Au Courant Sunless Mousse Review

Following on the heels of the Au Courant Bronze Face Fel Review, TanningMoisturizer reviewed another Au Courant product, the Au Courant Instant Sunless Tanning Mousse. It contains both alpha hydroxy to smooth and exfoliate the skin, and DHA to tint the skin a darker shade for the tanning effect. What seperates it from the other two Au Courant products is that as a mousse its easier to affect a smooth application and give what is described as a “sun kissed glow.” Don’t forget to wash your hands to avoid orange palm disease. A 7oz bottle costs $29.95.

Rating: Our rating is a 7. Similar to other Au Courant products, very solid, but this is not as great as a value.

Ingredients: DHA, Alpha Hydroxy, Aloe Vera, Glycerin, DMDM Hydantonin, Tetrasodium, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Orange Peel.

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer Success Spawns Copycats

Kansas City Star has this article on different trends that are emerging in the fashion, life and in this case, self-tanning lotions:

A cheap glow

When Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer launched in the spring last year, a drugstore executive described it as the “hottest thing since Cabbage Patch Dolls.” Early waiting lists were estimated at 38,000. It turned up on eBay auction sites selling for 50 percent more than its original $6 or $7. Eventual sales rose to more than $31 million. The appeal was that with olive and avocado oils, it provided moisturizer. But it also included self-tanning ingredients so that gradually over several days it added color and glow to the skin. It was goodbye to orange streaks. Maybe.

Its success has won it the “Breakthrough Product of the Year” honor from trade journal Women’s Wear Daily’s B eauty Biz, a monthly beauty industry magazine. And it has already triggered copycats, the publication says, certain to emerge this spring. Jergens is reported to be planning more products with glow power.

We have tracked Natural Glow’s success all year and it will be interesting to see if the copycat lotions are competitive and manage to combine the formula of healthy glow, healthy skin and healthy (low) price that makes Jergens such a winner.

Sunless.com’s Ten Best Sunless Tanning Products

Sunless.com is the finest self-tanning site, so TanningMoisturizer.com takes their recommendations strongly. They have a list of what they think are the Ten Best self-tanning products. Note that the list was made before Jergens Natural Glow Daliy Moisturizer was released in 2005, so it’s somewhat stale but most of these products are still out there.

Here are the top 3 listed:

Bain de Soleil Mega Tan
Inexpensive, effective, easy to apply, with a neutral suntan lotion scent. Best for skin type II. Difficult [impossible!] to find in stores. Available from drugstore.com for $6.99; up to $8 retail.

Bain de Soleil Streakguarde Mousse
Its strong floral scent fades rapidly, leaving you with a surprisingly long lasting sunless tan. Far superior to Streakguarde lotion. Both medium and dark perform well. Best for skin type I – III. Available from drugstore.com for $8.99; up to $10 retail.

Banana Boat Sunless Tanning Creme in Soft Medium Blend and Deep Dark Blend
Spotted on Mya’s dressing table, the Soft Medium Blend Creme is great for hands and feet, areas that can darken too much for all skin types. Available from drugstore.com for $6.99; up to $8.99 retail.

We reviewed two of the top 3 ourselves and disagreed on the Bain De Soleil Streakguade, but agreed on the Banana Boat Sunless Tanning Creme in Soft Medium Blend and Deep Dark Blend. Click here for more of our TanningMoisturizer.com reviews.

Lisa’s Tanning Secrets

Lisa’s blog has all sorts of good tanning information. She covers the three ways to tan (real sun, tanning beds, and self-tanner) and describes the pros and cons of each. With the cancer risks associated with anything but tanning moisturizer, we think the choice is a no-brainer!

The two most effective I have found are Clinque Self-Sun body, self tanning lotion dark and Bain de Soleil Streakguarde. The Clinique tans much darker and evenly, but it unfortunately smells just like QT from the olden days. The Bain de Soleil Streakguarde has the wonderful Bain de Soleil smell but takes at least 3 applications to achieve the darkness of the Clinique in one application.

Aveda Sun Source: Smells Can Be Deceiving

Damn, I really really wish I could recommend Aveda’s Sun Source sunless tanner to all you readers out there. It smells absolutely F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C (probably the best smell I’ve ever encountered out of a sunless tanning lotion). I can not stress to you enough how excited I was after initially applying the lotion for the first time. Not only did it smell great, but it felt great too. I didn’t feel all gooey or gross, like I do after applying other sunless tanners. Aveda’s formula goes on easy and blends into your skin as naturally as the best moisturizer’s on the market.

However, the above paragraph only tells part of the story. A very small part. Smell and feel can be an important factors in deciding what self-tanner is perfect for you, but more important than anything else is whether you can actually be satisfied with a product’s results. And in my interaction with Aveda Sun Source, that was anything but the case. After applying and waiting a few hours for my skin to transform itself, I was extremely disappointed to look in the mirror and see the not-so-natural tanned face staring back at me. And in this case, not-so-nautral is code for “friggin’ hideously yellow”. OK, I may be over-exaggerating a little bit here, but if you want my honest opinion, stay away from this product. The color that it produces is less than flattering (trust me) and the small tube and high price just add fuel to the fire.

Pros: Delicious Aroma (the best I’ve encountered yet), Fantastic Feel, Easy Application

Cons: Otherworldly Yellowish Tint (no thanks), Value

Worried About “Winter White”?

Winter’s here, so it’s time to break out the tanning moisturizer. iVillage.com has a great article about ways to fix common cold weather skin flaws. Self tanner is great for undereye circles, uneven skin tone, and even extra weight.

Never tried self-tanner? Then you’re missing out on the easiest (and safest) way to replace your glow-in-the-dark pallor with spent-the- afternoon-on-the-beach color

This Blog Has It All: Salad, Self Tanning and Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

Not only do you get to read about how much she loves Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer Lotion, you also get a detailed account of her latest meal!

Mmm I just have to take a minute to discuss this wonderful salad I just ate. Perfect combination of textures and flavors. It was lettuce, kidney and garbanzo beans, monterey jack and blue cheese, egg, sunflower seeds, black and green olives, carrots, pepperocini, and a greek dressing topped with a crushed peppercorn medley and salted lemon squirted on top.

This is the kind of captivating prose upon which our nation was founded. Luckily there is also a juicy testimonial in here regarding the efficacy of Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer for safe, effective, in-home sunless tanning. It seems that self-tanning is becoming a staple of the American cosmetics diet. Thank you Fake Baked Britney Spears!