Vita Liberata | Luxury Tan (pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion)

Winter is coming … so what better time than right now to inject some oh-so-welcomed sunshine into your beauty routine? For those of you like me living in a climate that’s beyond unpredictable (and sunlight levels dropping daily), one option is by using a self tanner to combat the pallor – but not just any product will do; introducing Vita Liberata Luxury Tan, a range of sunless tanning products made from natural origin as well as organic ingredients, with claims of providing a true-to-life sun kissed colour … and no noxious fumes. Fake bake, begone.

Hailing from Ireland and naturally pale-skinned, founder and CEO Alyson Hogg, was looking for a healthy alternative to achieving that gorgeous vay-cay bronzed glow. After disappointing efforts with other products in the market, she took matters into her own hands and created a range of self-tanners that not only give realistic results, but which also come with healthy skin benefits. The Vita Liberata line was then quickly picked up by some of Hollywood’s beauty insiders who use these tanners to prep many celebrities for the red carpet (among other events), and word quickly spread after that (hello, Sephora contract).

My personal experience with self-tanners is somewhat limited; being of Greek origin, I’m blessed with skin that tans easily & rarely burns, but unfortunately sun safety was not exactly extolled back in my youth – a fact for which I’m now paying the price (as in, minor hyper pigmentation issues). Next came the first versions of sunless tanners, all of which provided colour (think: Oompa-Loompa orange), stank to high heaven, looked 100% fake, and were basically the stuff that nightmares are made from (yet people still bought & used them. Go figure). That being said, the sunless tanners of today have come a long way since then, and I’m always up for testing products out. The things I do for you guys (and loving it) #humanguineapig.

Seeing as how I’m somewhat of a chicken where self-tanners are concerned, I decided to play it safe and opted to first test the pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion (mini mitt included), from the assorted products sent to me for review.

Vita Liberata | Luxury Tan

Luxury Tan pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion + mini mitt (CAN $65.00) | The Vita Liberata self-tanners come in either lotion, mousse, or bronzing powder (*review on the powder coming soon) formulas, allowing you the freedom to pick and choose the version which suits you best. The pHenomenal Lotion I chose to test out has the brand’s pHenO2 technology for ‘the longest lasting tan result with instant colour‘; other benefits include:

Odour Remove™ Technology for zero self-tan smell
Moisture Locking System for 72 hour skin hydration
certified organic botanicals

Meant to condition your skin and offer hydrating properties while the colour develops, the pHenomenal Lotion claims to last up to ‘4 times longer than regular tans‘ (note: I’m not sure if ‘regular‘ refers to natural and/or bottled, spray tans), fading ‘perfectly with no patchy effect‘ and can also be used on both face and body. Other key ingredients include:

lychee – refines and balances the skin, preventing imperfections
raspberry – repairs, conditions and moisturizes the skin
ginkgo biloba – anti oxidant that stimulates and firms for younger looking skin

As with any other self-tanner, proper prep is key in achieving optimal results; I began by exfoliating using my nylon loofah while in the shower, then after towelling dry I applied a very light film of moisturizer to key areas: kneecaps, elbows and heels (this is to prevent too much colour from developing on these thicker-skinned sections of the body). At this point, you may also want to don a pair of thin latex gloves to avoid any potential staining of the hands, although I personally had no issues; I just made sure to thoroughly wash/scrub my hands when I was done. The general rule of thumb is to start with larger surface areas first (the trunk, upper thighs), and work your way to the smaller parts last. Apply a blob (←technical name, lol) of lotion to the mitt and working fairly quickly, apply the product to the skin using circular motions to create a proper overlap for the most even-toned look (reapply lotion to the mitt as needed). I also enlisted my husband’s help to apply the product along my upper back, but I’m thinking that wrapping the tanning mitt over a long handled bath brush might work fine for solo use as well. Use the leftover product on the mitt to apply to your face, then do a light pass over the tops of your feet, hands, elbows, and kneecaps to finish.

This particular formula can be dialled up for an almost customized look; 1 application gave me a whisper of colour but you can also wait about 4-8 hours before showering and reapplying, in order to deepen the colour. My second application gave me a gorgeous sun kissed glow, while a 3rd & final application (done the next day) raised things up a few notches for that ‘I just got back from vacation’ look. The best part? NO NASTY ODOUR. In fact, it smells rather citrusy (to me) and quite pleasant. Another bonus was that the colour dried relatively quickly on my skin, and while I wasn’t brave enough to fling myself on white sheets for testing purposes, I can say that within an hour I was pleased to see that there was no colour transference on either my white face cloth, or clothing.

With regards to lasting power and without subsequent applications (I wanted to get as accurate an impression as I could with my testing process), I’d say that my ‘tan’ was pretty solid for about 7 days (even with showering in between) and I started to notice fading by day 11 (but an even-looking fading, no blotchiness) – perhaps a far cry from the afore-mentioned 4 weeks, but then again, you can always reapply the product for continuous maintenance, if desired.

Vita Liberata | Luxury Tan pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion

Vita Liberata | Luxury Tan pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion & Tanning Mitt

Vita Liberata | Luxury Tan pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion with mini mitt (included)

Vita Liberata | Luxury Tan pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion (comparison mitt sizes)

Luxury Tan pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion on mitt (left) with swatches before (middle) and after (right)

So we probably all know by now that while a little sun exposure is good for you, too much will have an adverse effect. That being said, I don’t mind embracing the paler version of me, but for those times when I ~~need~~ want that Summery glow, I’ve been reaching for the Vita Liberata Luxury pHenomenal Tan lotion – it’s the tan version of having one’s cake and eating it too. And you know what else? The colour looks real enough to fool people into thinking you’ve just returned from a beach-side getaway. Just make sure to have the details of your story straight, if questioned ∗grins∗.

Vita Liberata Luxury Tan products are available through Sephora & sephora.com – find more information via www.vitaliberatacanada.com