Review | Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector in Light Matte

A 20p sized blob applied on a tanning mitt created a natural-looking colour.

Before and after: milk bottle legs, be gone with you!

Autumn’s well and truly here and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be rejoicing at the fact that you can finally start wearing the opaque black tights that have been banished to the back of the drawer all summer. But sometimes, even as the temperature drops, black tights don’t look quite right and bare legs have to make an appearance. 

Whilst I try and rock the pale and tragic interesting look most of the time, I have milk bottles where my legs should be and it’s just a fact of life that they look better with a little bit of colour. I’m not averse to a pair of very sheer nude tights with the right outfit, but the ever-increasing baby bump means my existing pairs are currently redundant. Similarly, me and fake tan have a long and chequered history, because frankly, I can’t be arsed with the faff of it. 

That’s why I was intrigued by the promises being made by the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector* in Light Matte. It’s claim to offer 24 hours of natural looking matte tan which can simply be washed off appealed to my lazy sensibilities. As with most fake tan, good preparation and a bit of patience make all the difference, so exfoliating and moisturising beforehand will create a smooth base. I did this the night before to save time on the day. Although technically a wash-off product, I didn’t trust it enough not to end up with orange palms, so I applied it with a mitt which was far less messy.

My impatience got the better of me the first couple of times I used it and there were some streaks at the back of my calves which didn’t look great. But this time I made sure I spent plenty of time rubbing it in – when I thought I’d blended it enough, I blended some more and it seemed to do the trick: I achieved a natural-looking tan in less than 10 minutes. If you prefer a darker shade, you could easily get a more intense colour by using more product. As it was, a 20p sized blob was enough to do each of my pale legs.

Overall, I was impressed with the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector. It’s a great value product which is ideal for fake-tan-phobes like myself, or for time-pressed tan fans. I suspect I’ll get quite a bit of use out of it in the Spring and Summer. 

Have you tried it yet? Or are there any other wash-off tans which you can recommend? 

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector | £6.99
 
*I’m completely ignoring the BB claim as, frankly, I’m not convinced it’s anything other than marketing speak.