St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Lotion (Dark)

As you probably all know I'm a huge lover of faux tan, particularly the brand St. Moriz - I've been relying on  their dark mousse for over two years now to fake that bronzed look all year round, and despite it costing a mere £2.99 I've yet to find anything that matches it's performance (including higher end brands). I've only ever used the mousse in the past, but after reading several reviews insisting the lotion was better I was obviously keen to try it out for myself!

The claim: "If you are looking to achieve a golden tan with a professional finish, St. Moriz is perfect for you. A unique blend of active tanning agents work their magic, leaving you with a golden, natural looking tan. A healthy golden tan all year round. Instant bronzing. No streaks. Longer lasting. Moisturising. Suitable for all skin types." - Tesco.com

• Cost: At £2.99, the lotion is the same bargainous price as the mousse. While products such as Fake Bake and St. Tropez retail at £20 and over, St. Moriz is a complete steal and great value for money.
• Packaging: While the original lotion comes with a pump, for some reason the dark version doesn't, meaning I have to turn the bottle upside down onto my mitt to squeeze out the tan, making the application a little tricky and sometimes resulting in wasted product. Not a major issue though and for the price and end result I can forgive this! 
• Application: I prepared my skin as usual by exfoliating with Soap and Glory's Flake Away to ensure I was free of any dry patches. I then applied the lotion with a tanning mitt (essential to avoid orange palms!) by rubbing it into the skin. The lotion is quite a runny consistency and very dark in colour, a lot like chocolate sauce. It's slightly easier to apply than the mousse - it blended into my skin effortlessly and I'd finished my entire body in around 5-10 minutes. The lotion dried fairly quickly and I was able to dress a few minutes post application.
• Scent: Unlike the mousse, which is one of the worst offenders when it comes to the tell tale tanning scent, the lotion had a slightly sweeter fragrance. When I washed the tan off the following morning, the 'burning biscuit' smell was still noticeable but it wasn't anywhere near as strong. 
• Finish: After showering off any excess tan the next day, I was left with a seamless colour - no streaks or blotches. My ankles and armpit area were also a lot more even, which are places I can never usually get right with the mousse, and my skin felt a lot more moisturised (I have dry skin so the mousse can often make it feel quite itchy and tight). The only negative I found was the finish wasn't quite as dark as I'd hoped - a lot of colour disappeared down the plug hole, so two applications would be a must for me.
• Longevity: I was over the moon to find that this lasted a few days longer than the mousse and faded beautifully - no scrubbing in the shower to remove stubborn patchiness or a grubby-looking neck after two days. When the tan began to fade I just re applied the lotion halfway through the week to top up my colour. 

Overall I am beyond impressed with this product - St. Moriz lotion provides me with the same finish as the mousse along with a sweeter scent, easier application and a longer lasting colour. Although the lotion isn't quite as dark as the mousse, my tan fades much better and looks a lot more even in areas I usually have trouble with. Although I won't be getting rid of my mousse any time soon, St. Moriz lotion has found it's way into my tanning routine - I'll definitely be purchasing it again and again. 

St. Moriz lotion is available in both Medium and Dark and can be purchased in Tesco, Savers, Bodycare and TK Maxx in the UK. It's also available online at Fragrance Direct. 

P.S. Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Only one more sleep to go :)