The Budget Babe | Affordable Fashion & Style Blog

Beauty Review: Nature's Gate Sunless Tanner


Recently I received a free tube of Nature's Gate Sunless Tanner Self Tanning Lotion ($8.99, 4 oz. at health and natural food stores) and eagerly put it to the test on my pasty legs. Click through to see the results!




What they say: Keep your skin bronzed, beautiful and beachy all year long without suffering the damaging effects of the sun with NEW Nature's Gate Sunless Tanner. Dihydroxyacetone, a natural ingredient derived from sugar cane, naturally tints the skin and won't wash away with soap and water.

Formulated with Green Tea and Red Raspberry, which fight free radicals and keep skin looking youthful, Nature's Gate Sunless Tanner is lightweight and fast-absorbing making it perfect for all skin types. Plus, anti-oxidant rich Olive Oil moisturized and pampers skin leaving it soft and supple. A subtle development of color will appear within the first day of use and will continue to develop with additional application, building a natural, even, year-round tan.

Nature's Gate products are free of Parabens, Phthalates, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Animal derived ingredients and are never tested on animals.

To use: Exfoliate skin before applying. Evenly apply. Star with a light layer and re=apply for a darker tan. Wash hands immediately after application. Avoid contact with fabric until dry. Tan will begin to appear within 1 day of application.

What I thought: As far as I'm concerned this tanner is heaven-sent. It has a very light scent, kinda nutty mixed with sunscreen-smell, and a light tan coloration which makes it easy to see where you're applying it. It had a great emollient feel and sinks in relatively quickly so you don't have to wait around forever to get dressed, and skin stays soft and smooth all day. I typically shave before applying sunless tanner which exfoliates the skin and increases the longevity of the tan because I find they tend to fade each time you shave or shower.

My tan took about a day to fully develop but at least I knew what to expect, thanks to the directions on the tube. There was no streaking, no orange, no flecks of glitter, just my natural color turned one shade darker! I think it looks really natural and subtle. My legs now match my arms which always tan naturally in the summer. Just what I wanted!

A few tips: It helps if you moisturize dry knees, heels and feet before you apply the sunless tanner. This prevents those dry areas from absorbing too much tanner, resulting in darker patches. Another thing I've found helpful is if you apply a small glob of tanner to thighs and calves first, then work what's left onto knees, ankles and the top of your feet. Use circular motions rather than long strokes to prevent streaking.

I would definitely recommend Nature's Gate sunless tanner to a friend and will certainly be purchasing it in the future; I loved the Alba Organics one, too, both great products that take the guesswork out of self-tanning for good!

FYI, I'm wearing my Coral Ruffle Dress purchased during the Flash Sale we did recently with Threadsence.com. Shipping was fast, I ordered on a Thursday and got it Monday! It was a little wrinkled but I spritzed it with water and hung it to dry and it smoothed out nicely.

Comments
I LOVE nature's gate products! I use the sunscreen on myself and my kids, and I found some of their "advanced" skincare products at... of all places... TJ Maxx! I'll look for this tanner! Oh, and cute dress!
#1 katy on 2010-08-05 15:19 (Reply)
wow!!!

btw i voted for you!
#2 anh (Homepage) on 2010-08-05 16:01 (Reply)
thanks sweetie!!
#2.1 The Budget Babe on 2010-08-05 18:17 (Reply)
Wow such natural looking results! I like how it's subtle, so that you aren't just suddenly BROWN haha
#3 MizzJ (Homepage) on 2010-08-06 01:05 (Reply)
Wow, what a great sunless tanner! It's like the "Before" and "After" shots in a magazine...except you're so gorgeous that they both look like the "After" shots.

In the first shot (the one with the product), what body part is that? I've been staring at it for a few minutes and I cannot figure it out. :-)
#4 Amy on 2010-08-06 02:46 (Reply)
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well later this month. BP has started installing casing in the relief well to protect the

told reporters today on a conference call. Once drilling mud overpowers pressure coming up
amaged during the static kill and to prepare for injecting mud and cement for final


plugging, according to a company statement today.
#5 fenglingling (Homepage) on 2010-08-06 03:07 (Reply)
Looks good ! Love the dress!
#6 sohoaccessories (Homepage) on 2010-08-06 04:46 (Reply)
Love this! I've been looking for a good, non streaky, but subtle sunless tanner. I'm definitely going to have to grab a bottle of this. Thanks for the review, love the before and after pics! :-)
#7 Nicole on 2010-08-06 08:53 (Reply)
I'm really excited now. As a red head who doesn't tan well this product looks fantastic. Your legs looked natural but had some great color. (I loved the dress too BTW).

Thanks for sharing and I'm off to find some Nature's Gate.
#8 Jennifer @ LifeNickel (Homepage) on 2010-08-06 08:55 (Reply)
Thanks for the review BB!! I love all-natural products and I rushed out to get this after reading your review. Last night I tried it out and just like you said it moisturizes so well and leaves skin soft and supple, no nasty tanning odor either.

I have tried literally every self tanner on the shelves and this one has not given me any complaints - no streaks today, just even looking tan without looking too Hogan-esque. I would recommend this to others without a doubt. Found mine at a natural foods co-op for $8.49 + tax, but if you Google "Nature's Gate" they have a site where you can enter your city and it will direct you to the nearest retailer.
#9 Brit on 2010-08-10 08:12 (Reply)
Love your blog and this review was very helpful as I do beauty and parenting segments on a local TV show. This week I'm featuring paraben free beauty products and it was cool to see that my review was spot-on with yours on the Nature's Gate sunless tanner.
#10 Rachel Harris on 2010-09-25 12:52 (Reply)
I have been wondering about this and I'm so excited to hear you liked it. It looks and sounds like it really works great and of course, love that it's natural. Great review!! I thin I'll get some tonight :-)
#11 Annie (Homepage) on 2011-06-02 15:39 (Reply)
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