Before I begin in earnest, there are probably a few things you need to know about me. I have very pale skin and dark hair. I prefer to think of myself as pale and mysterious, and a typical English Rose, but on the beach in summer, that’s not the look I really want to be going for. So, with summer approaching I decided have a go at self-tanning. Being a bit of a wimp, initially I was scared, having visions of being covered in orange blotches for the rest of my days, but I soon plucked up enough courage to go down to Boots and have a look at what was available. After much deliberation I decided to go for L’Oréal Plénitude Sublime BronzeSelf-tanning spray. The product claimed to be quick drying, suitable for dark or pale skin and produce an even, natural looking tan, and as friends had had bad experiences with lotions and mousses before I thought a spray would be best.
As it was on special offer in Boots I got it for just under £7 but usually it costs £9.99, which is a reasonable price. This is especially so considering the 150ml bottle lasts absolutely ages. I’ve used it about 5 or 6 times over the same area and there’s still over three quarters left. Also, after hearing lots about the need to exfoliate before tanning I also bought some Boots Pre Self-tan Exfoliator, which isn’t too expensive and does the job nicely.
So moving on, I got the product home and after shaving, exfoliating and moisturising it was time to jump right in there and start tanning. Now I have little patience and a short attention span for time-consuming beauty therapies etc so I was looking to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. Which, surprisingly is what happened. The spray is very easily to apply (remember this is a self-tan novice speaking). If you follow the instructions on the bottle, you can’t really go wrong. All you need to do is squirt it on and then rub it in. Simple. The first thing that I noticed was that the spray doesn’t actually smell that bad, and now I actually quite like it, it doesn’t spell like you’re putting an entire chemical plant on your body! The spray is quite easy to work, although you do need to press it quite hard and the weak fingered could find it tiring. Also it is quite easy to aim it in the right place to ensure that you get an even spread of the stuff over your body. I applied it to my legs and midriff and rubbed it in quite thoroughly, applying it more sparingly on my knees. The process is quite straightforward, the only thing I would say is that the hardest part is remembering where you’ve already applied it. Its a bit tacky there at first which helps but it really is important to do it methodically so you know as there is no other way of being sure. Then I started the process of removing it from my hands. I’ve found that you do need to wash your hands for about five minutes in order not to get bright orange hands, but if you use lots of soap and a scrubbing brush, paying particular attention to your fingers it is possible to get it all off. The spray dries in a few minutes but I tend to wait about five before dressing to be sure that it has dried completely. Then all you have to do is wait a couple of hours to see the results. Application wise, if you’re methodical and wash your hands well you can’t really go wrong and all in all it takes about 15 minutes to apply.
I applied the self-tan in the evening and went straight to bed after. I thought this was the best idea as if it looked horrendous the next day I could always wear trousers and not expose myself. So, the next morning I woke up expecting the worst (I cant help being a pessimist sometimes), but I was in for a pleasant surprise. There wasn’t even a hint of orange on my white sheets and my legs were an attractive and, I must say natural golden colour. Not exactly ‘Sublime Bronze’ but not white and pasty either, so I was happy. That day I wore a skirt with pride and no one commented on how pale I was – Result! This lasted for 2 or 3 days, after which it began to fade, but I still retained a small glow even after a week.
In summary, I would recommend this product for the following reasons; -Most importantly, it gives a nice looking tan. -Its moderate priced for self-tanning products one bottle lasts a very long time. -It does exactly what it says on the label. -It works well on pale skin – it really blends into your own skin tone -You don’t need a degree in self-tanning to get a convincing tan with it so its good for beginners like me! -If I can do it and it looks ok, then so can you! -And for back up, if you do make a mistake it does fade in 2 or 3 days…
However, it is important to not that this product is not perfect. If you get any water near it for about half an hour it will wash off the self-tan and you will have an annoying splodge. If you don’t was your hand really well they will go orange. If you apply it unevenly it will look uneven. But, what do you expect, it’s not magic after all! Happy tanning!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I've just invested in this and I am also thoroughly pleased with the results!!!
pattiemason 06.06.2003 15:44
Good op. I use this stuff it is good. P
peekaboo123 22.05.2003 20:12
Me and fake tan ar not good friends. It has showed me up in public many a time, and we've had a good few fights now. it wants to make me look stupid and i want to control it, we aint found a comprimise...lol, Laura x
Advantages: Quick tan development time, very natural and easy to apply Disadvantages: Sometimes quite difficult to dispence, packaging can become greasy during application
miss_motivator 31.12.2003 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of L'Oreal Self-Tan Spray
.gif)
May 21st, 2003
(May 22nd, 2003)
very helpful by (94%):
helpful by (6%):
