How to get bronze without brass

As Lidl launches a £1 self-tan cream, our guide to the best tanning bargains

After a few months of relentless rain, and even more relentless economic gloom, the prospect of acquiring a tan for less than the price of a cup of tea is alluring. But you may be surprised that the latest place to get your ‘just got back from St Barts’ tan is none other than bargain-basement supermarket Lidl.

From today, for just one week, the foodstore will be offering the cheapest instant bronzer on the High Street.

The Glow’N’Go Instant Tan will be offered in two formulations — matte and shimmer — and costs just £1 for 100mls. Unlike fake tans, this product won’t stain your skin, but instead creates the illusion of a tan until you want to wash it off.

At Lidl head office, they are confident it will sell out, saying: ‘It is a one-off, as-long-as-stocks-last promotion, and it’s great for people coming back from their holidays and wanting to top up their tan.’

But will women really want to get their beauty products alongside budget baked beans? And can a £1 product really give you that Elle Macpherson glow?

The truth is, Lidl has a reputation as the middle-class housewife’s guilty pleasure. While the car parks may be full of rusty Hondas rather than gleaming 4x4s, and credit cards are banned, you can stock up on such dinner party staples as Brie, rocket salad, Parma ham and Prosecco sparkling wine at rock bottom prices.

And Lidl also has a record for super-cheap weekly offers that regularly sell out, and often ensure queues of bargain-hunters at the doors.

But the big surprise about Lidl’s Bronze Ambition Glow’N’Go is that is made by British beauty company Creightons, which also produces the Potter & Moore label, whose bath and body products and scented candles in sophisticated scents such as Orange Flower and Amber and Lavender and can be found in a host of glamorous boutique hotels.

Partly because of the weather and partly because of our fear of the sun leaving our skin looking like a leather handbag, sales of fake tan have boomed this year.

I’m normally an addict of upmarket brands such as Xen-Tan and St Tropez, so I’m not expecting much from a Lidl beauty product.

When I put it on, the chocolate- brown gel is initially a trifle alarming, but it smells rather deliciously of pineapple and coconut, making me crave a pina colada.

After an initial streakiness, it easily rubs into my skin. The sheer texture leaves my face naturally glowing, as though I’ve spent the day in the sun.

My husband, who was initially horrified by the idea of a Lidl tanner (‘You are going to look like a chavvy orange’) is impressed.

Glow’N’Go comes in only one shade. I have olive skin, and it’s perfect for perking up a fading tan, but it also worked on a paler friend. Despite my initial reticence, I’d definitely add this to my make-up bag.

But what if you miss out on the Lidl promotion? Log onto beautyatcreightons.co.uk and you’ll find Glow’N’Go online for just 99p, plus £1.95 delivery. And no baked beans in sight. Sorry, Lidl!

Source: Daily Mail