Honestly, I wasn't aware that Bare Escentuals even made a self tanner, but after several reader requests to review it, I headed to Sephora to pick up a bottle.

Bare Escentuals Faux Tan isn't cheap - $22 for only 4.5 oz - but after testing it out I'm convinced it's worth the price. The texture of this tanner is similar to St. Tropez; it's a somewhat thin lotion that spreads easily and evenly. However, it does take a bit of time to dry fully; I found myself standing in front of the air conditioner to accelerate the process. The tint, while very dark in the bottle, is more of a golden tan than the pink-brown of St. Tropez, and it doesn't streak during/after the application process, so it's safe to leave the house with it on.

Faux Tan has a lovely almond scent that's far stronger in the bottle than on the body. In fact, I found that it evaporated rather quickly. A few hours later, the telltale DHA odor was detectable, but tolerable. It was nowhere near as foul as I would have expected from a full strength tanner. Faux Tan has many of its competitors beat by a mile in this category!

Once dry, migration onto clothes and sheets was minimal - this was a huge surprise; I thought for sure that the color would rub off on everything. My white sheets were a little tan, but the effect was nowhere near the golden, body-shaped imprint that some other tanners leave on the sheets.

The resulting tan was lovely - even and golden, not too light, not too dark. "Holy Grail" St. Tropez still owns the title in the color department, but there's no reason to deduct points from Faux Tan here. Overall, it's an excellent choice for relatively foolproof results and minimal DHA reek!

Fake Bake Month Official Rating
Scent: 4
Color: 5
Texture: 4
Drying Time: 3
Neatness: 4
Bonus Points: 2 (extra points for the almond scent!)

Total Rating: 22/30