It’s summertime (AKA self-tanner time), and at The Amazing Blog we love how a good self-tanning product boosts our confidence, prevents us from spending hours roasting in the sun, allows us to get a tan from the comfort of our home, and more importantly, gives us a glow that is skin cancer risk-free! We’re always on the look out for a good, new and comment-worthy self-tanner and this new duo from Ambre Luxe with their Bronzing Foam and Tan Remover Foam didn’t disappoint!
Ambre Luxe, is an Australian brand that sells self-tanning products, was started in 2018 by Amanda Bankier and her daughter — they are a mother and daughter team that love anything to do with beauty. Since their inception they have grown into a team of four, and are continuously building on their brand. Currently, Ambre Luxe sells Bronzing Foam, Tan Remover Foam, a Polishing Glove, and Tanning Mitt and they have a couple of new products in development, including a Gradual Tanning Moisturiser. Bankier said, “We are passionate about creating multi-tasking bronzing formulas that deliver on every level, this is our Ambre Luxe brand mission.” Ambre Luxe is cruelty-free and vegan, and although they are an Australian brand, they deliver worldwide. They recently announced that they will be the official tanning partner of Miss Universe Australia 2021. Bankier went on to say, “As confessed self-tan and skin care addicts, we were constantly struggling to find a self-tan that offered potent skincare benefits without compromising on the effectiveness of the tanning actives. So we fixed that, and created our very own. At Ambre Luxe we are passionate about both bronzing perfection and skincare.” All products are paraben-free, include some organic ingredients, and come in containers made with plastic that can be recycled.
Let’s start with the Ambre Luxe’s Bronzing Foam, what we like is that this is that it allowed us to tailor our colour— leave it on for two hours for a subtle glow or eight hours for the darker finish (we preferred the latter). The formula contains 15% DHA, for the newbie self-tanners here, this DHA is in most self tanning products and can be from 5% to 15% in strength. As a general rule, you want to pick a product with a smaller percentage if you have fair skin and a product with a larger percentage if your natural skin tone is medium or dark. However, we have pale skin and flout this rule by nearly always using 15% DHA! Most people with sensitive skin have no issues with any DHA-based products, but to stay on the safe side we’d suggest always to do a patch test. There are also rejuvenating and moisturising ingredients in this Bronzing Foam with marula oil, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and carrot seed oil. The marula oil is antioxidant and fatty acid rich as well as deeply nourishing, hyaluronic acid is hydrating as it helps the skin attract external moisture, vitamin E repairs damaged cells as well as protects against further damage, and carrot seed oil adds additional antioxidants and nourishment. Ambre Luxe says the tan will last 5–7 days or longer with proper preparation and regular moisturising - NB: don’t use body oil it shortens the lifespan of the tan! We used this by first moisturising dry areas (hands, wrists, feet, ankles, elbows, and knees); you can use your hands to apply or if you’re like us, we preferred to use a Mitt (Ambre Luxe has one here) It’s easy to use and when applied has guide colour, so you’ll know if you miss anywhere. The fragrance is very pleasant being slightly sweet and berry-like but not overpowering. Then after tanning, we waited 5 minutes to let it dry before dressing. They very sensibly suggest avoiding contact with water while the tan is still developing or you may end up with water splatters - not a good look! The company says you can use the foam on your face but recommends against it if you have sensitive skin. One of the great things about this product is that it dries quickly and leaves skin feeling smooth and nourished — unlike some other tanners that we’ve tried, which have left us feeling sticky for hours. We also liked how natural the results were and how it didn’t dry out our skin - we’d recommend this.
Next we used Ambre Luxe’s Tan Remover Foam this works by speeding up the natural skin shedding process that fades tans, which can be done with physical or chemical exfoliants. Physical exfoliants require manually rubbing the tan and skin away, which can leave skin irritated and red. While chemical exfoliants in this Tan Remover Foam, gently removes old tan residue by dissolving the glue that holds dead skin cells together, so no harsh scrubbing is required. While the word ‘chemical’ may sound scary, in this case, it isn’t — the chemical they uses is citric acid, which is derived from citrus fruit. And fruit acids actually have many benefits, including smoothing and hydrating skin. The Tan Remover Foam also includes aloe vera, which is a soothing and calming anti-inflammatory. Ambre Luxe recommends exfoliating 24 hours before tanning. To apply, you can use your hands or use their Polishing Glove that they’ve designed particularly for this exfoliating step. We were very impressed by its performance and how very gentle this Tan Remover was on the skin. Again the fragrance here was pleasant with a hint of fruitiness. It took next to no time to work - 5 minutes to be precise, then we had a warm shower to remove all residue. For all you tanning addicts, we feel sure that this will fast become your bathroom essential, leaving you now with no excuse for those orange patchy knees and ankles! Again, it’s easy to use and certainly beats soaking in the bath followed by a loofah. This is definitely one of our #amazingfind for tan removal, and has already been used on numerous occasions during this summer.
If you want to step up your self-tan game with these products, you can find The Bronzing Foam here for $29.95, the Tan Remover Foam here for $24.95, and the Duo Pack here for $45.00.