Product Review: Banana Boat Sunless Summer Color Self Tanning Lotion, Deep Dark

Greetings, Gals. This is the first in a line of product reviews. Now, a lot of people associate having a dark tan with being Gal, and that's not always the case, of course, as ganjiro is becoming more and more regular, but as a follower of "姐ギャルズ悪羅悪羅" (as taken from Soul Sister: Adult Gals Ora Ora Style), I love the tan look. I've spent the last decade being extremely sun-phobic as my Welsh ancestry makes me burn on an overcast day, so I looked pretty unhealthy. Time to change that.

I've been using a number of sunless tanners to try to improve my skin tone and make myself look a little healthier, and I've become so happy with the way I look that I kept looking for better tanners as well as going to the pool regularly. I'm incredibly happy with the new one I've started using, so here's what I think about Banana Boat Sunless Summer Color Self Tanning Lotion in Deep Dark.

Positive


First off: IT IS NOT ORANGE. I was so afraid that it'd be orange like a lot of them, but it's a deep brown. It looks like chocolate cream when it comes out of the tube, but it blends in so smoothly that it looks natural. Best of all, it blends in with my freckles nicely without fully hiding them (I happen to like my freckles). I used some on my face, and it didn't irritate my skin as badly as other lotions have, which was a plus, too. (Almost every lotion I use makes my face break out.)

Another thing that I liked is that you truly can control the tone with this. I used it two days in a row, skipped a third, and then used it two more days, and I was rather dark. I'm very naturally pale, and it didn't matter at all. Best of all, no one really could tell that it wasn't from the sun. I really liked that.

The last thing that was really good about it was the price. It's under $7, which makes it a little more expensive than the Jergens stuff I was using, but it blends well and you don't really need a lot of it. It also feels really nice, not oily at all, so it's a good quality lotion for what you pay for it.


Negative

Okay, there's a small number of downsides to this stuff. First off is that it doesn't dry very quickly, so you can't put on anything while it dries. It also does get into rougher skin and stains the area, so make sure you exfoliate very well before you use it. Another thing is that it doesn't absorb very well if you use it a few days in a row and will wash off some when you shower (but that was to be expected) in dark brown streaks. Thankfully, my legs were still relatively dark after that.

Let's talk about the smell for a moment. It's supposed to have a lime-ish smell, but it doesn't smell like limes or any citrus to me at all. It's not a bad smell, but it's odd. It goes away once it dries, and you can use another lotion or baby oil over it (I suggest baby oil). The big point is that it doesn't stink or smell like fake tanner, it just smells different.

Note

First off, ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU WASH YOUR HANDS when you're done. Seriously, I have darker lines on the insides of my hands now, and that's entirely my fault. Also, exfoliate your skin so that it's smooth when you apply the lotion. That keeps it from being streaky over drier areas. Another thing? Don't expect it to cover tan lines, but do expect that it will blend them in a little better. I'm rather glad it didn't, because it makes the tan look more natural that way.

Overall,  I give this a 4.5/5.0 rating. I love it after a week of use, and I'll keep using it. I like it better than the Jergens tanner, even though I'm still using the Jergens on my face. If you're looking for a good dark tanner that works on any skin tone, this is the stuff for you.

J!