So once the calendar hits May, it’s pretty much self-tanner time.

Okay, I know technically it’s still April, but usually when I travel I like to slather the stuff on and because I have a ton of trips coming up, my self tanners have been getting a lot of use (it doesn’t matter if I’m going to Saskatchewan or Alberta… people don’t need to know that I’m not in Mexico or anything…).

I’ve blogged about a few different self-tanners so far this year but I haven’t had a chance to review Vita Liberata yet. I’ve actually had this guy for a few months now and although I have used it a few times, it’s one of those luxury-brand tanners that I feel like for the price of a bottle of it, it deserves some serious reviewing (heck, if I’m going to spend C$65 on a tanner, you better believe I’m gonna look up blogger reviews first).

The Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse is available at Sephora and is in the same category as my beloved St. Tropez (AKA ridiculously expensive, but leaves you with a nice, natural-looking glow).  It’s billed as the “world’s longest-lasting tan mousse and available in three shades: fair, medium, and dark.  I have the medium shade and find it gives a nice glow.  I honestly wouldn’t bother with the light; stick with medium or dark. This super fast-drying tanning mousse with pHen02 technology gives a long-lasting tan result with instant colours and a tan that develops over four to eight hours.  Best of all, it’s supposed to last up to two to three weeks. It’s infused with cucumber (keeps the body hydrated and helps eliminate toxins), witch hazel (renowned for its antioxidant and healing properties) and papaya (improves the tone and texture of the skin).

Okay, so when it comes to self-tanners, there’s two faux pas.  Does it streak and does it smell?  No and no.  This has Odour Remove Technology for zero self-tan smell and is tinted, so you actually see the tan when you apply it (helping with surprise streaks).  Although I wouldn’t say it’s completely odourless, it does have less of a smell than others I have tried.

For those who haven’t tanned before, it’s best to apply on showered, freshly exfoliated skin.  Make sure you don’t moisturize.  Because this is a mousse, you have to get a mitt to apply it (they also sell one for C$8, but you don’t have to use theirs, lots of companies make these).  The mitt really does make the application way easier and helps with a fast, streak-free coat.  I do find the mitt slips on my hand, so I usually apply a hand moisturizer prior to popping that mitt on so it sticks.  I tan at night, so I can sleep with the stuff on, but you only need four to eight hours for the colour to develop before showering to remove the colour guard.  You’ll appear really dark (you may get comments that you look orange), but don’t worry, it’s the colour guard, once you shower it’s not as dark and looks more natural.  This does leave you with a nice glow after one use, but if you really want to look dark, I recommend applying it two or three more times.

Overall, this does leave you with a nice tan.  I personally don’t find a difference between this and St. Tropez (other than the price, St. Tropez is around C$50).  Is it the best tanner I’ve tried?  No.  Although it’s billed as being long lasting, I don’t find it lasts anywhere near two to three weeks on me unless I apply it religiously.  I’m lucky if I get one week out of it.  With that being said though, it has many other amazing qualities.  The fact that it doesn’t smell is a huge plus for me.  Like I said, you should wash off the colour guard, but since this stuff doesn’t bother me, I’ll go 24 hours before washing it off since I look darker anyways.  Also, I love how you can see the actual product on your skin when applying it.  Since I’ve been tanning for years, I can get a pretty good coverage, but if you are new to the game, seeing where the colour is going is a huge plus.

I typically find bronzing mousses expensive in general, and I certainly think that $65 is crazy for a self tanner, but it does it’s job and does leave you with a nice glow.  If you have an event coming up, I would splurge, but I certainly wouldn’t buy this for everyday wear since it is so expensive (or you could even mix and match this with a more reasonably-priced tanner).

Have you tried Vita Liberata?  What were your thoughts?

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