The title of this opinion is relevant in more than one way lets see how we do!
We all know the dangers of sunbathing and sunbeds yet there is something that people find attractive about a tan, both in others and themselves. We have a tendency to feel more alive and bubbly when the sun is shining.
As I type this opinion, the rain is falling outside my window and the summer seems a long way off. It neednt be, with a little help from Ambre Solaire.
My first encounter with self-tanning products was at university. I am not a vain person and, to be honest, I had never even thought of using such products. I was a member of our Latin American dance team and deep tans were de rigeur for competitions. Memories of sinks and bodies stained orange come flooding back as I recall the nasty creams that we used to use to fake a tan. They were messy, they had awful smells and worst, were very difficult to apply.
I have naturally fair skin
and needed an alternative without subjecting myself to danger. Enter Ambre Solaires Express Spray Bronzer.
@~@~@~@~@~@~@ Why this one in particular? @~@~@~@~@~@~@
No-one that I spoke to could recommend a product back in 1992. Self-tanning products were not common and were very expensive. That was, until I spotted this product.
It stood out from the other self-tanning products on the shelf in its distinctive, almost oval, bottle. It was one of only two spray products available and appealed at the bargain price of around £7. SOLD.
@~@~@ In Use @~@~@
I was really hoping that this product would perform. It stated that it was quick drying and would start developing in about an hour. Only one way to find out.
I picked an evening when I knew I would have the house to myself, had a bath and exfoliated then applied moisturiser. About 30 minutes later I decided to brave the spray.
Wow! What a smell! Fortunately though, this one was not nasty. Instead I was treated to an trip to olfactory heaven as the aroma of fresh apricots filled the air.
The spray worked well, dispensing a fine mist of milky white tanning liquid which was quickly absorbed into the skin with a quick rub. I found that the spray worked best if used at a fair distance from the skin rather than being held close as this allowed the spray to cover more evenly. On rubbing in, the liquid felt silky and left my skin feeling very soft. True to its claims, it did dry and/or absorb, very quickly.
Being a spray it was very easy to apply, even to the most difficult areas, without assistance.
@~@~@~@~@ Development @~@~@~@~@
The first time I used this product I did so sparingly as I did not want to go too dark and, since the tanning liquid was a milky white you had no idea of the depth of tan that would be achieved. Again true to its word, colour did start to develop after about an hour and my skin started to take on a very realistic golden hue a far cry from the oranges that I had previously associated with the fake tanmake up!
So, to bed.
In the morning my skin still felt very soft and there was still a feint apricot aroma. The colour that had developed was very naturally looking and even. It was not deep in colour, and in fact, I decided to apply a second application to make the colour more intense.
@~@~@ Gripes @~@~@
Nothing major at all. The spray applicator (pump action) can get a little wet and slippery and the oval bottle design is not the easiest to operate with slightly wet hands.
Also, you must wash your hands with a fair amount of soap after application or you will develop colour on the palms of your hands! I found the best way of getting round this was to apply the tan, wash my hands and then reapply the tan to the backs of my hands, rubbing it in with some cotton wool.
Otherwise, no other major issues.
@~@~@~@ Longevity @~@~@~@
Two applications lasted about a week before the colour started to fade noticeably as skin was renewed. The colour did fade totally evenly though a huge plus.
I would whole heartedly recommend this product. It smells good and does the job. One bottle probably lasts me about 18 months now although I dont tend to use it other than in the summer (or before a big night out). You can get it from most major chemists and the price has now gone up to around £8 for a 100ml bottle. Interestingly, this product no longer appears on the Ambre Solaire website although it is still stocked by Boots. I hope that they are not discontinuing it.
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1 - Tans are your bodys way of telling you that damage has been done to your skin. The risks are just not worth it. ALWAYS use a high factorsuncream when out in the sun and cover up exposed areas.
2 - Fake tans are good so long as they are applied well. Always exfoliate and moisturise your skin before application to ensure an even cover.
3 - Rough areas of skin such as knees, ankles, elbows and knuckles will take up more fake tan so be careful when applying it so as not to end up with dark spots.
4 - Dont use your best white towels the day after applying any tanning product. This stuff can stain (although the Ambre Solaire one has not had this problem).
5 - Avoid spraying anything near your eyes. If you do want to apply fake tan to the face use a cream developed especially for that purpose or a tanning towel.
6 - Less is most definitely more. You can always build a tan up using fake creams but it is much harder to take it down again without painful scrubbing to remove the upper layers of skin.
7 - If you are going out, try to apply the tan the night before. This will give you the chance to correct any mistakes and let the colour settle before the big event.
8 - Dont forget that a fake tan is just that, FAKE. You still need to apply suncream lotion if going out into the sun. Even those products that contain sunscreen tend not to contain a high enough factor to make a difference, and besides, it wears off. Please be sensible.
9 - Apply fake tans methodically, starting from the feet up. That way you wont miss a bit and are more likely to get an even result. When rubbing it in, rub in circles rather than up and down to minimise any streaking (open invitation for witty retorts me thinks!).
10 - Cheating, who me? Yes. Ive said it before but it is so important. TAKE CARE IN THE SUN. TANS MAY MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD BUT THEY ARE A SIGN OF DAMAGED SKIN. Even in the UK, in winter, it is possible to burn. Dont be fooled.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I recently tried fake tan for the first time (to dress up as a hula girl for a halloween party!) and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to apply. I might even try it for real next summer.
jeszikca 16.04.2003 20:42
This sounds fantastic, and I want to try this, but I'm too scared of turning out orange and streaky!
mizzame 13.03.2003 16:17
I always avoided sprays maybe I should give this stuff a go! Mx
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Advantages: Realistic result for pale skin, Value for money, Controllable colour Disadvantages: Takes longer to develop than it says, Can need two applications
Advantages: Realistic result for pale skin, Value for money, Controllable colour Disadvantages: Takes longer to develop than it says, Can need two applications
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Jan 29th, 2003
(Jan 30th, 2003)
very helpful by (99%):
somewhat helpful by (1%):
