St Moriz has achieved cult status amongst the Beauty blogging community. For as long as I have been a part of it, there have always been an abundance of blog posts, youtube videos and online reviews raving about this bargain self tanning product.
By bargain, I mean absolute STEAL. This product comes in at an incredibly purse friendly £2.99.
Now to put that in to perspective...£2.99 for a 200ml bottle of St Moriz compared to £30.64 for 240ml bottle of St Tropez.
That would all be totally irrelevant if the product was ineffective, of course. But the amazing thing is, is that St Moriz in my humble opinion works just as well as St Tropez.
For £2.99 I can forgive the dodgy spelling and branding (I assume they mean Moritz? and even so...St Moritz in Switzerland? Host of the Winter Olympics and Alpine Skiing championships? That doesn't conjur images of bronzed beach goddesses to me...) but I digress.
The bottom line is, this stuff is inexpensive and fabulous. It gives me a gorgeously golden glow, applies like a dream, never streaks or goes patchy and fades evenly to give the most natural appearance.
I always purchase the dark version of this tan, but that is purely my personal preference. To achieve the colour I like, it takes two applications of the regular St Moriz, as opposed to just one application of the dark version. It's just easier and less time consuming and costs no more than the regular version.
The base of this self tan is an olive colour, so it never goes orange. It used to be difficult to find lower priced self tans that have an olive toned base. I cannot stand tans that give the appearance of being tango-ed so St Moriz is a godsend when I'm being frugal.
The smell, like most fake tans is that of wet, stale biscuits. It's just unavoidable when it comes to fake tans in my experience so this isn't a negative point for me. I am prepared to put up with the smell for the great results.
The plastic pump bottle is great and never clogs up with product and delivers the product well - never too much or too little. The mousse itself is brown in colour which is a helpful guide when applying the product, you know exactly where you have covered and where needs to be covered. I generally apply this in the evening and shower off the next morning, it may look as though you are washing most of the tan off as the shower water runs brown but it really is only the guide colour.
I use this tan all over my body, including my face and it has never ever caused breakouts or a reaction on my sensitive, combination skin.
Please be aware that prior to, during and after using this, or in fact ANY self tanning product I have a pretty intense regime to ensure optimum tanning results.
Up to three days before - the day before
I exfoliate my body every day for about 3 days before I intend to apply fake tan. I simply use an exfoliating body mitt or bath puff with any shower gel or a designated body exfoliating product (see here for a great recommendation) paying particular attention to problem areas such as elbows, ankles and knees.
After exfoliating I use a heavy moisturiser on my body (again, see this review for some great ones)
For my face, I use a muslin cloth twice daily as part of my normal facial routine so this is exfoliating enough for my sensitive skin. If I am feeling I need an extra boost, I will use a gentle facial exfoliator the night before I am going to apply the fake tan followed by my usual moisturiser.
Make sure any hair removal (waxing, shaving etc) is done the day before you intend to apply fake tan.
Step 1 - Up to an hour before applying
An hour before I am going to apply the fake tan I moisturise my body with a highly scented moisturiser, this helps counteract the stale, wet biscuit smell a little, but it doesn't go completely! I like the Body Shop's Satsuma Body Butter for this part.
For my face I use a toner then moisturise with a slightly heavier moisturiser than my every day one. I tend to use La Roche Posay Toleraine Riche for this.
I then let these moisturisers really sink into my skin before I apply the self tanning product. During this time I prepare everything I need to apply the tan - old or dark towels (I have black) latex gloves, tanning mitt, hair clips or hair bands to tie hair up out of the way, self tanning product and a trusty friend (in my case, I rope my husband into this) to tan my back.
Step 2 - Applying the tan
Work quickly with the tan and really rub into the skin for best results. The guide colour ensures you get the most even tan possible. I prefer to pump the mousse on to the mitt then apply to the skin in circular motions, starting from my face and working down. As they have gloves and/or mitt on during the application, I leave my hands until last. When my body is finished I remove the gloves and rub the remaning product from the mitt over the backs of my hands and then work into the fingers to ensure there are no gaps and tell tale signs you are wearing fake tan. Remember you want to look as natural as possible and any white patches will look fake and nasty.
Step 3 - After applying the tan
Wear as little as possible in the way of clothing immediately after applying the tan and for as long as possible after to ensure it dries evenly. I do admit I do tend to sit around on an old towel, completely naked for around two hours post application. I know, I know. Too much information and I hope that image isn't too frightening but it is the only way I can guarantee my tan won't rub off on anything!
I leave the tan to develop for as long as possible (always overnight) For as long as I have been applying a self tanning product I have always done it in the evening, usually the evening before an event/night out etc.
Step 4 - The morning after applying
I shower the guide colour off the next morning, revealing a gorgeously golden glow. Do not exfoliate at this point but use a nice moisturising shower gel or bath product. For my face I cleanse with my usual cleanser but no muslin cloth, just use hands at this point. After showering I pat my skin dry with a towel rather than vigorous rubbing and then apply a light, usually oil based body moisturiser to really enhance the tan and give the skin a real glow - I really like Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse for this or any dry oil body spray will work.
And there we have it, bronzed beach goddess. Or maybe not quite, but something along those lines.
Step 5 - Tan Maintenance
To ensure the tan lasts as long as possible and fades evenly and gradually, I repeat the above step every day after application. The day I notice the tan starting to fade (usually 2-3 days post application) I start exfoliating/moisturising again as described in step 1.
And there we have it - a beautiful tan with zero skin damage and little damage to your purse! I have added a before & after picture to give you an idea of the results on my fairly pale skin. In the before picture I am wearing little in the way of foundation, just a tinted moisturiser (Laura Mercier in Nude) I am a MAC NC20 for reference.
The after picture shows how the tan looks on my skin the morning after application and a shower...
Please forgive the frightening make-up less face and bed hair!
