This week I'm mostly being brunette although that is subject to change. Now i've turned 31 and I've ...
This week I'm mostly being brunette although that is subject to change. Now i've turned 31 and I've got my degree I'm trying in vain to look a bit more sophisticated and intelligent...(not that i'm saying blondes are not, of course!)
Member since:17.12.2002
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With Summer seeming to be well and truly here, I've become quite conscious of how deathly pale my skin is looking. Over winter I tend to go a bit grey (not in a John Major's 'Spitting Image' puppet way, just a bit dreary looking!)
I don't tan very well - it takes months for me to develop a nice colour but with the amount of bronzed goddesses flaunting it in skimpy Summer clothes I feel very pale and uninteresting!
The obvious answer would seem to be fake tan, but I've avoided it ever since I developed a minor obsession with applying it a few years ago that left me looking like the love child of Dale Winton and the bloke off Bargain Hunt! Victoria Beckham may be about to flaunt an immaculate fake tan, but personally, I can't apply it without looking like I've been Tangoed!
I did try those fast tansun beds and I have to confess they worked brilliantly, but the damage sunbeds do is well documented and in the end being a Dale Winton mini-me
has to be preferable to having horrible dried up leathery skin or worse.
I've read a lot about how the new generation of fake tanning products are much easier to use and provide far more impressive results, so against my better judgement, I decided to have another go at faking it...
The first problem is the range of products now available. Row upon row of creams, lotions and sprays adorn the shelves in Boots. I didn't want to spend too much because I was sure I would be using it once then resigning it to the bathroom shelf in disgrace, so I ruled out the more expensive 'celebrity endorsed' brands like St Tropez straight away. But that still left a massive array of products ranging from Boots own brand products to well knows sun care companies and cosmetics giants. Creating a nation of bronzed gods and godesses is big business it seems.
One product that caught my eye was a self-tan in gel form. This looked like it might be easier to apply than traditional lotions and it had a third off the price so I was convinced!
The product in question was L'oreal PlenitudeSublime BronzeSelf-Tanning Gel. This is a new addition to the L'oreal tanning range and claims to have the added benefit of smoothing the skin leaving it 'velvety soft' (which would be very weird when you consider the feel of velvet - if you skin suddenly starts feeling like that, I suggest you consult a doctor!)
Normally this product retails at £9.99 for 150ml, which may seem quite steep, but you only use a really small amount for each application so it does last. At the moment its on offer at Boots for £6.66 -those of you with a superstitious nature wait until it returns to its none demonic price before you purchase it!
The product comes in a clear plastic tube with orange trim. Orange? Obviously someone in the marketing department had a good chuckle about that - it doesnt exactly fill you with confidence when you apply it!
The thing I dont like about self-tanning products is the horrible chemically smell you get with them but this one isnt too bad. In the tube it smells quite fruity, not the sort of smell I'd be keen to wear as a fragrance but not unpleasant. When it starts to develop it does smell a little bit chemically, but thats to be expected and it isn't overpowering.
The best way to describe the product itself is like a cross between unset tangerine jelly and radioactive honey (not that Ive had many dealings with radioactive honey, Im just guessing thats what it would look like.)
You apply the product like a moisturising gel, but being more careful to cover all your body. Because it doesnt dry immediately, you can at least see when youve already applied and where needs attention. It does smooth on very easily and doesnt feel greasy although it is a little bit sticky. Don't apply it if you need to get dressed in a hurry, although it doesnt specify how long to leave it to dry, I can tell you from experience that it will mark if it isn't dry when you get dressed. Although it will wash out of clothes, it can leave you with an interesting pattern on your bum where your knicker elastic went!! (Very classy indeed!)
It does take effect very rapidly - the bottle claims within an hour you will be a golden goddess but I noticed the colour changing almost immediately. Within an hour the colour was obvious although it took a few hours for the full depth to be revealed.
So heres the bit you've kept reading for. Did I turn day-glo orange and have to face the world looking like I'd been bathing in Tango? Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I didnt! The colour was golden not orange and it did look really natural. It took a second application to get the depth of colour I was after but thats a good thing because it means you can control the level of bronzing. If you are happy with just a glow then thats fine, if you are looking for a resemblance to Donatella Versace (although why you would Im not sure) you just keep applying indefinitely.
You need to top up your tan every couple of days to prevent patchiness but other than that it's a really quick and easy way to get a healthy tan. Virtually hassle free and it even leaves your skin moisturised so you can save time having to do both!
It is available from most supermarkets and drugstores and has been given a massive marketing campaign (although I would say its impossible to go ' perfect golden' like the girl in the ad - unless you too had been the subject of a great deal of airbrushing!)
All in all, this is a great product, far quicker and easier to use and less messy than traditional fake tans and a little goes a long way - someone send a bottle to the 'Orange Celebrities Club' - they would be forever grateful!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Gel gives you a 100% natural looking Golden Self Tan, ... more
with an instant sun-kissed shimmer. L'oreal Sublime Bronze has a new and improved tinted formula that gives your skin an instant shimmering sun-kissed look, and a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.99 Availability: Same Day Dispatch, 1st Class Postage...
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Jun 23rd, 2003
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