I must say, I was surprised when SOSU by Suzanne Jackson announced that it’s latest collaboration, with Terrie McEvoy, was a tan! That is… BAHAMA BODY.
If you’re a long time reader, you’ll know how much I love Dripping Gold tan (review here), so as far as I’m concerned they couldn’t make it any better (especially after the recent formula changes!) so why would they release another tan?
Well, during the announcement, Suzanne was very clear on her Instagram Stories that Bahama Body is not part of the Dripping Gold family. It’s a budget tan exclusive to Penneys whereas as Dripping Gold is marketed as luxury.
Makes sense and it’s a very wise business move from the team if you ask me because they’ve now a tan for all budgets.
With a huge difference in price, can the €10 Bahama Body tan stand up to its pricer non-relative Dripping Gold (€22)? The ladies at SOSU sent me a bottle to try and here are my thoughts…
Formula & Application
Bahama Body is a mousse formula and it comes in 2 shades, Dark and Ultra Dark. I’ve only tried the Dark shade so that’s what this blog post is based on. Like Dripping Gold it’s vegan, cruelty free and contains lots of hydrating ingredients such as Vitamin E <3
As with all of my favourite tans, it has a guide colour so you can see exactly where you’re applying the product. This means it’s going to be hard to streak on application so it’s perfect for those less experienced tanners.
The mousse feels a lot like Dripping Gold, it’s light weight and has a watery consistency so it’s really easy to blend.
It smells DIVINE. In fact, it smells exactly like the Dripping Gold Wonder Water! Click here to read my review and application tips on the that.
Colour & Finish
I loved the colour and finish of Bahama Body. It was dark but still really natural. I didn’t find it as intense as Dripping Gold though. Dripping Gold makes me look like I’ve just come home from holidays! While I liked the colour and finish of Bahama Body, I didn’t get the same “just off the plane” kinda look from Bahama Body.
My skin didn’t feel dry, it didn’t block my pores and it took really well to my chest. My legs weren’t very dark and although that’s not unusual with some tans, Dripping Gold takes really well to my legs.
If you like a really dark tan, I recommend you go for the Ultra Dark shade in Bahama Body.
Wear Off & Longevity
So far, it sounds like there is little difference between Dripping Gold and Bahama Body doesn’t it? That’s true. I found the formula pretty similar but the lasting power is where I found the difference.
Although Dripping Gold Mousse doesn’t last as long as the lotion on my skin, it definitely lasts longer than Bahama Body. I got 2 washes out of the Bahama Body and knew that on the next wash, it needed to be scrubbed off. It washed off easily which is brilliant so if you only like a couple of days out of a tan, and find Dripping Gold hard to remove, Bahama Body could be your new favourite tan!
I always encourage you to get more than one opinion before purchasing any product. To help you out, I asked my Instagram followers for their thoughts and here’s what they said about Bahama Body (all responses included)…
All and all, there is a lot of love for Bahama Body on my Instagram! You can read some more of my follower’s reviews under this post…
Let’s recap…Bahama Body is easy to apply, smells gorgeous, gives a beautiful golden glow. It is well worth the €10 price tag and I’ll 100% pick up another bottle! You can get it online here when it’s in stock that is or else in Penneys!
Bahama Body or Dripping Gold?
I think, which tan you’ll prefer, will depend on how long you like your tan to last. Some people like to get a couple of days out of a tan and then want to apply a fresh layer.
Personally? I prefer to get longer out of my tan before reapplying and therefore I don’t mind scrubbing it off! I also prefer the colour intensity of Dripping Gold. For these reasons, I prefer Dripping Gold mousse and you can read a lot more of the reasons why here. HOWEVER…
I think the real question to ask is which one would I choose to buy and which one would I recommend to my friends?
For 150mls of Dripping Gold mousse (size of the bottle), you could buy 350mls of Bahama Body (175mls each). So for every day use, I would buy the Bahama Body. BUT… if I was going somewhere, I would definitely buy Dripping Gold! As I said, I prefer the colour, it lasts longer and it takes so well to my legs. I prefer Dripping Gold lotion though so that’s what I’d be spending my few bob on!
Tan Trials
I’m currently on a mission to try as many tan brands as I possibly can and share my reviews here! Follow my tan trials on my Instagram. In the mean time, I’ve lots of tanning blog posts here including a detailed review on the Bare by Vogue range, if you’re not all tanned out yet!
Happy tanning, beautiful people and thanks for reading! Oh and don’t forget to let us know your opinion below if you’ve tried Bahama Body!
Author: Carly Colgan Bates
As a lover of tans I found the bahama tan awful. Stuck to all the wrong places. Was dry all over. My legs were completely white. It took 10 days to come off with remover! I had to hide my arms and hands I was so embarrassed. I felt I was a 16 year old trying my tan for the first time with the result I got. I received so many bad comments. Straight in the bin. Not for me
Don’t use this tan on your body unless you have a chisel to take it off with , I’ve had four showers and exfoliated each time and it still won’t come off. Lovely on my face though.