Cocoa Brown Gentle Bronze–Review

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own. I will never compromise my reviews for sponsorship.

I may post mostly about facial products, but in all honesty I’ve probably got a hundred lotions and potions for my body, too.

I’m a pale, pale individual and, while I used to bask in the sun like a lizard with baby oil dripping off my body (the memories still make me cringe), I now follow the gods of SPF. I’ve heard too many horror stories and seen too many scars to give in to the temporary trend of baking my skin. That’s where “fake bake” comes in to play.

This time of year, I’m really only interested in darkening up the glow sticks I call legs. Is it just me that seems to have legs shades lighter than anywhere else on my body? With holiday and work events requiring dresses, something had to be done.

Cocoa Brown By Marissa Carter is an Irish based fake tan company that claims to be Ireland and the UK’s best selling fake tan. Some celebs have even used their products. Gentle Glow is among their more “tame” products and is a moisturizer with a tint to gradually give your skin a warm glow instead of a straight tan. This was ideal for me as I no longer crave that tanned look, but just want to not be so… pale.

One of the big selling points on this product is the scent. If you’ve used any fake tan product, you’re familiar with that god-awful chemical smell that sticks around on your skin. I was concerned that Gentle Bronze would have a similar scent despite their claims of the contrary. I was very pleasantly surprised! It smells like flowers… and not chemical-fake-tan-meant-to-smell-like-flowers. After poking around their website, the scent is described as “Tahitian Gardenia”. I like!

The consistency is just like a moisturizer which is easy for application. Gentle Glow is an unnervingly dark shade when first squeezed from the tube, but once you smooth it on your skin, it melts right in. It took me about three or four days (applying once a day) to see any type of results and after about a week I achieved a nice, natural color that helped my legs fit in with the rest of my body.

If you’re concerned about looking like an extra on Willy Wonka or of streaky application  (as you would rightfully be if you have previous experience with fake tan products), don’t be. Gentle Bronze gave me natural, soft color and applied smoothly just like any other lotion. It’s been easy to work this into my daily routine.

I think I’ll use this more in the Spring time when shorts season rolls back around (although with the crazy weather in the US lately, it still kind of is…). I also learned that since this product is oil free and hypoallergenic, you can use it on your face. That may be worth a go in the warmer months when I want to feign being a sun goddess, but in all actuality am slathered in skin protecting SPF. 😉

I give Cocoa Brown (by Marissa Carter)’s Gentle Bronze 4 pomegranates. Its pleasant scent, moisturizing properties, and ease of application make this a nice, easy to use fake tan for those wanting just a hint of natural color without resorting to uv rays. It’s something I would save for the warm months, though.

If you’re in the US, you can get Gentle Bronze at Ricky’s NYC here, or on Amazon here.

Cocoa Brown’s Irish website can be found here.

And their Australian website can be found here.

What do you like to use to keep that nice, healthy glow?

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