Does the job but not that great. (Garnier Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Gel SPF 30)

Member Name: fibemona

Product:	Garnier Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Gel SPF 30
Date:	17/10/09 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good sun protection.

Disadvantages: Poor application and doesn't last long.

I am a child of Ireland... in other words I'm as pale as they come and not made for hot climates. I recently took a holiday in Tunisia, this being north Africa and my first summer holiday in many a year I knew I needed some tip top protection from my enemy the sun! Off I trotted to the shop and browsed the sun protection options when I came across this new phenomenon - 'Clear Protect'. No I'm not one for gimmicks etc but since this was from a tried and trusted product name (Garnier) I decided to give it a try. So what did I think?

Firstly the new 'clear protect' concept. Rather than a lotion or cream as we are accustomed to with sun cream this product is more of a thin gel. It reminded me of the alcohol gel which is common in hospitals these days. Sadly it also smelt the same; I was not impressed with the subtle yet chemical fragrance that came from this product.

The gel does apply fairly easy but it was difficult to get the right amount on. As afore mentioned I'm very pale so I'm always conscious of being fully covered. I found that if I applied too much then it would leave a stick dirty residue and if I applied too little it didn't go very far. Also as it is a CLEAR gel it can be difficult to see where exactly you have applied it. Consequently I was left with a rather nasty burn at the top of my leg.

So as Vie established it's certainly clear but does it protect? Well as I said I did burn but that was because there was no gel in that particular area. I did go a little red after my first day but honestly I didn't expect any less considering my skin type. I can safely say that the best thing about this product is that it does give good protection and after all isn't that the whole point of it?

Value for money? Well it definitely protects but unfortunately the 150ml bottle didn't last more than 5 days whilst my friend's 150ml cream spray did. This could have been down to the fact that initially I couldn't gage the right amount to apply.

To conclude I wouldn't buy this product again. I was unimpressed by the 'Clear Protect' idea and would prefer a cream, largely due to the smell. I was also disappointed with how quickly it ran out, however I doubt this would have been a problem had I have bough the spray.

I will certainly buy Garnier sun protection again but will not be interested in the gel products.

Summary: Protects but would sooner have a cream spray.