SunnaTan – Body Lotion in Grapefruit Mint, Colour Me Dark Sunless Tanning Extender and Tanning Mitt

Disclaimer: This post features item(s) received at no cost for reviewing purposes, but the opinions are mine and, as always, honest. Read the full disclosure here.

Canada SunnaTan was established in Calgary in 2011, to provide a safe alternative to suntanning. Their products give a beautiful, healthy, bronze tan without the harmful effects of UV rays. The products are all-natural, fragrance, paraben and alcohol free.

As humans, we always wish to have everything else than what we already do. So, being light skinned, I always dreamed of a bronze glowing tan. Although I used to spend weeks at the seaside with my family, it could take me a while to get any tan. I burn easily, and on top of everything, I’m allergic to sun (yes, that allergy exists, I get itchy just thinking about it). If you add dangers of skin cancer, it really isn’t smart to spend days or weeks trying to get a tan, when it won’t even last. I never wanted to try self-tanners, though, thinking they would make me look orange and streaky. However, the formulas are very advanced now, and there are many great products out there. Thanks to beautiful @dreamarieblog on Instagram, whose giveaway I won, I was introduced to SunnaTan body lotion, sunless tanning extender and tanning mitt.

SunnaTan Body Lotion in Grapefruit Mint is a refreshing body lotion formulated to awaken your senses, while it repairs and protects skin. It is paraben, phtalate and sulfate free, and vegan.

Ingredients: Reverse osmosis water, Coconut 76 (Cocos nucifera), Emulsifying wax NF (from coconut), Glycerine (kosher), Sal butter (Shorea robusta), Jojoba oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) essential oil, Cetyl alcohol, Stearic acid, Shea butter, Natural vitamin E (Tocopherol), Phenoxyethanol*, Caprylyl Glycol*, Peppermint essential oil (Mentha piperita), Vanilla extract (Vanilla planifolia).   *paraben free preservatives

I love using body lotions during summer, because that is the only time they provide enough moisture for my dry skin. As soon as colder months hit, I need rich body butters. So as soon as this lightweight lotion arrived, I started using it, before it gets too cold and we have to turn on the heating system at home and my skin gets extra dry.

This product has the exact texture I expect from lotions – it’s lightweight, hydrating, and absorbs quickly. The scent is a wonderful mixture of grapefruit and mint, that’s refreshing and really lifts me up. So I decided to use it after my morning showers, to wake up and energize. The lotion doesn’t leave my skin greasy, so it’s especially great for mornings, when I have to rush and get dressed right after moisturizing. Unfortunately, the wonderful grapefruit scent goes away quickly, and only peppermint gently lingers on my skin.

This lotion would be great for those with normal-to-oily skin, because it’s not greasy, but provides lots of hydration. However, for my dry skin, I need to apply it every day to be effective. I love it because the application and and dry time make it quick to use, but I do need to use something more rich every now and then.

Colour Me Dark sunless tanning extender is a unique natural blend. It can be used to extend the life of your airbrushed tan, or on its own as a self-tanner. It has a hint of shimmer and color that help to achieve even application. This product is also paraben, phtalate and sulfate free, and vegan.

Ingredients: Aqua (pH-balanced distilled water), Dihydroxy acetone (DHA), Erythrulose, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) gel, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil, Gardenia tahitensis (Monoi de Tahiti) oil, Glycerin (vegetable derived), Glycine soja (Soybean) oil, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) oil, Cetearyl olivate, Sorbitan olivate, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), Glucono delta-lactone, Sodium benzoate, Calcium gluconate, Sodium PCA, Mica, Purely herbal essences.

As soon as I saw this was a tinted tanner, I got so excited! I don’t usually like color added to products, but when it comes to self-tanners I find it essential. I like to see where I applied it, to get a more even result.

First of, the tanner comes sealed, so there is no fear of it getting spilled in transit. However, the seal is quite bad, and when I tried to peel it off, it didn’t come off completely. I had to push it in with my finger, and the lotion inside went everywhere. Luckily, I always have an old blanket under my feet when I use a tanner, but I do recommend you open it very carefully.

The tanner has a lovely coconut scent going on, but develops the usual tanner scent very fast. The coconut is a strong scent, though, so it does help. It feels like a lotion going on, and although I was so excited about it being colored, that really didn’t help. The color just sinks into my skin and I can’t really tell where I applied the tanner. That led to some uneven color developing on my feet, because I tried not apply to much there, and obviously skipped applying to some areas. I didn’t notice the glitter on my skin at first, but when I stood in the sun it was definitely shimmery and noticeable. My skin wasn’t tinted upon application at all.

I used the tanner the same day I shaved, and it stung as if I rubbed alcohol over skin, so try to avoid doing this 🙂 I recommend you shave a day before using the tanner! There are no instruction saying how long to develop the tan, so I tracked the progress and showered after about 4 hours. There was barely any tan after 2 hours, but then it developed nicely to a light-to-medium level. Although I didn’t see where I was applying it, it developed evenly all along my legs, but as mentioned already, by feet had some white patches where I didn’t apply the tanner. The color I got was quite natural, and lasted about a week.

The Tanning Mitt I received is my favorite kind, and I already own a similar one from Tarte (in a different color). It’s an extremely soft and plush mitt that I loved using to apply the self tanner. It glides over skin beautifully, and it feels so great on my skin. It’s well insulated on the inside, so there is no tanner leaking through. It’s easy to wash it after use, and the little rubber loop is great to hang it to dry. I never apply a self-tanner without a mitt, so this was a welcome addition to my tanning collection.

In general, I enjoyed these product. The lotion is great for days when I’m in a rush, but need to moisturize, the tanner is good, gives a nice natural tan, but I didn’t like the lack of tint. The tanning mitt is the only type I’d ever use.

All these products can be ordered from SunnaTan by Organic Tan website, and they retail for:

• Grapefruit Mint Body Lotion $22
• Colour Me Dark $30
• Tanning Mitt $12

All the prices are in CAD.

What is your favorite self-tanner? Do you like to extend your tan into fall like me? Did you try any SunnaTan products before?