Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel.. That is if you consider 12 hours instant!

Now for the creme de la creme, Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel is actually my favorite self tanning product out there. Well at least for now. Once again it has it ups and downs, but the positives outweigh the negatives which is why this product ranks out on top for me.

If you have been following my blogs you'll notice that there is no real perfect product out there. There alway seems to be a flaw, but I hope my insights will help you determine whether a product is worth your money or not.

For me Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel is (but like I said.. for now). What I like about this product is that it is easy to apply and it's not messy unlike GlowFusion. Another reason is that there is a lesser chance you will turn orange unlike GlowFusion as well. But be advised! You can turn orange! That is if you apply a lot of it!

Also since price is a huge issue for me (being a college student doesn't allow you to splurge), this product only rings out at $33! That is a little bit pricey but much cheaper than GlowFusion and I have been using it for a year. I still have enough left to last me another six months. So when you think about it, it's even cheaper than going to a tanning a salon at $20 a month or even more! (But of course it's not cheaper than just laying out in the sun).

Now for the negatives... I'm not a big fan that it is a gel. It feels oily and greasy when I apply it. However, by some miracle I don't break out! No pimples, black heads, or zits from this product.

Another problem, since it is a gel and greasy your skin does not absorb it right away so I suggest you apply it at night before you go to bed. If you plan on applying it on during the day, well get ready for a super shiny face, they weren't kidding when Clarins called it a gel.

Of course since this is a self tanner, it doesn't last forever. This product last for about five to seven days and then it's time to reapply. However, it actually lasts longer than GlowFusion. But, GlowFusion beats it by showing results sooner. It takes less than half the time to see results from GlowFusion than it does Clarins, which I have timed it out to be about 10 to 12 hours.

However, to me I get more value out of this product than any other self tanner out there. But if I happen to find another self tanner that is even better, you can bet I'll share it with you!

GlowFusion Micro-Nutrient Face & Body Natural Protein Tan.. Is a Really Long Name, but How Much Does it Say About the Tan?

Glow Fusion is one of the many products made by Fusion Beauty, but the name is just enough to get you running away scared! And you should be because this self tanner is deadly!

Now when I say deadly, I don't mean literally or chemically harmful (although I'm not sure if it could cause negative long term affects). When I say deadly I mean.. be careful of how much you spray or you'll be superbly orange!

For me this product carries an equal amount of positive and negative results. The plus to this product is that it works! Spray it on and just in a couple short hours you will see results! And when you spray just the right amount of this product you will get that perfect glow.

There has been many times where I have been complimented on my skin color because of this product. Especially if you have olive skin, this will match with your skin color perfectly, just don't over spray. As for those who have pale skin, I wouldn't recommend this product since it's so potent the results may be too dramatic and overwhelming. However if you do use those product, I suggest using very SMALL amounts to start off AND I would make a day of it just to test it out. So don't make plans to go out if you're planning to test out this product, I suggest you stay in and see the results. TRUST ME! I had to learn it the hard way for a DATE! AHHH! It was embarrassing when one of his friends told me I looked way too dark (and not in a nice way). Lucky for me though, that didn't stop my current boyfriend from dating me. WOOHOO!

Personally, I don't think I can get a better bronze from any other product than GlowFusion. With just the right amount of spray, I constantly get compliments on my tan and I really do love the way I look. And the best part is, since the product is so potent you don't have to spray much which makes the product last! It took me a whole year and a half to use up Glow Fusion.

And now onto the negative aspect of this product. Now I wasn't kidding when I said this product could be deadly in terms of making you orange. On my first excursion with this product I pretty much looked like this girl on the right (that not really me, but skin color is right on target). And since it was my first time every using the product I didn't have glows on, so my hands were ten shades darker than my face. It was bad! So here is another advice WEAR GLOVES!! You can try to wash your hands right after spraying the product, but like I said it's so potent that it sticks right onto your skin, so washing your hands even right after you have sprayed doesn't help, not one bit.

Another problem, it is very time consuming to spray on the product and spread it evenly on your body. Which takes me to another problem, if you don't take the time to really spread the product evenly, it will show! There has been a time where I rushed and I had five different shades on my skin at once, another embarrassing moment.

To add on, this product is very expensive... it rings out at $60! This does not include tax! Hopefully the free samples at Sephora can make up for the cost. Also I'm not very fond of the smell of this product, definitely has that strong chemical smell.

