Beauty Review: Vita Liberata Untinted Deeper Deep Self tan Lotion & Application Mitt

It’s summer and that natural bronze look is craved everywhere. What do you do if you burn, don’t tan well, or don’t want to subject your skin to UV rays? Self tan, that’s what. I know what you’re thinking.. MOST self tanners are messy, goopy, and make of mess of everything within a 10 foot radius.


Image Credit: Fast Company

We’ve all had or at least HEARD of those ghastly stories of a bright orange tint caused by self tanners, causing the oompa loompa look. It becomes streaky, orange, and now semi-permanent? How does that come off? ONLY by wearing off by itself and maybe the help of a loofah scrubber and a great quality body scrub (or baking soda and water if you don’t have a body scrub on hand).

What about clothes and bedding that’s been ruined because of self tanners? The only way to avoid this is to sit very still without touching anything, without any clothes on until your entire body dries completely. This could take QUITE some time.
The Vita Liberata Untinted Deeper Deep Self Tan Lotion distributes an ultra moisturizing, sunkissed glow, lasting for up to seven days without the mess. It doesn’t bronze you instantly, which is why it doesn’t create a mess.

Exfoliate & Shave!
Before applying the self tanner (or ANY self tanner) make sure that you properly exfoliate your skin. This helps the dead cells and dry skin come off so that the self tanner can be applied without any spots or streaks. If you don’t exfoliate, those dead cells/skin will be on the very top of your skin and WILL attract the self tan.. and it will cause a problem.

I recommend using a high quality sugar scrub or an exfoliating body bar that aren’t oily. A sugar scrub is different than a regular body scrub, because it isn’t greasy. If you can’t find any, you can always make your own.. mix some sugar with a shower gel or body wash and you’re good to go.

Image Credit: Dreams Time
While you’re in the shower, go ahead and shave. Even if you already shaved on the previous day. Shaving will further help the tanning lotion go on as desired without attaching to those pesky hairs.

NO lotions 24 hours prior!
Try not to apply ANY kind of lotion AT ALL for 24 hours before applying the Vita Liberta Untinted Self Tan, unless you have severely dry areas. If you do have severely dry areas, apply lotion to only THOSE areas and make sure you dab them with a dry towel or washcloth after. Make sure the lotion is completely dry before applying the self tanner.

If you use lotion on parts of your body that doesn’t absolutely require it moisture from the lotion creates an “oil/gloss” barrier on your skin. That barrier is what keeps the self tan from getting to the pores in your skin. This affects the ability for the lotion to develop.

Apply!!

This is the part where I get out of the shower and step on my bathroom rug and dry off. Make sure your skin is completely dry before beginning to apply the self tanner lotion. I love that this has a very easy to use pump-action top. It makes it so much easier to get what you need out of the bottle without getting it everywhere.

Make sure you purchase a Vita Liberata Classic Tanning Mitt, which keeps your palms and hands from ALSO developing the tan as well. It is reusable and can be used on your body as well as your face. It’s very soft and is amazing at helping apply the tanning lotion.


It looks, feels, and applies just like an everyday moisturizing lotion, because it is untinted. Untinted means it doesn’t have an INSTANT bronzer in it, it continues to develop slowly over a 4-8 hour period.
It doesn’t smell AT all, which I like. Most self tanners have a very noticeable, harsh, musky smell that stays with you for awhile after you apply it. This is absolutely odorless, so you don’t have to worry about packing around a musty, musky, overwhelming smell.

The Self Tanner sprays just a little stream, which makes it easier to maintain. The pump top keeps the lotion from splashing or drizzling on anything. I start with my arms and work my way down. You apply the lotion in a circular motion all over your body.

I always do smaller circles on my arms and shins, while making sure I don’t miss any spots. Then for the stomach, back, and thighs I do larger circles so that the circles aren’t overlapping too much. Then I gently swipe my elbows and knees.

I could feel it dry as soon as I put it on, which was really weird for me because I’m used to waiting for awhile before I’m actually dry. Not having to wait on dry-time was a miracle in itself because I am a very impatient person. That’s the second reason I don’t use traditional fake bake tanning lotions.

As soon as you’re done applying the tanning lotion, make sure that you have a wet washcloth or an unscented baby wipe on hand so you can wipe off the excess from your knees, elbows, and ankles (where you are most likely to streak from buildup). If you accidentally got it on your hands, between your fingers, or on your knuckles—wash wash wash!

It contains a unique moisture-lock© system for 72 hour hydration, so you don’t have to apply lotion over top of the tanning lotion.. just let it develop on its own. After the 4-8 hour period is over, and you decide you want to further develop your tan you now can.

Just reapply it like you did before. Circling around and around your body until your whole body is covered with the lotion. The layering of the lotion will help you intensify your tan. You want to gradually develop your tan rather than trying to get “SUPER DARK” the first time. The layering will help the tan look more realistic.



These are pictures of the tan after the second application. I already had a good base tan before I applied the self tanning lotion, but this deepened the tan without ANY streaks! I love how the mitt kept my hands from becoming bronzed too. With regular self tans they show up right away, which is what causes the orange-tint, I think. It’s great to go with a gradual self tanner that develops slowly over time instead of instantly.


I looked very closely, and there wasn’t even ONE spot, streak, or discoloration to be found! I am truly amazed by this! Those of you who want to look tan but don’t want to be in the sun, have problems tanning, or are allergic.. this is definitely for you.

I chose the deeper deep lotion, which does produce the darkest coloring out of all the choices.. but you need to start out with something close to your skin tone. I am naturally dark, so this isn’t something you can pull off if you have very pale skin, you’ll need to choose the medium color!

I loved it though! No more messes, no more odors, and no more standing around completely naked waiting to dry. This DID dry instantly like a lotion does. I did wait an extra 5 minutes each times before putting on my clothes (while I was blow drying my hair), but I was dry before I began.

This easy-to-apply luxury lotion with marine and organic botanical extracts ensures optimum skin conditioning and a totally natural-looking, flawless fade. It has absolutely no parabens, sulfates , or phthalates inside, and is cruelty and gluten free. Dermatologist tested!

If you’ve never applied self tanner, or would like to know how to apply it so that it goes on smoothly without any incidents.. the video below is the tutorial for applying every kind of self tanning lotion, mousee, and gel on their website.


If you need help learning how to properly apply a self tanner, you can visit the Vita Liberata Tanning Tips If you need help choosing a color for your skin tone, visit the Vita Liberata Tan Matcher.

If you’d rather go with an instant tanner (that’s not going to make you orange) you should check out the entire selection on the Vita Liberata Website

Buy it:

Vita Liberata Untinted Deeper Deep Self Tan Lotion at Sephora for $37.50
Comes in 3 shades: Warm, Deep, and Deeper Deep

Vita Liberata Classic Tanning Mitt $6.50


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Jessica Renee