Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff & 1 Hour Tan

So last week I was off to the W.I.T Law Ball, and I wanted to have a nice tan. I opted to go for the Cocoa Brown 1 hour tan mousse. It is known as the best tan in the market, having used it before and not liking the result i had left it in the back of the press for a while. But on Wednesday i opted to give it another chance. I am so delighted I did.

So before the tan application I started off Wednesday morning with a nice hot shower accompanied by another of Marissa Carters products. I used the tough stuff exfoliator. I love this exfoliator. It removes old stubborn tan and gives your skin a fabulous exfoliation, ready for tan. Anyway I used Tough Stuff before I got into the shower like I do most of the time, using scrubs on dry skin works far better to get rid of layers of dead skin if you have sensitive skin though it’s probably best to use on wet skin while in the shower. You will get some redness after exfoliating but that’s OK. Oh and did i mention its pink.... lol.. i absolutely love it, it gets rid of those little bumps on the backs of my arms and no other exfoliator has done that in one go before. It's gets rid of stubborn tan marks and leaves your skin incredibly soft. The first time I used it, I was so surprised with how soft and subtle it got my skin. It really does work and your old tan is just gone, ready for a new application. The scrub is actually so good I use it twice a week in the shower as a normal body scrub, followed my Cocoa Brown's Chocolate Whip* and my body is left incredibly soft! You can use it up to 4 times a week, which is great for girls who wear tan a lot and want a fresh application a couple of times a week. It also has the gorgeous trademark Cocoa Brown Scent, which smells delicious! So if you're looking for an amazing scrub that leaves your skin soft and subtle, then this is the one for you!

After applying moisturiser I went about my daily business and at around 8 I set about doing my tan. I applied a generous dollop to my Cocoa Brown tanning mitt. This mousse has a unique and groundbreaking formulation. It combines accelerating agents which are activated upon contact with skin and speed up the absorption and development of the tan. I wasn’t so sure if I would see instantaneous results.I found the trick with this tan was to apply lots of moisturiser before application and make sure your skin is well exfoliated, because the mousse itself isn’t hydrating at all. One hour gives a light tan, two hours a medium tan, and three hours gives the darkest tan. Of course, you can still leave it on overnight if you want to, which is what I usually do. It gives a really natural colour that lasts about four days on me before it starts to fade. I left it overnight and washed off the next morning, to reveal a fabulous natural glow. I was delighted it wasn't too light or too dark for me it was just right.

Here's a quick picture from before the ball to show the overall effect of the tan. Overall i was very pleased with the results. Will definitely be stocking up on the tough stuff and the 1 hour tan. It looks really natural - just a really nice golden bronze without a trace of orange.The packaging is lovely.It's easy to apply - it's a mousse formula which is not too wet and is easy to spread and blend, meaning no streaks. It dries very quickly with no stickiness. The tough stuff retails for €5.99 and the 1 hour tan is €7.99 great value products which are going to be staples in my bathroom cabinet.