Sunless Tanning Tips + Review: L'Oreal Sublime Glow

Yeah, I'm the Asian outcast. I actually don't wanna be white! Almost every cosmetic line available in Malaysia has a whitening range. Tanning products on the other hand, are almost non-existent except for Banana Boat Tanning Oils (will talk about it briefly in this post).

As I have a medium skin tone to begin with, I tan easily. However, being a t-shirt and shorts kinda girl, my chest, shoulders and thighs remain un-flatteringly pasty. To solve this problem, I turned to tanning lotions in hope of getting my skin tone to look more even. What I didn't know was that bronzing can be addictive.

Read on for some tips on sunless tanning and a self-tanner review.

I love the sun -- the comforting warmth, glistening shine, and glowing bronze complexion that it promotes. Because I'm the kind of person who makes mistakes before learning from them, I've suffered from sun burns, dry peeling skin, rough and bumpy skin, patchiness and *gulps* wrinkles; all from tanning.

The side-effects of tanning are not myths so just because you don't see them as you tan, doesn't mean that they're not gonna come back and bite you in future. Overexposing your skin to extreme sunlight is an invitation to skin cancer and photoaging.

"The sun's UV rays damage the DNA of the skin's epidermal cells, triggering enzymes that race to repair the damage. However, these enzymes do not always repair the DNA successfully, and all this unrepaired damage can lead to mutations that increase the risk of skin cancer. Also, repeated unprotected sun exposure can cause photoaging – wrinkles, sagging skin, and spots associated with sun damage." -- Skincancer.org

I once came across a 40-year-old Caucasian lady who looked like she was 60 or older. She saw the shock (apparently I didn't hide it that well!) on my face and promptly explained that she tanned a lot in her younger days when she didn't know any better. There were wrinkles on every part of her face and they were so deep that I highly doubt any skin care product can help diminish them.

An important point to note is that not all sunlight is bad for you. We still need some sunlight to produce vitamin D that our body needs. "Morning sun" is typically believed to be a safer form of sunlight so you could probably benefit from 5-10 minutes of basking in the morning. An easy indication of the sun's strength is by observing your shadow. If your shadow is shorter than you are, you'd be smart to hide from the sun. If it's taller than you are, go on and enjoy the outdoors. Whether you're under the sun or not, it's strongly advisable for you to apply sunscreen at all times.

Now that sun-tanning is out of the question, what's a bronzing junkie to do? The solution is sunless tanning. In pro-tan regions eg. the United States, self-tanners are quite accessible. Many companies have developed products to temporarily dye the top layer of the skin, creating a fake tan. This means you can be living in Forks (Twilight vampire county. Lol) and still look bronzed.
Gio of Beautiful with Brains explained how self-tanners work


"Experience a healthy summer glow all year long with Sublime Glow. Enriched with Vitamin E, skin-smoothing Mango Butter and Sweet Almond Oil, Sublime Glow hydrates skin with vital, nourishing ingredients. Natural Skin Tone Enhancers specifically designed for Medium skin tones gradually add a hint of color to even out and enhance your skin's natural complexion. Light capturing micro-pearls accentuate your body's natural contours and give skin a soft, subtle radiance." -- L'Oreal@Drugstore.com

The L'Oreal Sublime Glow is my first tanning lotion so I can't personally compare it to other similar products in the market but having read multiple reviews on various brands of tanning lotions, I pretty much know what to expect.
To know if a self-tanner is good or not, it generally shouldn't:

• Smell awful
• Feel greasy and sticky
• Streak
  
• Turn you orange
• Fade in patches

I'm happy to say that Sublime Glow doesn't have all of those cons. Although, opinions on the scent may differ from person to person. The boy, while not completely repulsed, says that the lotion smells like cow's pee. Don't let that put you off though because I truly don't think it smells bad at all. The thick champagne-colored lotion contains very light shimmers for a glowing effect that's very sexy for a night out. I wasn't even aware of the shimmers untill I saw my arms sparkling (subtly!) under the sun.

When generously applied (say, 50 cents for each arm?) the lotion blends well to gradually deepen the color of the skin. Even if you miss a few spots, you wouldn't get obvious pale patches. The formula moisturizes the skin really well too so it makes a decent body lotion. Initially I was worried that if I applied the lotion on areas where I'm already tanned (eg. lower arms), they'll get darker too and backfire my attempt to make my skin color more uniformed. To my relief, that wasn't the case at all. The darkening effect has a limit so if your skin color is already dark (MAC NC40 and above), it won't get any much darker. For the first few times of using the lotion, you'll notice quite a dramatic change but as you continue to use it, the tan will simply be maintained.

Comparison Picture 1: First usage. Like I said before, the first time you use the lotion, you'll get quite a distinct color-change. Some of the color will come off as you shower while the rest dyes your skin and gradually disappears as skin cells naturally slough off. Persistent use will help to maintain the color.

Comparison Picture 2: 3 weeks of usage. My thighs no longer look pasty but the lotion still helps to enhance the color. While the lotion doesn't make the skin turn orange, it does leave a slight yellow tint. If you have strong yellow undertones (like I do), you may end up looking a little like Marge Simpson. To solve this problem, I applied the lotion less frequently -- 3 times a week instead of everyday. Of course, that would also mean the tan will look less intense.

In a nutshell, I'd recommend the L'Oreal Sublime Glow to anyone who's looking for a natural self-tanner that works. Available in most US drugstores for approximately USD$11/236ml. For Malaysian residents, you can get this product via sgdrugstore.


Sunless Tanning Tips (thanks Joanna!):

• Apply tanning lotion on clean skin before going to bed. This will allow the color to "develop" throughout the night. The next morning, apply regular body moisturizer and sunscreen. Moisturizing the skin before applying tanning lotion will inhibit the absorption of the self-tanner, causing uneven coloration. Moisturizing over freshly applied tanning lotion will make the self-tanner slide off
  
• Wear gloves when applying tanning lotion to prevent staining your palms. With that worry aside, you can take your time to massage and really work the color in. Air dry for at least 15 minutes before putting clothes on
  
• Get to hard-to-reach places eg. back, by applying the tanning lotion with a handled bath sponge or loofah. This may cause a lot of product wastage so the best way is still to get someone else to apply the lotion for you
  
• Avoid scrubbing with abrasive body scrubs unless you're trying to scrub off the color
• Gentle exfoliation with a soft loofah or washcloth helps to slough off dead skin cells more evenly so that the self-tanner can go on smoothly afterward
  

Short Review: Banana Boat Taning Oil

Very oily but not necessarily moisturizing. Smells very strongly of artifical coconut and banana. Oil disperses as soon as it touches water -- contaminates swimming pools. Gives very little sun protection so don't count on it to save you from sunburns... The best it does is help you tan more evenly. Without the sun it doesn't add color to the skin

I used this when I was on a beach vacation and still came back with flakey and bumpy skin so I'm not gonna bother with this anymore. Sunless tanning is the safer way!

Retails for about RM25? Easily available in most Malaysian pharmacies.