Vita Liberata Megasize pHenomenal Self Tan Mousse Review & Special Price

It's that time of year when I start thinking about self tanners....but then I never end up using one. I totally chicken out for a few reasons: 

1. I am so ridiculously pale that even light self tanners look dark on me and more contrast means any streaks or uneven application is that much more noticeable. 

2. I have the driest of dry skin so I can exfoliate every day for a week and I still have dry patches that I know the self tanner is going to cling to. 

3. The smell...it's horrible. It makes my husband complain every time he comes near me and he always says he's going to sleep in the guest room. 

But when you're as fair as I am, it's hard not to crave that tanned look. It's slimming, it's healthy looking, and it hides all the veins and imperfections in your skin that get more obvious the lighter your skin tone is. As a skin cancer survivor, I will never go back to tanning the "natural" way, so unless I want to apply bronzer to my entire body every single day, self tanners are my only option. 

I recently had the opportunity to try Vita Liberata pHenomenal Self Tan Mousse and I decided to go for it because I liked that the creator Alyson Hogg is Irish like me and has a similar skin tone, plus it comes in a Fair shade which is rare...usually medium is the lightest option (unless you're using one of those gradual moisturizers) and it's always too dark for me. Vita Liberata became the first non-toxic self-tanning brand in 2011 and is free of parabens, perfume, alcohol, and all chemicals of concern and it also contains Odor Remove technology to ensure that you don't get that gross self-tanner scent (and it totally works by the way!). 

I received the mouse formula in the Megasize which is 12.68 oz...it's a huge bottle! For reference, this is what it looks like next to a full-sized bottle of Garnier shampoo. 

Starting now, through 11:59 pm EST tomorrow (3/22) this Megasize bottle + mitt is only $49.98 on QVC (it's the Today's Special Value) and is on 3 Easy Pays of $16.66.  To put it into perspective, an 8.45 oz bottle + mitt retails for $84 at Sephora. A 4.22 oz bottle without the mitt retails for $54! 

Here, you're getting 12.68 (which is like 3 of the regular 4.22 oz bottles) plus the mitt for under $50. 

The mousse formula comes in a pump bottle and has color so you can see exactly where you're applying it. It goes on really smoothly with the mitt (and I don't get it on my palms) and it dries in about 2 seconds! I literally got dressed as soon as I was done applying this and it didn't feel sticky or tacky at all. In fact, it left my skin feeling soft and silky smooth. 

I made sure to apply body lotion only to my dry areas (knees and around the sides of my feet) so that it wouldn't collect in those areas and make them darker. It didn't have any noticeable scent and the best part is, I never noticed that "self tanner" smell, even hours later. 

I've seen some negative reviews about the Fair shade not showing up, and I admit, it is very subtle but when your skin is as light as mine, it definitely makes a difference. So if you're going for a really tan look (or have a naturally darker skin tone) you'll want to go for the medium or dark shades.

For me, the fair shade was just enough to give my skin that "healthy glow" I was looking for without that huge contrast that looks obvious. I can build it up to deepen the color and I actually prefer to start out light and add more as needed versus going too dark too fast. This way, if I need to even up certain areas, I can do that without it being too noticeable in the meantime.

Below, I applied it to my right leg only so you can see what the fair looks like. This is one coat and it lasted several days on me. However, the company recommends that you apply this 3 times in the first 24-48 hours to get the longest-lasting result. By doing that, your tan will last 2-3 weeks before fading naturally. You can see how natural the color looks...it's not even the slightest bit orange!

Left: No tanner
Right: Vita Liberata pHenomenal Tan iMousse in Fair

Overall, I'm so happy that even a self-tanner phobe like me has finally found something that works. I love the natural-looking color, the fact that it has no odor whatsoever, the super-fast drying time, and of course the option of having a Fair shade that I'm not afraid to use for fear that it'll make me too dark after the first application.
If you've been looking for a self-tanner to use this Spring and Summer, I highly recommend Vita Liberata, and if you're interested in trying it, it's a great time because QVC has it at such an amazing price right now (until 11:59pm EST on 3/22).

You can find this now at QVC.com

Thank you so much to QVC for providing me with the sample of Vita Liberata for review!