I am usually reluctant to buy into celebrity or influencer branded beauty products.
It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to find truly impartial beauty reviews. When someone of a high social standing releases a branded product, it becomes even more difficult to separate the objective from the biased- it’s hard to tell if the reviews are coming from a genuine place or that of a fan. Is the hype justified, or is it the result of a comprehensive Instagram following?
Boasting over 600 thousand Instagram followers at the time of writing, Elle Ferguson is a bonafide Instagram-celeb. Her calling card? Long, lean, perpetually bronzed limbs. For as long as I’ve known of Elle (formerly of They All Hate Us fame), I’ve associated her with denim cutoffs, sun kissed skin and long, blonde hair. Perhaps it’s that visual of Elle’s personal brand that made me more excited than reluctant to trial her 2018-launched tanning foam- Elle Effect.
Elle’s ‘Tan Kit,’ comprising a bottle of tanning mousse, a mitt and some very Glossier-esque stickers with which to customise your bottle, landed on my desk upon the brand’s launch into Mecca Maxima last month and after mentioning it on my Instagram stories I was met with dozens of messages to the tune of “This will change your life.” A big call but, for a sad false tanning addict, and exciting prospect.
My first note was on the scent. I’d read that the Elle Effect Tan Bottle smelled of “Californian Roses,” however I’d incorrectly assumed that what I was reading was more hype and that I’d instead be met with a regular ol’ false tan odour intwined with a few drops of rose essential oil. This mousse is ROSES and nothing else. If you’ve read any of my Glow Journal reviews before, you’ll understand how hard it is for me to type this: I was wrong. Even the following morning after rinsing, which we will get to, my skin was odourless.
My next note was on the texture. I will readily admit that, until now, I was under the impression that a mousse was a mousse- light, fluffy, fairly easy to blend. This particular mousse, however, is VELVETY. That’s the only word I can use to really describe the Elle Effect’s texture. I’ve not used a tan that blended so seamlessly ever before, and I doubt I will (from another brand) in the foreseeable future. This is in a league of its own.
As far as colour goes, the marketing collateral advises “One application, think a day at Bondi Beach, two applications, think by the pool in LA, and three applications, you’ll look like you’ve spent a week in the Bahamas.” I applied two coats on my first use, waiting 30 minutes in between, then allowed the tan to develop for around eight hours overnight. I rinsed in the morning and was thrilled with the result (you can see my colour the following morning here). Several of the aforementioned Instagram messages had warned that, although the colour is beautiful and the application process seamless, the tan tends to fade in patches, so I moisturised twice a day in an attempt to maintain what I believed to be the perfect bronze. I applied a third coat of tan two days later ahead of another event, which I thought may result in dry patches due to an overload of DHA (the colourless chemical in false tanning products that physically causes the skin to change colour), but I was pleasantly surprised (see results here). The only area that was beginning to look slightly unsavoury were my underarms, as we’d seen two 40° days during the week and I am, by my very nature, a sweaty human.
Friday night presented me with a dilemma I know many can relate to- does one remove their tan and begin again from scratch ahead of the weekend, or apply a fresh coat over a preexisting, nearly week-old tan? In the name of a solid review, I chose the latter.
My tan deepened, and the only areas I added to my list of “body parts not looking too crash hot as the result of too much fake tanning” were my wrists and hands- a small price to pay for a deep, non cancerous tan (see results here– although for transparency I am standing in VERY tan-friendly light and have filtered the photo within about an inch of its life. Still good though). The following day called for some serious scrubbing, however I’m very impressed given the circumstances.
This is a REALLY good tan. Suitable for those new to tanning, as you can build up the colour as you wish, and those who are sad, sad tan addicts (guilty). It hasn’t quite turned me into a 6 foot blonde beach babe in denim cutoffs, however I’ll be damned if that’s going to stop me from trying.
While these products were provided courtesy of MECCA Brands, this article is not sponsored, there was no obligation from me to post and all views are, as always, entirely my own.
