L'Oréal Sublime Self-Tanning Elixir, 100 ml

No fake tan is ever perfect, so I'm not going to claim this is miraculous. If you apply it badly, it won't look very good. If you don't prep your skin properly, it won't perform like it should. No fake tan can overcome massive user error.That said, this is one of my favourite fake tan products I've used. First of all, it doesn't smell going on, and after a few hours it's only the slightest obvious fake tan whiff – a dream compared to others I've tried. The oily liquid formula goes on really smoothly, and the pump packaging is really convenient. I pump it onto a section of my body and use one side of a fake tan mitt to smooth it around, then buff it in with the other less saturated side to ensure no streaks and to get rid of excess product. It dries down relatively quickly, but I still make sure to give it 5-10 minutes of hanging around naked in the bathroom or standing in front of a fan before dressing in loose clothing. I haven't found it's stained my white bed sheets – the colour guide is just obvious enough that you know where it is, but not overkill like it is with some products (looking at you, fake bake!)Once developed, it's a pretty natural-looking olive toned brown, not the tell-tale orange brown of cheap fake tan. After one application it's a healthy glow, a few more days in a row and you can get a pretty deep colour on light skin. The formula itself feels really hydrating so you wake up feeling like you've moisturised. My favourite thing is that it wears pretty well – you can exfoliate between applications to prep for the next one without taking off huge patches of it, and while it will fade somewhat visibly on hands, wrists and toes, it's nowhere near the peeling snake look I've had with other fake tan products. This means it's easy to top up, or easy to gracefully put the fake tan down for a couple of weeks without worrying what the 'withdrawal' period is going to be like.Finally – for a product that works as well as Fake Bake original (though admittedly less deep a colour to start with), it's cheap as chips! You won't find a better fake tan in this price point, and I've done lots of searching.

I've only used this product once so this review is my first impressions only.I will start by saying that I have very pale skin but with a yellow undertone.I found this product easy to apply, I have only ever used gradual tanner before so wanted something that could be applied with a similar technique. I used my hands and applied in a similar way to how you would apply a body moisturiser expect with more care to cover every area. I applied this product all over my body including a light layer over my face. I will say that I would recommend doing this quick as I found it was fast drying. The product itself was not too heavy on the skin considering it had been applied all over. The instructions state the product is to be used 3 times and will last 2 weeks. I put the first application on one afternoon and it developed very quickly over the next few hours (Making the product ideal for last minute occasions). Having seen a dark result from the 1st application I did not bother applying anymore as I do naturally have pale skin that does not often see the sunlight. The colour itself was fairly natural but not as natural as I was expecting after reading other reviews.I find that my usual tan (Palmers Cocoa Butter gradual tanning spray) gives a nicer more blended look. Despite applying as best as I could I did see patches around my neck and hands (that I did wash thoroughly after application). As for the smell I found that it smelled nice once applied, quite fresh. However the next morning I did find that I was left with the usual biscuity smell that I washed off swiftly. Despite applying only once the tan lasted around a week slowly fading. I would use this again but perhaps for more formal occasions. I will stick to my gradual tanner if its just a night out!

This stuffs so good! Easy easy to apply, nice/ no smell, dries fast and works overnight while you sleep or after a shower. Used daily, it builds up to a really genuine tan with no hint of streaks or bits fading( I only used it on arms, haven’t tried it elsewhere). Product lasts AGES so fantastic value.Thoroughly recommend

Bought this at the offer price of £5 compared to the usual £15. First time I used my hands to apply as I didn't want to lose lots of product on a mitt/cloth, and even after significant washing my hands were still very brown. Next time I used latex gloves and this not only helped to spread the product better but saved the orange hands. The product applies with a colour so you can see straight away where you have missed bits on application, which I really liked. The smell upon application was pleasant, and it of course develops into the fake tan smell we all know. Colour development is quick overnight, with no transfer onto white bedding! Although, I did notice that my short pyjamas and the white top I wore the next day did have some colour in them (that's because I didn't bother washing it off in the morning but left it to develop further). The colour is quite orange in honesty. If you use it two days consecutively to build the tan, then I really didn't like the colour, far too orange. However, a good advantage is that you really only need a small amount to cover the entire body so the bottle will last quite a while. I would definitely give it a go because the colour lasts well across the week and develops a decent glow immediately.