A hint of sun for a rainy summer (Boots No.7 Self-Tan Quick Dry Tinted Lotion Fair/Medium)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	Boots No.7 Self-Tan Quick Dry Tinted Lotion Fair/Medium
Date:	15/07/08 (435 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to apply, streak free

Disadvantages: Looked a tiny bit orange

Buying beauty products is my little vice. I suppose that since I don't smoke and rarely drink, it's OK to have one. Or at least that's how I justify it to myself! One of the things I seemed to have amassed quite a lot of, is fake tans. I think the reason for this, is that I rarely find one that works, therefore keep on buying them in the hope I'll find one that works for me.

The product I tend to use most is Sally Hansen Airbrush legs, which is a make-up for the legs rather than a tan, but as I'm whiter than a pint of semi-skimmed, it still gives me colour. I also quite like Rimmel Sunshimmer, but the problem I find with both of these products, is that they are wash-off, and I'm always terrified of getting caught in the rain, and having horrible brown make-up dribbling down my legs!

I had a look through my giant box of beauty products, and came across No.7 Quick Dry Tinted Lotion. I have no recollection of buying or using this, and although the bottle was virtually full, it was obvious it had been used (or maybe tested) at some point. It's described as a wear off tan for light/medium skin tones (there is also one for medium/dark) and can be used on the face and body. It contains aloe vera and camomile extracts as well as vitamin A and vitamin E.

~Packaging~

The bottle pictured above is the old packaging. It now comes in a rounder, more sleek looking bottle, which is dark brown in colour with a white pearly lid. It's quite a plain and simple design, but full instructions for use are included on the back. The bottle also has a pump action dispenser which can be twisted to lock in place - quite handy I think, as it will prevent spillages.

~Using it~

Before applying this, I shaved, exfoliated and moisturised my legs, to hopefully make this go on better. I used a Boots Soltan Self Tan Mitt to apply it, which I also found in my box of stuff, and is basically just a glove to apply fake tan with (I'll review it if Dooyoo accept the suggestion!).

When I pressed the pump down, the first thing I realised is that only a tiny bit of the lotion comes out at once. This means I had to press it down several times to get enough lotion onto the mitt, which was a bit of a pain.

I was surprised that the lotion does not have that classic fake tan smell. It actually smells quite nice (for a fake tan, anyway), and is quite floral. It's tinted brown in colour, the idea being that you can see where you are applying it. Unfortunately as soon as you start to rub it in the colour all but disappears, so you still don't get a clear idea of where you're applying it.

~Results~

The lotion is described as quick-dry and it did seem to dry pretty quickly, although I cannot be certain of timescales, I would suggest about 15 minutes to be fully dry. Once it has dried you need to wait for the colour to develop.

The colour seemed to take a while to develop - an hour or two perhaps, although I can't be sure. I applied it at night, and under artificial light, I thought my skin looked rather red - almost like I had sunburn rather than a tan. Once morning came and I could check it out properly, it looked totally different - much more natural, but still maybe a tiny bit orange. One thing I was really pleased about, is that it did not streak at all, and apart from one tiny patch on my lower leg which seemed to have been missed, it was fairly even.

I found that the tan lasted several days, and over time it just seemed to fade to a paler colour, rather than actually go streaky or patchy as normally happens. Bathing didn't seem to have any effect on the colour, so it really didn't wash off

~Price~

This costs £11.50 for a 200ml bottle.

~Conclusion~

I was really impressed with this tan, it was quick and easy to apply and left my legs streak free. The only negative thing was a very slight orange tinge, but it wasn't so over the top that I would be embarrassed to go out or anything like that. This is definitely the best wear-off tan I have found so far.

Summary: Quick dry tinted lotion