Review of Clinique Self Sun Body Tinted Lotion

I'm all excited about my new layout/design of my blog (does that make me sad???)...I just have to work out how to centre my damn header! arghhh! I can easily spend about 4 or 5 hours just tinkering around with my blog, tweaking bits here and there. I am definitely a perfectionist! If only I could do this as a job! Now that would be amazing!

Anyways, down to the important stuff...fake tan!ha ha. As you may remember, I had posted something a while ago about which fake tan would be best to use for my upcoming wedding (only four months to go!) and I had said I would be testing different brands to find my HG. To refresh your memory, you can read that post here.

For the past 2 weeks, I have been testing out Clinique's Self Sun Body Tinted Lotion priced at £15.50 for 125ml.

I have the Light/Medium formula as I don't want a really dark tan on my wedding day. My dress is ivory so I just want a nice golden colour that looks radiant and natural. Ivory or White has a tendency to make you look more tanned naturally so I don't want to go overboard on the tanning. I'm the type of person where I looove to use fake tan but I don't necessarily like other people to notice I'm wearing it! (ok, so I know that I'm in Scotland and there isn't much sun here so people will notice when you have a tan but I like to live in denial!ha ha).

The Clinique website describes this product as giving an "instant colour, golden "tan" develops in just a few hours. Looks smooth, even, natural. Self-tanning plus: No surprises-it shows where it goes. Oil free, non-acnegenic. Dermatologist tested. 100% Fragrance Free".

I prefer self tans that have a guide colour because it's easier to see when you have missed bits. This lotion has a subtle golden tint that doesn't rub off on bed sheets as much as other brands I have tried like St Tropez. The lotion is very light and a little goes a long way, it also dries really fast with no sticky after feeling. This is a huge bonus in my eyes because I hate having to wait around for self tans to dry. This also means that you don't get messy bed sheets which can be really gross. I didn't notice any fragrance with this lotion after it had been applied and also, I didn't notice that usual biscuit smell in the morning. I personally hate walking around smelling like that! Urgh!

The colour developed overnight as I slept and it gave me a really natural, streak free tan. The colour is more reminiscent of the shade you go after a couple of days of applying a gradual tanner like Dove Summer Glow. If you wanted a darker colour, you can just go for the Medium/Dark formula instead. The advantage of applying this product is that it doesn't go patchy or streaky, whereas applying gradual tanners over a couple of days can cause the colour to accumulate on knees, ankles and under arms which is NEVER a good look. No one wants tell tale signs like that.

I applied the lotion all over my body, including my face and it left my skin feeling really soft and smooth. It didn't cause any irritation or breakouts on my face at all. I washed my hands directly after applying it and once the product had developed, there were no signs of fake tan on my palms which is also a huge bonus, but I guess you could always wear a mitt or gloves otherwise. I have had many an embarassing experience of tanned palms! Trying to do everyday tasks without letting people see the palms of your hands is harder than you would think! ha ha.

So overall, this product really impressed me and I loved the super natural colour it gave me, it lent a nice golden glow to my complexion like I had spent a day in the sun.

To give the best possible decision on my fake tan for the wedding, I am going to continue to test out different self tans. I want to try out all the tans I have in mind before deciding on the most appropriate one. This Clinique self tan will definitely go in the YES pile for consideration though!

Have you tried this product? What did you think of it?