Now the number one thing that I did not like about this product is how it made my skin dry. After I sprayed on GlowFusion and see myself becoming bronzed I noticed that my skin became very dry and leathery. Imagine sitting in car with leather seats, notice how there are wrinkles and lines moving straight out around where you are sitting. That was how my skin was like when I would take my finger and poke it to my face. On top of that, since my skin was becoming so dry, I was beginning to develop very large black heads (VERY LARGE).

I have bought this product repeatedly because I absolutely loved the color it gave my skin. However, I don't believe I will be buying this product again unless they can change the formula to prevent dry skin.

Please do keep in mind that everyone will experience different results when using a variety of products. I have ready many other reviews on GlowFusion and there are more positive reports than negative.

Anyway, I'll be back for more reviews on self tanners! Stick around!

AcneFree.. Literally!

So in my previous post I talked about ProActiv and how it didn't completely work for me. I still got the occasional pimple that looked like the size of Texas on my face. One pimple was just bad enough to get me locking myself in my house. If I had to go out in public I would end up looking down at my feet while I was walking, which wasn't a good idea since looking down at my feet gave me neck cramps and made me dizzy.

However, one lucky day while my mother was shopping at Giant Eagle, she found an inexpensive acne kit that claimed it was 2 times more effective than ProActiv. Given that the kit was only $10, it wouldn't have hurt to buy and try it. And so I did. Within a week of using AcneFree, my face had complete cleared up. I couldn't believe it nor did my mom.

AcneFree is my choice of product, which has a similar set up as ProActiv. It was so effective that my friend's boyfriend at the time, (who's acne was far worse than mine back then) also started using it. The best part was it was inexpensive and you did not have to order it online or by the phone. It is conveniently place at your local grocery store or drug store.

My favorite product of the kit is the Repair Lotion. This is the miracle worker of the whole kit. If I feel as if a pimple is getting ready to appear, I just dab a little bit of the Repair Lotion and mask it over the little bump right before I go to bed. By next morning the minor bump which could've been potentially a massive pimple is gone. What is left is a smooth, bump-free, pimple-free skin.

The only downside of this product is the toner. I'm not a big fan of AcneFree's toner because I don't believe it does anything. When I put it on I feel as though I'm just putting scented water on my face. So if you plan on buying this product try buying a separate toner.

Next topic... Shellsea commented on under eye dark circles.. so stay tuned and get reviews on products that claim to get rid of them.. or do they?

ProActive... Over Priced, Over Advertised, Over Rated

ProActiv, the product that could possibly have the most celebrity endorsements than any other product out there in the world. Which celebrity are they going to reel in next? How about Tiger Woods? They can use a tag line, something along the lines of "Get the Ladies to Line Up for You!" And besides, Tiger could probably use the endorsement deal since he's lost so many already. Anyway I digress...

First of all, I have to give credit to their marketing strategies because they did a good job of advertising their product. I really do believe that they are the first acne/facial cleanser to really push out ProActiv to the public, especially through TV. They have many celebrity endorsements, user reviews with before and after pictures, nonstop commercials, and infomercials. However, if I see another ProActiv commercial I will throw my shoe at my television. Enough already!

Not to get too carried away, the reason why I had to applaud their marketing efforts is because for a good two years of my life I had used their product. As a pubescent teenager going through hormonal changes, and in dire need of finding a solution to cure my acne, I bought into the whole idea that ProActiv would clear my skin. And did it? Maybe...

ProActiv did clear my skin to some extent. I did see a 70% decrease in acne, but I STILL HAD ACNE! I went from ten pimples on my face to three, but three is just as bad as having ten. Granted ProActiv did help clear up my skin, but it didn't clear it up completely. And that for me is not good enough as I am sure that nobody would be happy about having one or two pimples. If we all had a choice, we would choose to have no pimples at all.

So all in all, did ProActiv get rid of my acne? No. But did it help reduce my acne? Yes. Do I find it worth my money?... Well at 20 bucks a pop, which doesn't even include shipping or tax, no!

So what did I do to get rid of my acne and has only left my face pimple free? Stay tuned, as I reveal the product that freed me from the tyranny of acne...

But in the mean time, what do you think about ProActiv?