Clinique Quick BronzeTinted Self-Tanner

Author's product rating:   

How intensive is the tanning?	Average
How even is the tanning?	Quite even

Advantages:	Subtle colour, blends in easily, not orange !
Disadvantages:	Expensive !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Clinique has always been my downfall in life, I'm just so tempted by their pricey yet wonderful items! I have to make myself steer clear of their section in Boots and Debenhams or else I know I'll spend a fortune... especially when they give you the free gifts... makes it worth the while then!

Last summer before I went on holiday I was eager to minimise my pasty white milk bottle shade so I wouldn't stand out on the beach too much! I'd been on the sun bed a bit and out in the garden so my body wasn't doing too badly (was secretly impressed but didn't want to boast to my best friend who was stuck inside all day and really did resemble a milk bottle!) but my face never really seems to tan, and when it does it's always the last bit to do so!

So two weeks prior to sun sea and well you know (not sand!), I popped down to my local Boots store (which happens to be huge and possibly my favourite hang out... sad I know) to see what I could find and Clinique's Quick Bronze Tinted Self-Tanner is what I came back with.

THE BRAND - CLINIQUE
Clinique to me has always been a luxury, a real treat! It's actually an off-shoot of the Estee Laudir company which I never knew until writing this review, and was established in 1968. The purpose of Clinique was to provide a customised service, suited to the individual rather than just one basic product - there's several different types of each skin care product. The range includes basic skin care (moisturisers, toners & cleansers) as well as make up (foundations, lipsticks, blushers) and hair care (shampoo, conditioners) and specialised skin products (spot blemish gel, anti-ageing cream).

THE PRODUCT
The product is encased in a golden brown tube - obviously due to it's connotations with a sun tan - and the customary green Clinique writing detailing the product and the green lid. The lid has a snap cap for easy opening and closing too. Not the most attractive packaging you may expect when spending this much money, but it does the job!
The smell is typical to that of many self tanning or sun cream products, it's quite strong and not particularly tasteful or distasteful - a kind of chemical smell tints it as well.
The actual cream is at first sight quite off putting, it's a bright golden brown colour - this almost persuaded me not to buy it - I thought I'd be orange! It's quite thick in consistency but you really do need the smallest amount as it spreads very easily and also soaks in quickly too.
Directions include to exfoliate first - to get rid of dead skin cells so that no flaking occurs once the tan is on. Upon application it fades away to almost nothing, leaving quite a subtle golden glow behind - looking just like a natural tan.
The glow you'll get from this product is instant, this is one of the reasons I chose it - it'll show up any streaks or missed areas immediatly allowing for correction easily and quickly. I found that upon cleansing and washing the tan wasn't removed and had actually soaked into my skin, it lasted approximately 2-3 days which I thought was pretty good going, re-applying it every 3 days meant my face had a constant golden glow to it.

WORTH IT?
A 50ml tube of this will set you back £12.50 from Boots or from as little as £3.50 on ebay currently.
I used this for 2 months during the summer, firstly every 2-3 days then as my tan grew less often, approximately every 5 days and I've still got over half the tube left so I'd say it does last a while! It's specifically for the face as well which means it's a lot more sensitive than normal self tanning brands and so worth that extra couple of pound!

REACTIONS
The first couple of times I used this people rarely noticed which I took to mean that it was subtle enough to not look fake or as if I'd spent hours in the sunlight. My best friend asked me if I'd been on the sun bed as my fave looked browner - she was quick to reassure me it looked natural too!

Overall I'd say it's fabulous value for money, no orange tint, no streaks - just pure golden, beach babe glow! Perfect for a summer glow without any orange streaks or lobster legs!

For more information check out www.clinique.co.uk