Xen-Tan: My favorite self tanner

This is a review that I put up a couple of summers ago after discovering, while on vacation, what is now my very favorite self tanner - Xen-Tan.  These were my experiences with it then, and I have used it pretty religiously since then - this is my 3rd year running with it. It is getting warm here in Texas and I am starting to wear shorts and t-shirts, so I have been looking at trying some new tanners, but I can’t imagine that they can be much better than this one.  Xen-Tan has updated their tanners for 2009, which might be worth a try, but, do we need to mess with perfection?  But, I am a trying kind of a girl, so I probably will.  :)  But anyway, this is what I love:

My initial impressions were good - the lotion, which gives you immediate color, went on very smoothly and streak free. And it smelled great - pretty much no DHA smell at all, and the scent that it had was not overpowering at all - just nice. Naturally I didn’t use gloves, so immediately after the application, my hands were stained. No big deal, that is to be expected. I scrubbed and scrubbed, but still brown. Ok.

Well, much to my surprise, looking at my hands about 30 minutes later, no more stained hands. !! Hmm. Tan looks good, no stained hands. I like it. I applied it again the next day, same thing. Disappearing hand stain, great tan.

So my vacation wore on. I didn’t reapply at all. And that is where I found the coolest thing about the Xen-Tan, and something I have seen in no other self tanner - airbrush, lotion, whatever - the fade. This stuff fades like a real tan. No splotchy unevenness whatsoever. It just fades. Beautifully!

Xen-Tan comes in a ton of formulas - spray mist, mousse, lotion, airbrush. They have body scrubs, tan extenders, a wonderful bronzer compact, and sponges for application. For me, I consistently use the tan extender (as I am really pale naturally, and the extender really is enough color most of the time).  If I want a deep dark tan RIGHT. NOW., the tanning lotion is da bomb, and I keep both the lotion and the tan extender here at all times.  Xen-Tan is a little on the pricey side if you are accustomed to buying your self tanners at the drugstore, but it is many many times better than those tanners.  The price is right in line with the other "department store/prestige" tanners.  Well worth the price for a beautiful, good smelling tan that fades like real sun. Love this!  You can find Xen-Tan online at their website, at Nordstrom or my favorite - good ol Amazon.