Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Booster

Ever since I got back from my vacation, I've been looking forward to beach weather! Now I'm not a beach person usually, and I only just went on my first trip to a resort on this vacation but that, and age (ahem) is what did it for me!

So it was exciting to see the Radiance Plus Golden Booster out from Clarins recently. My skin doesn't tan well, not to mention I'm extremely paranoid about applying sunscreen to prevent damage so I barely tanned at all on my vacation and felt a bit self conscious about appearing relatively pale on the beach. I need all the help I can get to get that healthy glow before summer.

How it works

The product is a self tanner that should be mixed with your regular moisturizer first, before applying. I found this to be a great concept because most tanners are straight creams or lotions which equates to yet another layer to put on after the serums, creams, sunscreen... You get the picture. Also many people like myself already have a preferred daily moisturizer  so not having to switch away from that is a huge plus for me.

Product

It's a golden clear slightly viscous liquid that you mix into your daily moisturizer. Surprisingly simple :)

Packaging

Bottle with dropper opening but the drops appear to dispense via gravity - that's okay if all you needed is one drop but if you need more, the downside is there is no way to control the drops. There's no rubber bulb and the bottle isn't squeezable. I had difficulty getting the 3 drops out, ended up shaking the bottle to make the product come out. What makes this frustrating then is you already have your face cream product in one hand and in trying to shake more drops out of the bottle, you might just splash some elsewhere accidentally.

Results

The tan does work in just a few hours! I applied it in the morning and by afternoon could see the effect. However don't let this scare you off, even at 3 drops the tan was quite subtle. It was so subtle that even though I wanted to take before/after photos it was tough to get the difference to show up on my phone. I can see how if I continued it as a regimen that this would gradually intensify and be more photographable.

I tested this on the inside of my arm to ensure 3 drops was the right amount - Clarins said you may want to start with 2 if unsure and on the paler side. Something to keep in mind before you go full out on the product.

Pros and cons

The most wonderful part about this product is how it effortlessly integrates into your daily routine, through simply mixing it with any moisturizer you currently use.

Another good thing are how subtle the tan is so you can build it up gradually, most tanners have a bad reputation for turning orange too quickly but not this one! For someone like me that's important as I don't want to show up at work the next day looking like an Oompa Loompa as my colleagues will definitely notice any dramatic change.


Where to buy

The Golden Booster is available from Sephora and Clarins.ca for CAD$30.

If you have tried self tanners before, what were the results like? Do share!