This is a instant self tanning gel, instant i say? I thought instant meant that it would give instant colour obviously, or so it says. It is quite misleading in my opinion. I bought this thinking that i could use it in the morning and go out in the afternoon with nice bronzed legs.
This was bought in boots for £14 125ml which isnt so bad. The packaging is quite bright and uplifting with its striking yellow colour. It claims that it is 'Non-oily, easily absorbed self tanning gel, ideal for those who wish to maintain a year-round tanned appearance. There's no need to wait before dressing'. When i got home i tried it on my arm(without prepartion) just to see how it absorbed into the skin.The gel sinks in the skin nicely but does leave a slightly greasy feel, so yes you do need to wait before dressing unless you dont mind gel rubbing onto your clothes. The gel spreads easily over the skin and is quite comfortable despite having to wait for 20 minutes (from my experience).
The
scent isnt offensive, its quite a floral smell. SUN laboraties dark sunsation smells like marzipan which is better.
The next day i exfoliated (with superdrug vit e scrub)and moisturized(palmers cocoa butter) my skin to prepare a good base for my fake tan. When my skin was nice and soft I used 50pence blobs on each my legs and thighs. There is no colourguide to this which is a big disadvantage for me as i cant see where am applying it, and also i naturally tend to apply more and more on the front of my legs. Its a bit like a guess game, i'll see how much iv 'messed' up when its developed. My skin does not feel dry which is a advantage, but that is one of its beauty benefits. Its beauty benefits are -
Beauty Benefits : - Promotes safe, golden color within hours of application. - Moisturizes and revitalizes to leave skin soft and supple. - Instantly absorbed for perfect self-tanning results. - Glides on easily and evenly, for long-lasting golden color.
I agree with the 2nd and last benefit. Its moisturizing and glides on easily, but i dont feel it absorbs INSTANTLY, maybe 10 minutes later. The scent was strong as i waited for it to dry, i couldnt really detect any specific smells though. The main ingredients are-
Ingredients : - Specific association of DHA and Erythrulose: promotes a natural golden tan. - Preserves skin's health, promotes a beautiful tanned appearance. - Aloe (Alleviates,Moisturises) - Shea (Moisturises,Protects,Regenerates,Revitalises,Softens) - Silver Birch (Astringent,Protects,Repairs)
I can feel the effect from the aloe as the gel is cooling aswell as moisturizing. The scent after 4 hours is starting to turn into the typical 'fake tan' smell which is due to the DHA producing the biscuity scent. As am sat on the floor my inner knees are closed and starts to sweat a bit which causes the smell of the fake tan to reek even more, so just a warning becareful what you do and try not to sweat at all! It is easier to use, as fake bake or dark sunsation has a deep colourguid that needs to be slept in, it can get uncomfortable and sticky.
After 6 hours, i see no colour at all. Am surprised as this is meant to be an instant self tanning gel. Its 11 o'clockish at night so i decide to go to bed. Next morning i wake up and am pleasantly surprised to see my legs have some colour, there was no need to go into the shower to 'wash' it off as it had no colourguide, which is less hassle than fake bake. The colour is quite 'golden', and i notice i have streaks probably due to my application guessing. I have marks where i have not applied the tan and it looks stupid. The colour in the end is average. I naturally have olive skin so i would have been better off with a bronzer tan than golden. 'Golden' tans can tend to look more yellow or orange based, whereas bronzer self tans such as fake bake and dark sunsation are more red coloured based which i prefer. The red undertones in fake bake and dark sunsation prevent the skin from going orange/yellow.
I can still smell the fake tan smell from the clarins gel. Its not very pleasent and am quite paranoid about my friends smelling it. I g out with my friend and she comments how tanned my legs looked, but this was indoors. As i stepped outside the bright sun shining on them made them look orange which wasnt very nice. Not very natural.
I decide ill let the fake tan to fade and not bother with it anymore. And oh dear it fades terribly, i have patches all over me despite me moisturizing. It looks like i have a skin disease. The best fake tan that fades fabulously is dark sunsation, really easy to fade out and very natural. After 9 days my clarins tan has completely gone.
In general, its easy to use and less hassle. It feels nice on the skin and at first doesnt have such a horrible scent. The tan is not instant and i had it leave it on for over 8 hours to see any results which is a disappointment. Fades terribly so not worth the bother. And the colour is not suited for me. Self tans that claim to be golden are likely to be yellow based than brown. But really, self tans that say it will leave your skin 'golden' or 'bronze', which is a more brown colour? Obviously bronze, so ill stay away form the ones that say 'golden skin'.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: gives a nice glow if applied correctly, and no problem for sensitive skin Disadvantages: lid doesnt stay on, can look patchy if skin is dry
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Sep 5th, 2004
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (90%):
helpful by (5%):
