Review: L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Gelee

**UPDATE**
Darling readers, I recently repurchased this and it is not quite as I remember. On the plus side, it dries much faster. It smells differently than I remember- not offensive. I thought it was a clearish orange gel before and it seems to be a dark shimmery bronze now. Which brings me to the real reason I am making this update. It is completely loaded with glitter. I am okay with that, but I know some readers may not be. It's not subtle at all! And all the glitter seemed to fall to my feet throughout the day. I remember blending this with my moisturizer and applying it to my face before. I definitely couldn't now because it is way too sparkly. All in all, I still love this product.
-H. Cat
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I went to Shoppers Drugmart at 11:30pm for Biore Pore Strips, and ended up coming home with this instead. I was sick of waiting for my self tanning moisturizers to gradually build a dark tan, so I picked this up for $16.00. It comes in a 150ml squeeze bottle with a flip cap. I purchased the only shade available, which was Medium.

I was impressed with the results! There was a noticeable tan to my skin after one application. After two applications I was a bronze goddess, and Chad was cracking jokes about me being black. It's definitely not subtle. If you see a friend or family member one day, and apply the next, they may be a little shocked.

As with any self tanner, you need to start with clean and dry skin. I exfoliated beforehand to ensure a more even coverage. I just scrubbed my skin down with sugar in the shower. It's thrifty and effective. You need to apply sparingly on your dryer areas and joints, such as the elbows, knees, and feet. In fact, leave your feet alone! Trying to blend it into my feet evenly was a disaster. I needed Chad to apply it to my back, which brings me to my next point. Wash your hands immediately after application! Chad opted not to, and was sporting orange hands for a few days.

The bottle recommends daily use until you reach your desired darkness, then a once or twice weekly maintenance. I was completely satisfied after just two applications, but then again I'm naturally ghostly white.

This was the best self tanning product I've used. The tan was bronze, not orange. Completely streak free and natural looking. Not my colour of MY natural tan, but the tan of someone who tans well! I applied it to my face with good results and no breakouts. If you choose to do this, be sure to blend especially well around the jaw, ear, and eyebrow areas.

The consistency of the formula itself was a light, smooth gelee. Not sticky, and not greasy. It has the added benefit of vitamin E. The scent on application was fresh, not offensive. After drying it did have that self tanner smell, but not as strong as many other products. 

Even this great product is not without it's cons. The colour didn't adhere as well to the fattier (or less weathered?) parts of my body, to be specific- my stomach,butt and chest. Do not apply over rashes, scrapes, etc. I had a slight shaving rash, and a cut on my hand. It dyed them a brown colour that lasted longer than the bronzer itself once I discontinued use.

Also- self tanners clog your pores, so I had a slight breakout. Nothing major. Two zits. One on my thigh and one on my butt cheek. Yep. A zit on my ass. Glamorous, yes? I know the tanner caused these because I'm not prone to acne anywhere but my face.

It dries in about half an hour to an hour, which is no big deal... unless you've got other people in the household and you don't want to be wandering around naked. I made the mistake of throwing on Chad's white tank top before it was completely dry, and of course it stained it. Sorry honey! <3 I would also like to see some colour added to the gel itself to help guide you in the application process.

I will definitely be repurchasing this. It looks like the bottle will last be about 5 or 6 applications... but then again I have a fat ass. Haha I kid. Well, I do, but whatever! Actually, I'm going to reapply this tonight. I slacked off for a week or two and now my colour is disappearing.

For those of you with cooler skin tones, I would try testing this before hand. I'm naturally warm toned so it isn't hard for a self tanner to be suitable to my skin tone.

-H. Cat