Springtime has arrived, and so have the first warm days. Many people did not miss on the opportunity to take advantage of it and equipped themselves in lobster-red skin, which gives me shivers. Spring and summer time is when the brands start to roll out new sunscreens, I have already seen many new ones available this year. However, a majority of people do not use one, or even if they do, they don’t apply enough sunscreen because they want to get ‘a bit of the sun’. It’s all about the tan for them. And many of them go for the cheapest and ‘natural’ method, namely sunbathing, but the damage they do is just horrifying.
Many people do not use a fake tan, and I am saying that based on what I’ve heard multiple times because ‘it doesn’t look good’. However, these two products give a good and natural-looking tan; for me, a good looking tan is not a change from plain flour to salted caramel in a week. I would say that’s more unnatural than a tan in a tube.

I don’t tan, and I don’t do beach holiday. I associate beach holiday with sunburns, as I was getting sunburnt during summer holiday with my family each year, in my childhood. My parents had no knowledge of sun protection, for which I don’t blame them; many parents didn’t at the time. I don’t crave for a tan, either. However, sometimes I do boost the colour of my complexion on a very rare occasion. For that, I trust two products: Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster and Dove Visible Glow Gradual Self-Tan Fair to Medium.

These two products give a very natural-looking, streak-free tan. It doesn’t appear overnight, but with continuous use, you can build up to a sun-touched skin. None of them has the horrendous smell associated with many self-tanning products. There’s a smell to the Dove’s lotion, but it’s pleasant. If you look for a heavy spray-on tan as if you burnt yourself for two weeks under a scorching sun or just left a tanning salon, then you might be disappointed. Dove make a stronger version of the lotion, and you could add more of Clarins’s drops to your moisturiser; however, I think they still won’t give a strong tan at any point. As you can imagine, I am not a tanner, I’ve had the Clarins booster for over a year now, and I barely reached below the Clarins sign (fortunately it has a long shelf life after opening). I am just happy with the results it gives after a couple of uses. I want a bit of a glow, and I must admit that this booster doesn’t only give colour to my skin, but it also makes it radiant, which is one of the reasons why I like the product. Dove’s lotion doesn’t lag; it gives pretty good results as well. With neither of these products, have I ever noticed stains on my clothes, so it shouldn’t be a worry.

I recommend these two products to everyone. It’s really not worth burning under the sun for temporary results; the risk is just too high. I am not going to say that we all should avoid the sun altogether – no, we need the sunlight, but don’t burn yourself like there’s no tomorrow. There is loads of research on sun protection and the harmful effects of sunbathing, but people still roast themselves like they are the Sunday roast. There is no excuse for burning yourself to a point when you can’t even touch your skin because of the pain; it’s just ridiculous. It’s basically self-harm, would you keep your body over an open fire until it starts to burn you? I don’t think so. And please do not get me started on tanning beds, I am wondering why they are still allowed. Anyway. I will follow with my favourite sunscreens in the next posts, but I want everyone to know that you can get a tan safely. So before you start roasting yourself consider using either of these.

The Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster: Aqua, Dihydroxyacetone, Alcohol, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Erythrulose, Xanthan Gum, Caramel, Citric Acid, Ethylene Brassylate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.

Dove Visible Glow Gradual Self-Tan: Aqua, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Dihydroxyacetone, Dimethicone, Glycol Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Caramel, Cetyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Maltodextrin, Methylparaben, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 60 Propylparaben, Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Sorbitan AMP, Stearamide AMP, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, CI 16255

Both of these products are available across the globe. Clarins and Dove are well-known brands; they are available practically everywhere.

PS You can also get the Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster for Body which costs more for double the size of the face version. It has the same ingredients so results should be the same.