NYK1 Tanforce | Honest Review

We all know I love a fake tan, I mean, I really really love a natural tan but that doesn’t happen very often. I’m also a shameless tanner, that means that I don’t apply it with care, if I haven’t got patchy hands then I’ve not, not done it properly and I’m not too fussed about pre-tan prep. Luke is a bit different; he likes to get everything right and take…absolutely…ages…to…do…anything. So when Babushka PR got in touch and offered to send us the NYK1 Secrets tan to try out, I nominated Luke as tribute.

Luke is the palest person I know, we went to Spain on holiday a few years ago and on the first day, within half an hour the little goose had cooked his scalp and spent the following nine days moaning about the heat, it was really great. When I’ve slathered myself in in tan and Luke hasn’t, he often looks transparent next to me, which I think is hilarious but he hates it. Recently Luke has got into the tanning game and sampled a few products, found some favourites and learnt some pretty alright application tekkers – this is brilliant for me as it means I have someone to apply my tan for me when I can’t be bothered (the only downside is the length of time it takes ages, which can be painful in the colder weather). 

NYK1 Tanforce tan is a clear, low foam, non-dehydrating mousse and won the best fake tan in the Natural Beauty Awards in 2018. The water based tan is perfect for the colder months as it doesn’t dry the skin and, takes mere seconds to dry. This means you can shove it and be snuggled up in your dressing gown before you know it – rather than parading yourself around doing the cold-robot in the nuddy avoiding windows and cats for a half hour or so. If applied in the morning, the tan can be ready to wash off by tea-time but will continue to reach full strength over 24 hours. We found that a little goes a long way – Luke opted for one layer of tan whilst I went full throttle and applied a second layer the following day.

The only slight issue with Tanforce is the lack of stain, it’s a blind application process and with the tan drying so quickly, it makes it hard to see which areas have already been covered which could result in an uneven application. I have to say, I didn’t find my results too shabby at all and I am a terrible tanner. There were a couple of patches on my arms that were missed that could’ve been avoided with a stain but that’s just the price to pay for a low-foam, non-dehydrating and quick-drying tan. 

I love the final colour (and I mean genuine love not blogger love where everything is amaaaaay-zing and sooooo good) It’s a deep tan without being too warm toned or obvious. It blends really well with the NYK1 mitts that it really does look natural and one layer on Luke looked like he’d caught the sun rather than like he'd gone swimming in a pot of Tumeric. It also faded nicely, the non-dehydrating element really comes into play as the tan wears away, ensuring that it doesn’t fall off with my skin and make my neck and joints look minging. It’s also really easy to scrub off when needed and the face mitt is perfect for pretending you’re planning on tanning your baby. 

Tanforce can be bought here from NYK1 Secrets alongside both mitts for £32.99 which, if you're looking for a decent tan, is a pretty decent price to match. I find with tans that you often get what you pay for but with this, you definitely get a little bit more, the non-dehydrating elements and the quick drying factor make it a breeze to apply and maintain and that's a big selling point for me.