Xen-Tan Mousse Intense

I got the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense in Medium-Dark to try out as well as the applicator mitt to use with the mousse.  Can you believe that this is the first Xen-Tan false than that I've used? Crazy, considering how much I love false tan.  I guess I'm just very loyal to my Fake Bake Airbrush, well until now...

Xen-Tan Mousse Intense in Med/Dark, £23.99 for 118ml

I love this tan, absolutely love it.  The formula is a light foam, the application is quick, fast drying easy and straightforward, the developing time is quick and biscuit scent free and the end result is a very natural deep golden tan- think two weeks in the Carribean.  The colour lasts for ages, it really is a once a week tan and it fades gradually and evenly too, not patchy in the slightest.  I use a hot cloth cleanser every morning, exfoliate my body every few days and I go swimming around four times per week so I was really impressed at how the Xen-Tan could withstand this and keep its colour.  One thing that I was particularly impressed with by the Xen-Tan  mousse is that it isn't drying on the skin, it's actually quite moisturising which I thought was great as my skin is often pretty dry after applying fake tan and even after washing it off.  I think this is what helps the colour to stay for so long on the skin too.

The product smells quite strongly of sweet vanilla and for the most part, it disguises that dreadful false tan biscuit smell.  The longer you leave it to develop you can start to smell the typical false tan aroma but only very faintly as the vanilla can always be smelt quite strongly, at least on my skin.

Xen-Tan has a green tone to the mousse which ensures a golden, orange free tan

Xen-Tan offer different shades of tan as well as different formulas like lotions and mists, so you will always find a formula you like in a shade you like.  I'd only tried one other mousse tan before this and I wasn't impressed but this one has really changed my opinion on mousse false tan.  It's a clean way of applying tan as there is no mess left in the bathroom afterwards, unlike with other tans where it is up the wall and staining the grout... yes, I'm talking about you St.Moriz mist!  As for the colour, I got the Med/Dark tan which was perfect for my fair complexion.  It gives a very sunkissed and deep but natural looking tan.  It looks natural because it is golden brown rather than day glow orange in colour.  This is down to the  green toned guide colour.  I've tried other false tans in the past that have had a green tinge to them, namely the St. Tropez lotion but none that are as green toned as the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense which is reassuring to see as the more green toned a tan, the less change you have of turning out orange as one colour cancels out the other.  The shade of the guide colour is perfect as it is light enough to look fairly natural while its developing but dark enough for you to be able to see while you're applying it.

The Xen-Tan Mousse Intense develops really quickly.  I usually leave mine on over night, so for about 7 hours, but the first time I tried this I actually applied it before going to do my friends make-up for a wedding.  I literally applied it at 8am and washed it off when I got back in at 11am and I couldn't believe the colour I had developed after only 3 hours; a natural, sunkissed golden tan that would rival tans that I've allowed to develop for 9 hours!

When applying the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense, or any false tan for that matter, I'd recommend wearing a latex glove on both of your hands and then some kind of mitt to really buff the tan evenly into your skin.  There are a couple of kinds available.  I usually use a towelling mitt but I've recently been trying out the Xen-Tan Deluxe Tanning Mitt which also works very well.  You simply slide your hand into the mitt and then either pump the tan directly onto your skin or onto the mitt and then smooth it over your skin.  The mitt can be used without wearing a glove underneath as it has a plastic coating on the inside to protect your palm however I would still recommend using a latex glove underneath incase the tan seeps through the side of the mitt.  It provides a very easy, fool proof application that ensures an even, streak free tan.  A mitt like this one below is great because you can use it regardless of whether you're applying a mousse, lotion or spray/mist tan so if you try out a new tan, you don't need to change your method of application too.

Xen-Tan Luxury Tanning Mitt, £3.99

Don't be afraid to put a lot on, the majority of streaky false tans occur when girls have been too shy with their application.  Bear in mind though that although this is a fast drying tan, the more you apply the more time it will take for it to dry so be aware that it will be slightly tacky to the touch until it has fully dried, we're talking for a matter of minutes here, not hours though!  If you apply it at night, it doesn't matter what you look like, its what you like like when you've washed the guide colour off that counts.  Also, don't worry about the tan staining your bedsheets.  The Xen-Tan Mousse Intense has very little transfer; I have a light duvet set which remains clean when I wake up and I've tried wearing clothes and going out and about with the tan on and the only transfer onto my clothes was where the under wiring of my bra touched my skin.  That said, I wouldn't necessarily recommend applying this and then going out and about with it on as the guide colour does have a noticeable green tint and when the guide colour dries it is noticeable that you have tan on that you're yet to wash off, unlike the Fake Bake Airbrush which I find you can apply and then go out and about as normal.  I apply my fake tan at night as does everyone I know so this is by no means a downfall of the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense.

Wearing the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense

The only other mousse false tan that I've used is the St. Moriz Mousse which I didn't get on with very well at all so I was interested to see how a more premium sunless self tan would perform.  I can safely say that with mousse fake tan, you get what you pay for and Xen-Tan Mousse is worth every penny. The St.Moriz mousse is £2.99 compared to the Xen-Tan Mousse which is £23.99 and I can honestly say I'd repurchase the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense over the St. Moriz Mousse anyday.  The St. Moriz smells of soapy biscuits (typical false tan smell) whereas the Xen-Tan smells, for the most part, of sweet vanilla.  The St. Moriz is very drying on the skin and comes off on my bed sheets where as the Xen-Tan is moisturising and hardly transfers.  The St. Moriz does not wear evenly, it becomes very patchy and looks awful as it wears off where as the Xen-Tan fades evenly and still looks as good on day 5 as it does on day 1, just lighter in colour.  I don't think I need to say any more, do you?!


Xen-Tan Mousse Intense in Medium-Dark usually retails for £23.99.  It is available online on the official Xen-Tan store which also has a stockist locater and you can buy it in shops like John Lewis, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Debenhams, Harvey Nichols and Space NK. I've also found some great deals on this particular tan, the mitt and the rest of the Xen-Tan range on  feelunique.com.


Happy Tanning!

What is your favourite fake tan?  Do you have any more recommendations for me to try from Xen-Tan?