We Tried Out The Cult Fake Tan That’s All Over Your Instagram Feed
If you’re a fake tan or haircare connoisseur, then you’ve probably seen the brand Coco and Eve pop up in your Instagram feed.
Coco and Eve’s hair masque Like A Virgin was first released in 2017, winning over a legion of cult fans through rave reviews, and the brand has since recruited even more loyal users after releasing a range of vegan fake tan. Coco and Eve launched their Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam at the end of 2019, and the product has steadily found cult appeal in the past two years.
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The tanning range was launched in Priceline this year and the brand have reported a huge spike in recent sales in Australia, even claiming that a Coco and Eve tanning product sells every 30 seconds.
So does this fake tan live up to the hype? As someone who is as pale as they come — like, I would seriously make Dracula appear sun-kissed by comparison — I simply had to try it. When it comes to fake tan, I rarely stray away from trusted brands and I tend to always use Bondi Sands. I’m a tan loyalist, so once I find a tan that does the job, I’ll stick to it. This is despite the fact that while I love the Bondi Sands’ colour, I find it becomes patchy over time and the smell is low-key unpleasant when applying.
I’m ready to try something new! Coco and Eve, here I come!
The Product
Coco and Eve, Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam Self Tan in ‘Dark’, RRP $44.99.
The Trial
The Coco and Eve foam applies easily, and the guiding colour is pigmented enough for me to see where I’ve applied. It did stay sticky for about an hour before drying, so I wouldn’t recommend doing much after application. I just sat on the couch with my limbs avoiding touching any surfaces.
I left the tan on for three hours before showering off the top layer — and the results the next day were super impressive.
I tried the product in the shade ‘Dark’ and ended up getting a deeper looking tan, which was a pleasant surprise as some ‘Dark’ tans end up being a little too light for my liking. I was especially thrilled with the colour as I had only left the tan on for three hours, and with other tans I’ve needed to keep it on overnight for the colour to properly develop.
What I was most impressed with was how even the tan appeared: there were no uneven areas or patches, even though I tend to miss parts of my body because I’m terrible at applying tan.
It’s worth seeing the colour in natural lighting just to show how bronzed I was:
My legs were glowing! This isn’t something I’ve seen from other fake tan brands I’ve tried. I think the glow comes from the formula containing orange, lotus flower, and mandarin oils, leaving my legs intensely hydrated.
The Verdict
This tan is, by far, the best smelling tan I’ve ever used. While most brands promise scents of coconut or other tropical flavours, they all end up having that sour chemical smell. This tan — which claims to have a guava and mango scent — actually does smell good, it’s really sweet and fruity.
When it comes to fake tans, it’s all about how they wear over time. While some tans might look perfect on day one, by day three they can already turn patchy. This tan actually looked better as I wore it. And when the colour eventually faded, it did so pretty evenly.
This is what it looked like a week after application:
While it’s obviously a lot lighter than when I first saw the results, it’s still more tan than my natural skin tone. And thankfully, it didn’t turn patchy and the only places it really faded extensively were my feet which I actually preferred, as I found my feet looked a bit muddy at first.
This being said, the tan overall definitely looked at its best in the first five days, and once I got to about day 10, it did turn a little patchy. The only other negative is that the colour’s tone was slightly too orange for me in certain lighting, but that comes down to personal taste.
But back to the positives: the biggest test came as I wore both boots and socks while I had the tan on, and there was absolutely no transfer or signs that any of the tan had rubbed off. My major takeaway is that the colour was unbelievably even — better than any other tan I’ve used. The tan left my legs appearing super moisturised, which differed to most of my past experiences with tan leaving my legs drier than the Sahara. Overall, I’m a huge fan!
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Coco and Eve products can be purchased online or in-store at Myer and Priceline.