Thus, I have tried every fake tan on the market. I don't much enjoy spray tans (never dark enough after showering, have to leave the salon in London looking like a rather grubby coalminer without the aid of a car to hide in, no thanks), I'm very much a DIY girl. I had brief dalliances with Rimmel Sunshimmer, L'Oreal Sublime Bronze gel (the pungent smell still reminds me of my school days), Xen-Tan and St Tropez (too green). I have an on-going fondness for Vita Liberata, Sally Hansen and now, I can add No7 Perfectly Bronzed to the list. I popped into Boots needing a tan fix pre-pay day. I was in no financial state to invest in my trusty Vita Liberata, and as I had just changed my white sheets, Sally Hansen-ing my entire body wasn't a viable option. Friends had mentioned the No7 tan before and I had tried it in the past but hadn't been a fan. I think my downfall was the colour choice - I chose Light/Medium for my extra pale skin tone, which resulted in an almost imperceptible hint of tan, certainly not sufficient to protect my fellow partiers from a blindingly pale and deeply unhappy Irish girl. There are conflicting thoughts on tan shades from experts, but I always follow the advice I read from the Olsen twins make up artist - the darker the tan, the more naturally olive it will look on your skin. Paler tans will simply impart a more orange shade - not what any self-respecting tanner is after. This time in Boots, I knew better. I choose the Medium/Dark Lotion and skipped away a mere £9.95 poorer.
Now for the application. The lotion itself is a mid-brown cream, when rubbed on the skin it gives a very slight tint but not much - excellent news for bed linen countrywide. It smells inoffensive and does dry fairly quickly without a sticky residue unlike many others on the market. I used a tanning mitt for application, it's creamy texture works well on a mitt rather than latex gloves - which I think are simply an aid to streaking. I showered the next morning as usual. Once dried, my skin felt hydrated and smooth. There was a slight lingering smell which was well covered once I applied a scented moisturiser. The colour was excellent - this is definitely a once-only application - coming from me this is high praise indeed. Over the next few days the colour didn't crack or dry out, by the 5th/6th day I looked slightly patchy where the tan had worn off. Pretty good going in a world where a good fake tan usually goes bad within 3 days!
The price, colour and endurance make this an inexpensive staple in my beauty cabinet, I have used it religiously since my first try and have no complaints. When you can buy three bottles of this for the price of one department store tan, who am I to argue?
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