Self-Tan at Home

Although Vita Liberata Luxury Tan has only been in Canada for a short year, it is already taken over the tanning category. Not only does it feature a proprietary pheno2 technology, aka the world’s longest lasting tan, giving you a tan that lasts up to 4 times longer than regular tans, but it was also the world’s first odourless tan and the world’s first completely non-toxic tanning brand. It’s a paradigm shift in tanning technology and an entirely new way to apply and formulate DHA. It only contains the purest ingredients from the tanning world with the use of natural, certified organic and Ecocert ingredients that are able to create a tanning experience that not only conditions, but nourishes the skin. It’s also formulated with moisture lock technology to help keep skin hydrated for up to 72 hours, ensuring your tan fades evenly and perfectly, just like a natural suntan would.

I have an extremely hard time finding tanning products that work with my pale skin tone, but Vita Liberata Luxury Tan has made this process extremely simple. They offer an online personal tan matcher, which ensures you find the products that best suit your needs. You first enter your skin tone, pale, medium or dark, followed by the length of tan you desire, followed by your skin type, dry, normal or oily, and then whether you want an instant colour tan or subtle development. After these few short questions, it instantly tells you which products are best suited for you. If you find this a little overwhelming, they also offer a chart that helps you discover the qualities of each of their tans and helps you find the perfect one for you.

Every time I talk about a tanning lotion or mousse on this blog I always talk about how important it is to exfoliate beforehand. This will not only help to remove any unwanted dead and dry skin, but will create a soft and smooth surface for the tanner to adhere to. Pay special attention to rougher areas such as the knees, knuckles, ankles and elbows and allow skin to completely dry before applying any type of tanner. If you have extremely dry areas, it might be wise to apply a very small amount of moisturizer beforehand and let dry before applying the tanner. Although not required, I suggest using a tanning mitt or latex glove when applying any tanner.

Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse is an extremely long lasting, super-fast drying tanning mousse that’s perfect for those with normal, combination or oily skin. It can actually last up to 4 times longer than regular tans and features certified organic botanicals and moisture lock that helps guarantee a perfect fade back to nothing tan. It is incredibly easy to use, is fast drying and has absolutely zero smell. In order to achieve the intended 2 to 3 week tan results, you need to apply the mousse three times, once every 8 hours, without rinsing off the excess.

Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse has a thick, dark, mousse texture that applies evenly and effortlessly to the skin. I simply apply 4 to 5 pumps onto my mitt, rub together and begin to apply in circular movements onto the skin. I tend to start with my legs, working from the thigh to the feet, blending lightly onto the backs of my legs. I then continue on the arms, moving onto the stomach and finishing with my back. The tinted mousse formula makes it incredibly easy to use and see and it blends into the skin effortlessly. You won’t have to worry about going over the same area twice, which can result in an uneven tan. It does take a few minutes to completely dry, about 15 to 20 minutes, so you’re going to want to hold off on getting dressed right away. It initially feels somewhat sticky, almost tacky, but once it completely dries, it will be smooth and soft. Like all tanners, I’d hold off on wearing white for the first few days after applying Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse, but on the plus side, it doesn’t seem to transfer onto sheets. I’ve applied this in the evening and went straight to bed, without the fear of it damaging my bedding.

Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse gives immediately results after the first application. My skin instantly looked more tanned and it developed even more within the next few hours. By the second application, my skin was visibly darker and about the darkest I would expect from a self-tanner. By the third tan, my skin was glowing. I think the third application is where the magic happens and is also required to prolong the length of the tan. I was easily able to get 9 days’ worth of tanned skin before it slowly started to fade. I would say by the 10th day, there was still about 25% left of tanner left on my body that looked incredibly natural, but I was ready for another application. It seemed to adhere to the skin beautifully and really does last a long time, a lot longer than any other tanners I’ve tried. To help maintain my tan, I always apply a daily moisturizer both in the morning and evening. Keeping your skin hydrated will help prolong the length of your tan, along with re-applying the mousse once a week.

Although applying three back-to-back applications may seem like a pain, the end results are totally worth it. I start on Friday evening, rinse off on Saturday morning, reapply another application and follow up Saturday evening with my third. By Sunday morning I look like I’ve just returned home from a tropical vacation. Although I have no problem getting a week and a half worth of tan out of those three applications, I have a routine where I now apply this mousse every Friday evening, just to maintain it. This way I ensure I have a rich bronze glow, without having to complete all 3 sessions over and over again. It retails for $54 for 125ml and comes in Fair, Medium and Dark.

Vita Liberata Self Tanning Night Moisture Mask is an anti-ageing sleep tan mask that helps deliver a stunning natural glow by the morning. It’s thick, rich and silky formula provides intense hydration to help rejuvenate the skin to leave it feeling plump, soft, supple and with a youthful, radiant glow. It’s formulated with organic sunflower seed that’s high in vitamin A, C and D to help calm and protect the skin, while Tocopherol helps protect against free radicals and apple helps to soften fine line and wrinkles.

By now, we all know I suffer from extremely dry and prone to breakout skin. The very thought of applying a self-tanner to my face, scares the heck out of me. Whenever I self tan, I usually just apply a foundation in a darker shade to my face and skip applying the tanner directly to my face, in fear it will break me out. I was super excited to hear about the new Vita Liberata Self Tanning Night Moisture Mask as it’s not only designed specifically for the face, but it promises to give you glowing skin overnight. It comes in a squeeze tube with a slightly thick, rich and creamy white texture. It almost looks like a nightly moisturizer that is easy to apply and absorbs fairly quickly. I simply apply this to my face, neck and décolleté in the evening and wake up to healthy, radiant, glowing skin in the am. I would actually go as far as saying this is like a facial treatment and self- tanner in one. Not only does it give you a sun-kissed glow, you’ll wake up to noticeably softer skin. It does take about 3 consecutive nights of use before you’ll notice a radiant tan, but it’s much more natural this way. I’ve actually been skipping my nighttime moisturizer, as this does an amazing joy at hydrating the skin and leaving it soft, supple and moisturized in the morning. It retails for $56.

Another new product for 2015 is Vita Liberata Self Tanning Bronzing Mineral Powder which combines pure mineral bronze colour along with long lasting self tan pigmented for a beautiful, natural, bronze look that lasts for days. This innovated formula is the world’s first self tanning bronzer, is oil-free with micronised crystals that help provide a sheer, lightweight bronzing coverage with the benefits of DHA for a long lasting tan. This unique bronzing powder will help keep your skin smooth, soft and healthy looking all day.

Like I said in the previous statement, I’m always a little leery about apply a self tanner to my face, but the Vita Liberata Self Tanning Bronzing Mineral Powder is unlike any other product I’ve tried. It will simply add a little warmth and healthy glow to the skin without a heavy scent, without having to wait for it to set or dry and takes as little as 30 seconds to apply. I’ve been applying my favourite moisturizer and liquid foundation in the morning and setting it with the Vita Liberata Self Tanning Bronzing Mineral Powder. When applied after my moisturizer or foundation the minerals instantly bonds to the skin, which activates the DHA, which is the main ingredient that helps to deepen the skin tone. The handy kabuki brush effortlessly blends the mineral powder into the skin for an instant healthy glow. I use large circular movements all over my face and neck, down my décolleté and focus a little more product on my cheekbones to create that perfect contour without the use of another product. The powder continues to develop throughout the day and can last up to 5 days, although not as dark as when you first applied it. It retails for $68 (but comes with the kabuki brush) in two shades, Sunkissed, which is light and Bronze, which is a medium shade.