Ireland

Reviews by Dominick

Dominick is a "serial fake tanner" who feels he has a duty to help Europeans find the self tanner they've dreamed of. A native of North Dakota, he now lives in Ireland.

Personal quote:
"I have ceased caring about my color and I would go parade around the streets looking like a diseased pumpkin if I felt like it."

All prices given are in Irish punts (pounds). Quantities are given in metric measurements.

Products reviewed:
Banana Boat, The Body Shop, Boots, Estee Lauder, RoC

Products sampled:
St. Tropez, Lancaster, Eurotan, Guerlain, Christian Dior, Ecotan

Banana Boat

Note: Dominick received some Banana Boat Sunless Tanning Creme from the United States for the purpose of comparing it to his local brands. It is not available in Ireland.

Banana Boat Sunless Tanning Creme Soft Medium Blend
Interesting. I think Banana Boat is Grrreat! The color is good except I always have blending problems with my legs. It's like one side of my leg gets more than the other and darn it that makes me want to bite cushions. My knees always manage to get funny colored even though I wipe them and lotion them before and after application.

The Boots Soltan is definitely not as good as Banana Boat; it smells rather bad and the color could be better.

Here's my verdict on the medium blend Banana Boat lotion:

Smell: At first a sweet, acidic herby smell and after about 20 minutes it turns into a mix between burnt plastic and fermented sun screen.

Application: It goes in well but starts to feel a little gross and unhealthy after a while.

Color: I learned the hard way that putting too much on can turn your legs orange and make you want to cry. Otherwise I think if you use it sparingly you will get a nice, even golden brown color.

I like this one because it looks quite natural and has fooled many people. For overcast and rainy places like Ireland you can pretend that you are the sort of person who tans very easily and "accidentally" sat outside on a sunny day last week.
June 1, 1999

Boots

Boots Soltan Self Tanning Mousse (light)
Comment: I think it's great value and it's easy to apply and helps go from ultra white to a more sun touched color without gathering attention (good buy for guys). The smell is not good and it's extremely flammable. Ooops! I forgot to say that it lasts for about 7 days even though it says 6 on the bottle. I think that's a plus.

Price: £6.99
Quantity: 150 ml
Smell: Heavily perfumed/soapy smell
Application: Rather good (it's a mousse damn it).
Color: Believable
April 26, 1999

Boots No. 7 Self Tanning Mousse (fair/medium)
I bought No.7 Self tanning Mousse in Fair/Medium. I don't know if it comes in other tones because it was written in tiny lettering at the back of the box and I wanted something Dark.

Anyway, it has added color and it looks absolutely smashing. It's kind of a peachy brown and it is sooo close to my natural tanning color that I've almost gone into shock. It has no smell and it feels very silky when you put it on. Boots also makes No.7 bronzers and if they are like the color I'm getting from this I MUST have them.

I never thought it would happen...I have entered falsely bronzed Nirvana. No streaks, no spots, NO ORANGE!!!

Unfortunately what I'm using you can't get. Har har. Evil. I used Boots No.7 Mousse on my legs and arms and Estee Lauder For the Face Medium on my face and I am most pleased.

I think it helps that I have a "system" for tanning that I have perfected. Ha ha ha...

No one has called me orange; even my sister didn't label me as usual.

Happy happy joy joy! I think I'll go look at my tan now.

Price: £6.99
Quantity: 150 ml
Application: Very Good
Smell: Scentless
Color: Realistic Peachy Brown
Overall: One of the most cost effective and user friendly sunless tanners I have used. It lasted over 3 months. I was very impressed with the color and the added bronzer is great for getting hands and feet.
August 12, 1999

Exciting News:
Well, for me, anyway: Boots has just come out with a sunless tanning gel for the face and I NEED it. I also have to buy some more mousse from them; that one bottle has lasted since the beginning of June.
October 13, 1999

The Body Shop

Watermelon Self Tan Lotion
It's at times like these that I'm proud to live in Europe.

Price: £6.00
Quantity: 12.5 cl
Application: Easy and fun, it glides and feels good. It has never streaked.
Smell: Sour and vaguely watermelony in the bottle but strongly nutty on my skin.
Color: Excellent, realistic and light, perfect for the colder months.
Overall: An outstanding product from a company I adore, even if it smells bad. I mustn't forget about the superb value.
November 24, 1999

Estee Lauder

Estee Lauder Self-Action sunless Super Tan for Face (medium)
I feel that the Estee Lauder is not worth the price; it's too average. It keeps streaking and it can look unrealistic at times and under certain lights.

Price: £15.00
Quantity: 5 cl
Application: Slightly runny and always streaks
Smell: Intrusive perfume
Color: Average, not particularly brown or orange
Overall: It wasn't worth the price or the smell or even the color. Next time I go past an Estee Lauder Counter, I'm gonna leave my nose prints on their displays.
November 24, 1999

RoC

RoC Sante Soleil
I bought RoC Sante Soleil for the body and face. It's perfume free, it's hypoallergenic and it promises a natural looking tan from clinical tests. We'll see.

I had to pamper myself after long exams so RoC was the perfect solution.

I've been wearing RoC Sante Soleil for the past 2 days and the color seems quite natural and very even. There is only a very slight smell for a few seconds when you apply it and then it's gone. It's non-oily and it is actually fun to apply.

I really like the RoC. I don't feel the urge to throw it out and it produces a very natural and lovely color.

Yes, I have gone utterly mad! My legs are orange right now because I decided to put on 3 coats of RoC.

Price: £9.00
Quantity: 7.5cl
Price/cl=£1.20 (cl=centilitre)
Smell: Slight fruity smell at first and within seconds none.
Application: Very easy
Color: Light/realistic effect (it reminded me of the Clarins woman on their posters).
Overall: Great for sensitive skin or skin that's prone to breaking out. I like the color, shucks...guffaw...it's purty.
June 26, 1999

Products Sampled:

St. Tropez
I was very pleased with St. Tropez. It was actually brown. The added color was very difficult to apply though and the sides of my nose looked dirty. I was lucky that we are having hot weather because everyone was saying how brown I got from the sunshine. Hee hee hee, if only they knew!!! When I washed my hands the color didn't want to come off and even though I thoroughly scrubbed my hands I got orange fingers.
July 11, 1999

Lancaster
It smelled like sour yogurt and it was very, very thick. The color was average and it says it contains "Bio-Melanin."
July 11, 1999

Guerlain Terracota
...also smelled like sour yogurt but it had a nice even application and the color was very similar to St. Tropez even though I only used Guerlain to fill in spots on my face that I didn't get when applying St.Tropez.
July 11, 1999

Christian Dior Instant Glow
...didn't glow at all instantly. It came out as a blue-green watery goop so I only patch tested it and that didn't come out.
July 11, 1999

Ecotan
...is a scentless spray that dried within 5 seconds so I missed half of my leg and it streaked from a double application. The color was...well, I don't know.
July 11, 1999

Eurotan
The Eurotan is £12.50 which is about $17 but that's for the liquid. Most people have only tried the cream, I think. I found a Eurotan tester bottle and I put some on. It does develop in 5 seconds. It's a dark brown liquid without a scent and it uses DHA and Melanin which seems strange. I wonder if it will kill you eventually, hmmm. I really have to get it.

I decided not to buy the Eurotan because no one had anything good to say about it and I don't need a rash and the pumpkin look.
November 24, 1999