Little-known tanning brand beauty editors swear by gives the most natural glow
I'm no stranger to fake tanning, with Isle of Paradise and Bare by Vogue being two of my favourites, but recently I'd been seeing a lot about a range of tans that admittedly I hadn't heard of before: Three Warriors. A bit of digging later and I realised why it was on my radar: it's the brand of choice for James Harknett, the tan expert behind many a celebrity's golden glow, and the go-to for beauty editors ahead of their weddings.
Keen to see if the Three Warriors products could give me a similar type of luxe, natural bronze, I put Three Warriors' Hydrabronze Tan Drops, £38 – a serum that's to be mixed into your skincare serum or moisturiser, and my favourite way to tan my face – to the test, and I think I can see why it's such a favourite...
First up, a look at the ingredients list of Hydrabronze Tan Drops should let you know that it's going to be good; it's high in skincare ingredients such as hydrolysed collagen, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
The instructions state to add 2-4 drops to your moisturiser – I went for four drops, which was definitely a good shout, as even this maximum amount gave quite a subtle colour with the Light To Medium shade I picked (there's also a Medium To Dark). It mixed in really well with my favourite moisturiser, glided really evenly onto the skin, and dried quickly (don't forget to wash your hands!).
The next morning, I was so happy with the resulting colour – natural, even and non-orange, with the difference not so striking that people will know that you've fake tanned the night before (think healthy weekend in the sun rather than three weeks in the Caribbean).
If I was after slightly deeper colour, however, I'd be tempted to try the Medium To Dark shade, or else go back to my favourite Isle of Paradise Face Tanning Drops in Medium, currently £14.24.
Isle of Paradise also makes one of my favourite tans for the body: Glow Clear Self-Tanning Mousse, also in the shade Medium, and currently reduced to £15.96. It's easy to apply with a mitt, although being clear with no guide colour, you do have to be diligent about blending it in well, especially around drier areas such as the knees, elbows, hands and feet (I like to apply a rich body cream in these spots first, and then once again after applying the tan). However as it's transparent, it doesn't transfer onto clothing or bedding – a major plus in my eyes.
It makes my limbs look a very natural shade of golden, with any lingering greyness, redness or imperfections minimised. I felt really confident wearing my summery shorts and dresses while away on holiday recently, and not like some ghostly pale Brit who spends most of her life indoors.
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