Just not sure... (L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Gel)

Member Name: ellebelle21

Product:	L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Gel
Date:	23/02/09 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely looking tan

Disadvantages: Peels off in patches, smells awful.

I have used this product twice now, and I have to say, I am still in two minds about whether it is actually effective or not.....
I'll explain. Before L'oreal Sublime Bronze, I was a fake tan virgin.
To be honest i think it was out of pure fear of turning bright streakey orange that I just never had the guts to have a go - my friends had tried it, and thought me ridiculous but I was sure that I would be the unlucky one, unable to show her face in public for at least three weeks after the terrible incident had occured.
However, with my boyfriend and my anniversary fast approaching, and wanting to look extra special and not quite so, well, 'casper-esque' I decided to get over myself.
Off to superdrug I went. I spent a great deal of time perusing the different kinds of fake tan available - and blimey, there are a lot. I decided against any kind of spray or mousse, it just seemed to much could go wrong..so fake tan in gel format it was...but which one? So many to choose from!
In the end, I decided I couldn't afford a top of the range version, but also didn't want to chance it with a cheapy, so settled for a L'oreal product (trusted brand, mid range) selecting the gel format 'Sublime Bronze' (fresh feel - sounded just about what I was after) a product with the reasonable price tag of £10.50. I chose 'natural tan' (well, i didn't want to go over the top on my first go!)
The product itself comes in a 150ml squeezy tube bottle, and with the 'fresh feel' version I chose, is predominantly made with clear plastic which I like, as I can see how much of the product I have left. It looks professional in appearance, not at all tacky, with the proud product brand emblazoned on the top with info about the product printed underneath, comme ci:

SUBLIME BRONZE
Self-Tanning Fresh Feel Gel
NON GREASY
With Vitamin E
Non-sticky, quick dry, even result.
100% natural looking tan
Face and Body

Aaanyway, so I was quite nervous about using the gel, and in the end left it right up until the day of the anniversary itself. Putting it on was easy and pain free. The gel is a slight tan colour so you can see where you have applied to ensure you cover every bit.
When I first started applying the product, I found the smell quite nice - it reminded me of summer - but that fondness quickly wore off!
One of the worst things I found was that it took so very long to dry! I promises 'quick drying' but I promise you this is not the case. I felt like I was waiting forever (in fact about 45 mins) until the product felt dry enough to get dressed.
This ordeal over, I waited patiently for results.
By the evening I had achevied a very light, natural looking tan, and by the next day this had devleped to quite a colouring! Just right for me - a really lovely colour.
So overall, I was quite impressed - first time round that is.
I have since used it again. This time, I really found the smell very hard to live with - it really stays with you for a couple of days even after you've washed. I also noticed that the tan seemed quite streaky and worst of all - it started to kind of peel off, which looked horrendous, leaving my skin looking patchy, and actually pretty ridiculous.
So you see, i am in two minds....I don't know why it seemed to go so wrong the second time....but I don't think I would buy this product again - though I do think it is a good product for a first timer like me - easy to use etc.
I will now venture on to other tanning products...
Maybe i'll even go so far as a spray tan!!

Summary: Wouldn't buy again...