and start with my calves, doing one leg at a time, then working up to my thighs, stomach, chest, lower back, shoulders, upper arms, then lower arms.6. Do your face if you plan to use it on your face. I don't even put a new pump on the mitt, I just use what is left over in the mitt. I rub it all over, then give an extra pat to my cheeks, nose, chin, and top of forehead to create a natural look.7. I then remove my gloves and carefully blot the tanner on the backs of my hands. Just a TINY bit - what is left over in the mitt works. I then have my boyfriend do my upper back and any areas I've missed. This way, I don't even get the tanner on my palms at all. This means you don't have to wash your hands, and you won't be left with what looks like white gloves the next day!8. An important part about those orange prone areas: I go ahead and run the mitt over my ankles, elbows, tops of feet, and knees. I just make sure that I don't do it with a fresh pump on the mitt. I do it lightly, and go over it with my handy damp/dry wash cloth to make sure those areas don't get dark.9. The Fake Bake Mitt recommends using the buffing side about 20 minutes after applying. Obviously, this is made for Fake Bake products however I did this once and I do think it is a helpful (but not necessary) step.10. Let the tan dry for as long as you can before dressing. The bottle says 15-20 minutes, but the shortest amount of time I have ever done is about 45 minutes. Then put on loose, old clothes you don't care about dirtying. I do sweats and a loose tank top. I don't put a bra on because I am worried the tightness will rub off in places, but it's possible it would be fine.11. Go to bed! Or, if you do it in the morning, occupy yourself for 4-6 hours before showering.12. When you do shower, lightly scrub in circular motions all over your body. For this I just use my loofah and regular bar soap.13. Moisturize! Remembering to keep your skin hydrated will help you retain your tan.14. Repeat as desired.Here's a bit more on the times I have used it:The first time I tried the product I didn't have the mitt yet so I applied it to my legs with my bare hands. I was initially terrified because of the bronzers. My hands were literally black! So I only did my legs that night and actually ended up showering it off after an hour because I thought it wasn't drying properly. It pretty much washed all the way off because I didn't let the DHA sit long enough on my skin.The second time I used it, I had the mitt. The tanner will go straight through the mitt so I would recommend using gloves underneath. I just use regular dish gloves. It once again turned out super dark but I was determined to test it so I let it dry for about an hour before dressing. The tanner looked like it was rubbing off, but I woke up, showered, and was left with a nice glow afterward. I thought the spots where I could see it rubbing off the night before would be blotchy, but they weren't. The tan came out completely even and now I realize it was just the bronzer rubbing off. This one application lasted for about 3 days and since I only did the one application, it faded (IMO) really evenly.Most recently, I followed the same process described earlier but applied the mousse two nights in a row (slept in it, then showered in the morning). This resulted in a pretty dark color for my skin (I am really fair), kind of like a July or August tan like I had been outside all summer long. I find that this application is fading a bit more unevenly (but really not terrible at all, and I think it still looks natural), probably because it was darker in the first place.I am going to continue to experiment and will report back but so far this really is the best self tanner I have ever used. It is the most natural looking (after showering, of course) and I think the bottle is going to go a really long way, which is nice since the price on this stuff has really increased since I was looking at it last summer! I'll also try to get some good before and after photos. Good luck!