REVIEW | Is Bondi Sands Aero tan worth the hype? Absolutely.
I've been fake tanning for approximately six years now. This means I've made pretty much every tanning mistake you possibly can. From the super orange Oompa Loompa look to the stained sheets that simply need to be binned, there's no blunder that I haven't experienced.
It also means that I've tried close to every tanning product out there and I've learnt exactly what you want out of a fake tan. To put it simply, you want to avoid orange-based tans and streaky formulas and go for the green or purple-based tans that dry quickly and last well. By last well, I mean that you want your tan to look good for at least a five days to a week before you start seeing it fade or crack.
The Bondi Sands Liquid Gold Foam became my new favourite tanning product following its launch, so when the brand launched Aero at Coachella, I immediately needed to try it out.
The brand has stated that this particular product has a revolutionary formula that feels weightless and dries in seconds. Sound too good to be true? A little... And that's why I decided to give it the ultimate tanning test.
Application
The formula of the Bondi Sands Aero tan is an aerosol foam designed to absorb quickly into the skin. It's actually really similar to the Bondi Sands Express One Hour tan in terms of how it comes out of the can and goes onto the skin.
I followed my normal routine of exfoliating off my old tan, applying moisturiser and then applying the tan an hour later.
This gives your pores time to close before application, otherwise the tan can get stuck in there and it ain't cute. It doesn't matter what product you use – if you don't prep your skin properly you will end up with a less-than-ideal look.
I placed approximately a golf-ball-sized amount of tan onto the mitt and rubbed it into my skin in sections. I tend to start with my legs, followed by my arms, then my torso and then I use whatever's left on the mitt on my hands, feet and face.
It took me the usual amount of time to apply the fake tan because it's a pretty similar process. However, what was astounding was exactly how quickly my skin dried. Even though the brand's press release and social media boasted about a quick drying time, I have to admit, I didn't expect it to dry as quickly as it did. By the time I was starting on my torso, my legs were dry to the touch. It meant that once I actually finished tanning my hands and feet, most of my body was dry and I was able to put on my tanning clothes.
When I'm not using an express tan I tend to sleep in the tanning product so that I can really marinate in the colour. The instructions recommended leaving it on for a minimum of six hours, but by sleeping in it, the product was on my skin for even longer.
Finish
Every fake tanner knows the sadness of washing off the tanning product. We've all experienced the pain of washing it off and watching most of the colour go with it.
I can confirm that I did not experience this with the Bondi Sands Aero tan. A small amount of colour did wash off, but the colour stayed as rich and dark as it originally looked. If too much colour washes off I get tempted to do two layers, but I was really satisfied with the colour of just one layer.
After I washed off the product, the colour continued to develop, and after another couple of hours, I felt like the shade was even richer than it originally was. The shade is a perfect blend of warmth and natural tan that would suit a number of skin tones regardless of how fair or tanned your natural skin tone is.
Image: FinderStyle Photography
Is it long lasting?
Now the real test of a fake tan is not how it comes out on the skin but how long it lasts. Too many times have I enjoyed a fake tan, only to end up looking like a reptile with orange scales after only three days. Other times the colour fades incredibly quickly and I burn through a product in no time.
The ideal fake tan lasts five to seven days on your skin and then begins to fade – and it shouldn't flake into scales! Bonus points if it exfoliates off easily.
I noticed the Aero tan fading around five days after I applied it. By seven days, I definitely felt the need to reapply, but this also meant that exfoliating it off using the fake tan remover was seriously easy and took barely any time at all. To be honest, I was pretty happy with this time frame and the way that it faded. A lot of tans that offer a deep colour won't vanish from the skin easily and that's when you start to get a patchy looking tan.
The final verdict:
Pros
- Natural deep shade that would work for multiple skin tones
- Dried incredibly quickly
- Keeps most of its colour after you wash the product off
- Doesn't sacrifice quality for the price point
Cons
- The formula is super hydrating but if you have dry skin or eczema patches like I do, it does stick to them if you don't moisturise
- Given that it's an aerated formula and that I tend to use a fair amount of product, I worry that I could go through the product quickly – I will keep this article updated after a few more tries
What does it cost and where can you buy it?
The Bondi Sands Aero tan costs $24.95 and is available exclusively at Priceline. Given that some tans on the market can cost upwards of $35 and not offer the same quality, I'd be happy to continue paying this price.
