My husband and I play a lot of golf, which has resulted in a fairly nice tan of my face, arms, neck … basically the upper half of my body. Shorts are not allowed on the golf course, only slacks, which means when I wear shorts around the home, my legs are neon white and are very out of place with the rest of my body being so nicely tanned.
The solution for me was to use a self tanning product. I have used several different brands of self tanners over the last few years, and some are definitely better than others. The one I am reviewing, however, is what I call a “keeper”. It really works, and it gives a real looking tan!
The Product
L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion comes in a 6.7 ounce plastic container, and the bottle is a dark bronze color with a gold flip style cap. The front of the bottle says this gives “instant action”, and that it will give you that “beautifully radiant sun-kissed look”. Below that are the words “Smoothing action + Golden illumination”.
Product Claims
* Instant Action
* Rich in Vitamin E
* Quick-drying lotion
* Transfer and water resistant
* Fresh summer scent
Thoughts
If you have used any self tanning products, you may have encountered a problem that I have found, and that is some of them smell really nasty. I have used many brands and types, from lotions that are white to bronze tinted lotions, and some work better than others.
What’s really nice about the L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion is that it is tinted, so you can easily see where you are applying it. I’ve found that, as hard as I try, similar products that are white can be hard to apply without getting streaks. I’ve seen these prange or bronze streaks on friends legs, and it was a sure sign that they had also been using self tanning products. The whole idea behind using these is to get a tan that looks natural! There is nothing natural about streaks.
This is easy to apply, but before you put on any self tanning product, it is essential that you shave you legs, and exfoliate the skin to remove any dead skin cells. If you don’t take the time to do this first, you won’t have the best possible results with any self tanning product.
Yet another concern about using self tanning products is some tend to stain clothing, and can be hard to wash off of the hands, leaving the inside of the hands darker than you’d like them to be. The L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion is all that it claims to be. It is not greasy, it goes on smoothly (and does not leave the skin with those bronze streaks). The vitamin E and castor oil actually moisturize the skin.
The first day I used the self tanner, I didn’t notice too much of a change, other than the tint from the product itself, but after using the tanning cream for a few days in a row, a nice healthy looking glow did start to develop. At this point, you can either stop using the product and have a slight tan, or you can continue to use it and let your tan get darker. It’s up to each individual, and you can really taylor this to your desires.
A big plus is that Loreal’s product does not have the offensive odor that so many other self tanning creams have. Some of them almost turn my stomach, but this one actually smells almost pleasant!
Ingredients
Water – Aqua, Alcohol Denat, Dihydroxyacetone, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taur, Caramel, VP/VA Copolymer, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Fragrance – Parfum, Xanthan Gum, C12-15 Alkyl Lactate, Methylparaben, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Titanium Dioxide – CI 77891, Tocopherol, Linalool, Benzyl Salicyla Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Coumarin, Limonene, Red 33 – CI 17200.
Final Recommendation
If you are looking for a good self tanning product, I would recommend the L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion. It is available in grocery stores and drugstores, retailing for around $10.50. It smells decent, doesn’t streak, and gives a realistic looking tan.
Warnings to Heed
L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion does not contain any sunscreen protection. It also contains an alpha hydroxy acid that may make your skin more sensitivity to the sun.
