The Beauty Diary by Rebekah Scanlan: Bondi Sands Ultra Dark review
An Australian brand’s bikini-clad marketing campaign caused record sales on their new product — but does it live up to the hype?
Hands up if the words “Ultra Dark” on a bottle of fake tan sends a wave of panic through your whole body?
For this pale-skinned human, it definitely does. Especially as I was a teenager in the 90s, when tanning products were notorious for leaving you with awful streaks and orange hands.
We know tan has come a long way since then, with modern formulas being lightweight, instant to dry and most-importantly, streak-free.
Just last year I raved about how much I loved self-tanning mousses, giving Bondi Sands Aero the accolade of being called my firm fave.
“I leaves me with a lovely tanned shade that looks natural on my pale skin tone,” I wrote at the time.
Now the brand has taken the tan up a notch, releasing Aero Aerated Self-Tanning Foam Ultra Dark — and judging from the reaction on Instagram, people are loving it.
“I love it! Just used yesterday for the first time so I’m glowing today,” one user wrote on the brand’s social media page.
“It’s the best tan yet,” another declared.
Heaps of Australian influencers jumped on board with the deeper drop too, including Pia Muehlenbeck – who shared a bikini-clad video of her applying it in her bathroom – and Shani Grimmond, who called the colour “my new fave”.
Former Love Island star Tayla Damir got in on the action too, stating she couldn’t resist trying it out after seeing everyone “rave” about it.
“Obsessed is an understatement. This quick dry 6 hour tan is a game changer,” she told her 411,000 followers.
The impact was huge, with the brand telling The Beauty Diary they were “blown away” with sales on its first day to market.
“The reaction to Tayla’s post and the rest of the Bondi ambassadors has been incredible,” Blair James, Bondi Sand’s co-founder said.
“We were anticipating that Aero Ultra Dark would be very popular but we were blown away by sales on day 1 eclipsing our biggest launch for Aero Express back in 2018.”
Now, I know these gals have definitely been paid to give this product a glowing review, but being such big players in the beauty space, I’d like to think they’d never put their names to something that wasn’t amazing. Plus, my experience with the OG Aero meant I knew the formula of this baby was a winner.
So I pushed aside my nightmares of waking up with a striking resemblance to an orange and gave it a go.
Find out my thoughts, as well as a few other beauty goodies I happily slapped on myself in the name of research, below.
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BONDI SANDS AERO AERATED SELF-TANNING FOAM ULTRA DARK
Available at Priceline and bondisands.com.au
Price: $24.95
If you’ve not yet tried Bondi Sand’s Aero before, I’ll get you up to speed fast — the foam applies like a dream, smells like you’ve spent the day rolling around in coconuts and dries super-fast without transferring to your sheets. Tick, tick, TICK. But what we’re really here to find out is if this new deeper shade is all a little too much? Amazingly — no. It actually gives you a super realistic golden glow that will leave you looking like you’ve spent a week in the Carribean without exposing yourself to any harmful sun rays. Considering I literally did just got back from an exotic island where I slathered myself in all of the SPF, this product has been brilliant for faking that sun-kissed glow that let’s people know we’ve just been on our holibobs and feeling fresh AF. Yes, it’s definitely a deeper shade to the OG, but it’s still super natural and doesn’t scream “hey, I’ve just had a spray tan”. Love it and can totes see why so many people are raving about it.
BEAUTYBLENDER BOUNCE CONCEALER
Available at Sephora and beautyblender.com
Price: $42
I’m so excited by the new era of make-up we’re seeing hitting selves that combine make-up with skincare – and this concealer is a fantastic example. Packed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and even amino acid tetrapeptide that is know for its de-puffing abilities. As well as giving our dreaded eye bags the TLC they need, the formula brightens and conceals brilliantly. It’s a full coverage concealer but thanks to its nifty wand – one side of which is flat, so applies more moderately to the spongier side – if you’re only looking for a lighter, more translucent finish, you can get that too. I’ve been using this product – the latest edition to the brand’s Bounce range – all week and have fallen in love with it. It doesn’t budge all day and totally hid my jet lag without caking. It’s on the pricier end of the scale but with its special wand I can see it lasting ages as you can control how much product you use, reducing wastage. If you’re eyeing up a new concealer, this is a very good option.
MURAD RETINOL YOUTH RENEWAL NIGHT CREAM
Available at Sephora, adorebeauty.com.au and murad.com.au
Price: $125
I’m really digging retinol at the moment. It took me a while to get my head around it (you can read the my basic explanation of why ingredient is such effective in skincare here) but now that I’m onto in, I’m all in. This particular night cream is the third step in a new range of “Retinol Youth Renewal” products from Murad and while I can absolutely recommend the serum and eye serum in the collection, it’s the night cream that has me all excited because my golly, it’s bloody good. I’ve been using twice a week at night after a full cleanse (I double cleanse now, read why here) and I’m floored by how smooth my skin looks. My face feels super moisturised afterwards too and I’m a huge fan of the dispenser which works when you push down, releasing the perfect amount of product on top.
ELLA BACHE INSTANT GLOW MASK
Available at ellabache.com.au
Price: $29
Before I even begin I just want to apologise for recommending a face mask that costs almost $30 for just one treatment. I can’t even believe I’m doing it — but in my defence, I did not know the price of it before I tested it and now goddamit I am hooked. Maybe it's the hot pink colour that has sparked my obsession? I mean, it was a lot of fun to apply and was definitely a bit special. But its more likely the fact it made my face look like I’d put an Instagram filter over it that has me wanting more. While heaps of sheet masks are the perfect thing to do while watching a bit of Netflix, you won’t want to waste this on a night on the couch. My face was lovely and dewy after just 10 minutes and was perfectly soft and smooth. The finish is the perfect base under make-up for a natural glow and also a huge confidence boost. So while it’s probably not something you can do every week, it’s a great option for when you’re wanting an extra boost and want to be downright extra.
This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.
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