Clarins Self Tanning Milk: I Put It To The Test!

Clarins Self Tanning Milk is made in France and thought of as one of your better sunless tanning products. I decided to put this one to the test and found some interesting results.

Let’s start out with the claims that Clarins makes about this product. Clarins claims that color appears in 1 to 2 hours and will give you a natural looking tan. The formula is described as lightweight and milky. Unlike most sunless self tanning products, this one does contain a sun protection factor of 6.

My Personal Thoughts On Clarins Self Tanning Milk

One of the things I always notice first about a product is the scent. When you remove the cap on Clarins Self Tanning Milk, you can’t help but notice the scent. It is rather strong and some may find it a bit offensive or “too much”. Once applied to your skin, the scent is not as strong but you will find a lingering scent for several hours.

Clarins to me wasn’t really a lightweight formula. I found the cream to be of a medium consistancy at least. It is rich, thick and creamy or “milky” if you want to use Clarins’ definition. The color is a medium to dark brown so this is one that you will definitely want to wash off your hands immediately or use a tanning mitt for application.

Applying the self tanning milk was easy. It did not streak or leave any unusual spots. As long as you apply it quickly, evenly and with a good circular motions you should also achieve a streak-free application.

Probably the most important factor to a sunless tanning product is the end results, right? While I found that this product did a descent job of creating a natural sunless tan, I still had a few reservations about it. Why? I didn’t care for the scent of this product and I could have overlooked that if it had been the only strike for this product. Combined with the fact that this didn’t do much in the form of moisturizing, I hold a grudge. To me, this product works no better than some drugstore brands. Clarins Self Tanning Milk retails for $29.50 for a 4.2 fl. oz. tube. I can get the same results by spending under $10.00 on Dove Energy Glow Daily Moisturizer and have a product that smells better and moisturizes my skin.

Read more about Clarins products in our archives.

If you want to give Clarins Self Tanning Milk at try, we found it at
Shop.com for only $26.50 a tube.

Happy SUNLESS Tanning!

Why Do Sunless Tans and Natural Tans Fade?

Your skin is the body’s largest organ and it is made up of three major layers of skin. We will talk about the outer layer of skin, the epidermis because that is the layer affected when we use sunless tanning products.

The epidermis is made up of thousands of cells. One of the major cell types in the outer layer of skin is called keratinocytes. These cells are formed at the base of the skin layer and travel through other layers to reach the surface. As these cells reach the surface of the skin, they are in fact, dying because the blood supply is cut off and the cells are not receiving nutrients to survive. The skin cells then naturally sloughs off. This process is a constant cycle that takes about 30 days to completely run through the life stage of a healthy skin cell, at which time the cycle starts all over again.

This is also why natural sun tans and your sunless tan that you achieved from your favorite sunless tanning product fades away. Your tan fades as your skin cells naturally slough away. It is a natural process and why manufacturers recommend reapplying sunless tanning products every few days or at least weekly to maintain your sunless glow.

Exfoliatiing your skin before applying your sunless tanning product is just a way of helping out mother nature to remove dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. It allows for your sunless tanning product to penetrate the skin and work better and longer for you.

Be nice to your skin and keep it moisturized, better yet….use a good moisturizing sunless tanning product for a healthy glow!

Photo credit: Anita Patterson

Get An All Over Glow With Bobbi Brown Sunless Tanning Gel

If you thought Bobbi Brown was just all about make up, you are totally wrong! The Bobbi Brown line includes skin care, fragrance, make up tools and a self tanner called Bobbi Brown Sunless Tanning Gel For Face and Body. It is a great product that gives a healthy sunless tan without damaging your skin.

Bobbi Brown Sunless Tanning Gel For Face and Body comes in a 4.2 fl. oz. tube. It is a gel formula that applies easily. It is streak-free and gives a smooth and even coverage. It is recommended that you use the product in two to three light layers to find the perfect shade for your skin tone. It goes on lightly with a sheer coverage so this is fairly simple to achieve. Remember to start your sunless tan by using a product for exfoliating your skin.

Bobbi Brown Sunless Tanning Gel For Face and Body is available in two formulas, Light to Medium and Medium to Dark. The best price we found online is at FragranceX.com at $26.00 per tube, compared to the original retail price of $30.00.

Aveeno Active Naturals: A Silky Lotion That Softens Skin Too!

Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Radiance Moisturizing Lotion is one of the more impressive drug store brands of self-tanning products that I have discovered. It simply works and leaves your skin with a very natural sun kissed glow AND silky, soft skin. It really delivers the overall package that sunless tanning worshipers crave.

Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Radiance Moisturizing Lotion is uniquely formulated with ingredients derived from Nature that work together to give your skin a natural everyday sunless tan with color that will compliment your natural skin tone. Another words, it looks very natural. Your skin will also look healthy because of the moisturizing abilities of this formula. DHA is combined with natural soy to even out your skin tone and provide a healthy and natural sun-kissed glow.

Application can be enhanced by using an application tool for applying the lotion evenly, resulting in a streak-free sunless tan. Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Radiance Moisturizing Lotion has been dermatologist tested and provides moisture for up to 24 hours after application. Your color will become obvious after 2-3 days of use and deepens with each application. It is available in two formulas, one for fair skin tones and one for medium skin tones.

The one negative about this product is that it does not contain sunscreen. The addition of an SPF would make this product even more awesome….are you listening Aveeno???

Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Radiance Moisturizing Lotion can be purchased at Drugstore.com for $7.69 for the fair skin formula.

Sally Hansen Exfoliating Leg Polisher with Retinol & Vitamin K

Sally Hansen Exfoliating Leg Polisher is a great product to use for exfoliating before self tanning. It contains retinol, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E for nourishing your skin and keeping it healthy too!

Sally Hansen Exfoliating Leg Polisher comes in a 113 gram tube. It is simple to use, just wet skin, squeeze a small amount onto the palm of your hand and rub in circular motion, rinse off with clean water. Then you are ready to dry off and proceed with your self-tanning routine.

What advantages does this product have over other exfoliators? For starters it is enriched with Vitamins A, C and E that stimulate new cell growth after exfoliating. Retinol is included to keep the skin’s elasticity toned, while Vitamin K helps reduce the appearance of bruising, spider veins and scars.

We found the best price on Sally Hansen Exfoliating Leg Polisher at Chica’s Ware for only $4.95.

On The Glow Face: A Self Tanner For Face With Retinol

On The Glow Face is a self tanning formula designed specifically for the face from Tan Towel. It contains retinol for combating the aging process and moisturizers to keep skin looking and feeling soft and smooth.

On The Glow Face is a remarkable product. Unlike other Tan Towel products, this one is a lotion formula. It contains natural moisturizing ingredients of jojoba, olive oil, avocado and oat kernel extract, having a natural and fresh scent. These ingredients provide hydration for dry skin and keeps skin fully moisturized. Retinol is also included to nourish skin and combat the natural aging process. It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines around the eyes and forehead.

On The Glow Face provides a natural sun kissed glow with the combination of DHA and Erythrulose. The combination of the two ingredients provide a natural and longer lasting self-tan. Your sun kissed glow will deepen with repeated use. Once you have achieved the desired glowing effect, use once per week to maintain your desired color. As with using any self tanning product, wash hands after application or use.

On The Glow Face is available in a 8 fl. oz. tube at Sensational Skin’s website for $15.95 a tube.

Clinique Face Self-Tanning Formula

Stopping by the Clinique counter in my favorite department store is always a treat. I recently sampled their tanning formula for the face called Face Self-Tanning Formula. It really gives a nice and natural looking sunless tan that compliments your skin tone.

Cinlinque Face Self-Tanning Formula is a lotion formula designed for use on the face only. You may ask why do you need a formula just for your face? While I have found several that work just fine on both body and face, some leave your face feeling oily and greasy. Cinlinque Face Self-Tanning Formula is a non-greasy formula to be used before applying moisturizer or makeup. You just need to give it 10 to 15 minutes to dry before continuing your facial routine. Be sure to wash your hands or you may end up with darkened palms. Remember to use a good moisturizer with adequate SPF since this product does not contain a sun protection factor.

Color develops in 2 to 3 hours and will compliment your skin tone and coloring. If you need a darker shade, reapply until you find the shade that suits your natural coloring. Results will last up to 3 days before you need to re-apply to maintain your sun kissed glow. This is a great product to use with Clinique’s Self Sun Body Self Tanning Lotion.

Clinique Face Self-Tanning Formula can be purchased online at Nordstrom’s for $17.00 for a 1.7 fl. oz. tube.