Can This Tanning Mist Live Up to My Discontinued Favourite?
Main Image – Courtesy of writer
A few years ago, I came across – and became addicted to – a tanning brand called Amanda Harrington. Within the range, there was a tanning face mist that made my skin so naturally golden that I swore I would be able to fool people into thinking I was born with skin that glowy forever.
But after a few years of sun-kissed heaven, the products became harder and harder to get hold of and one day, the brand posted an announcement on their Instagram page that they were closing. SHEER DEVASTATION. I haven’t ever come across a product that has matched it since.
But my hopes were high when I heard about Three Warriors Face Tan Water £32/$32.95. Why? Well, apart from the general buzz around it on social media and my algorithms picking up on it tenfold, the brand’s tanning ambassador is James Harknett.
Not only is James an absolute tanning pro, but he was once described as ‘the Tom Ford of spray tanning,’ which I can personally vouch for as he used to spray tan me at least twice a month when I worked at Glamour.
When it comes to tanning, I trust him implicitly. So surely this product would be able to replace my beloved Amanda Harrington formula adequately? Keep scrolling to read my honest review.
The product details
This non-comedogenic formula promises to even the skin tone, increase skin’s radiance and boost your complexion overall. Containing ingredients like chamomile, aloe vera and naturally hydrating rose oil, it aims to hydrate the skin while it tans and is free of nasty preservatives, chemicals and toxins.
First impressions
The bottle is bigger and chunkier in the flesh than it looks on the website and is a hefty glass one too, which already screams better quality than my old plastic Amanda Herrington bottle.
The instructions are pretty standard – make sure your skin is clean and dry, then spritz the mist onto your face from 30cm away. It then says to buff the mist in with the brand’s tanning brush but since I didn’t have one, I used my old Amanda Harrington brush instead. Oh, the irony.
Applying it in the evening, I held the bottle into position and braced myself to quickly rotate my arm around so that the mist covered all areas. However, once I started spraying, the liquid felt like it was being evenly placed.
My Amanda Harrington one had quite a small nozzle which only covered around half of my face at a time, whereas this felt like it was covering a much bigger area so there wasn’t much need to keep rotating my arm as I spritzed. The liquid itself felt much wetter and more refreshing than my former favourite, too, so I didn’t feel like I needed to apply too much.
Image – Courtesy of writer
I’m not sure what I was expecting with the smell, but this one didn’t really bother me, nor impress me. Even now, a few hours after testing it, I couldn’t tell you what it smells like, which bodes well for those who don’t like their tanners to leave a lingering scent!
One thing I did notice though is that there is no guide colour. My Amanda Harrington spritz gave an instant colour which made it easy to contour using the brush (if you’re into that sort of thing with your tanner) and it used to give me an instant pick-me-up. A bit like after you’ve had a spray tan.
But this mist was completely clear, so it was hard to see where I was buffing it with the brush, and I didn’t immediately feel ‘better for a tan’. But the packaging says the colour develops over three hours, so I just needed to be patient.
My even, glowy results
For the next three hours I kept checking the mirror to see if I had a glow yet. After the first hour, I didn’t notice much difference but after two and a half, there was a definite difference.
My skin felt a teeny bit tight if I’m honest – not as hydrated as it could have been but I really can’t stand fake tans that make your skin oily (and usually orange at the same time). In my opinion, an oily, orange tan should be saved for body builders and men who wear Speedo swimming trunks. Still, I could have done with a little more moisture.
Having said that, the Amanda Harrington spray always felt pretty dry on my skin too (if not, more so) and I never felt overly comfortable wearing it, I just liked the overall results. There, I said it.
The colour after three hours wasn’t quite as golden as the Amanda Harrington product, but it was definitely deeper than my natural skin tone. The next morning I was really pleased with the results – for a start, the colour was consistent. There were no areas that were patchy or darker than others.
Despite not being as golden, the tan itself was a really nice colour – I felt good in it. Once I’d cleansed my skin, it was still there (some come off the minute you touch it with water) and, most importantly, it looked really natural.
That’s what we want from a face tanner – a natural glow. It didn’t look overbearing in the mirror and I didn’t feel ridiculous, self-conscious or fake going out with a tan in the grey skies we’d had all week. My skin had just been given the boost that my confidence needed. I was very happy indeed.
Image – Courtesy of writer
What other users are saying
@hayleycarey says, “I am absolutely loving the face tan mist. It’s such a natural colour and feels good on my skin. I’ve been using it for a month and a half, it didn’t cause anything bad to happen to my skin. Leaves my skin glowing.”
@missbrady writes, “I feel like I’ve been on holidays! This is the first time I’ve applied tan to my face, have to say I was a little apprehensive at first, even after I thought I’d over-sprayed but the result was flawless.” I agree, it can feel like you’ve over-sprayed because the pump is quite strong and your face feels quite wet once you’ve spritzed a few times, but you’d have to spray it over 8 or so times to overdo the colour.
Unfortunately, Melanie T didn’t like it. “Left my face unevenly tanned! Not what I was really expecting.” This is where a good buffing brush comes in – tanning sprays can sometimes end up leaving your skin darker in certain places, thanks to the spray motion. Using a brush or a tanning mitt will help to spread out the colour more evenly.
And remember to hold the bottle at least 30cm away from your face (which I measure as an arm’s length) so you’re not just focusing it on one area.
Overall value for money
In my head, and based on my experience with good tanning products and their prices, I priced this product at £28 which isn’t far off. £32/$32.95 is higher than I expected but for the ease of use and natural, even results, I’m happy to take the hit.
If fake tan isn’t important to you, don’t spend the cash. But for those who love a year-round glow, £32/$32.95 will be worth it.
The takeaway
So does this live up to my old favourite? The colour is different – not as golden – and this one isn’t an instant hit. But the application is easier because of how much ‘ground’ it covers with one spritz, the results are more even and, actually, way more natural.
Overall, it just feels like the formula has been better thought through and I know it will be one of my most trusted beauty companions over the course of autumn and winter.
Get Glowing!
