LRP Autohelios Self-Tan Gel: Light Tan for Fair Maidens (But Michelle Keegan and Aengus MacGrianna Won't Like it)

My name is not Marion but I am a fair maiden. I have to be careful with the self-tanning products that I use because I want to look like me with just a dusting of sun-love, as opposed to a woman that has just been dipped in a tin of varnish.

La Roche Posay is a favourite with many of our readers, so much so that it won best Facial SPF in our Beautie Awards 2014. So when I spied their Autohelios Melt Self-Tan Gel (€15.95 for 100ml) on the shelf in my local pharmacy, lo and behold, there must have been some kind of tremor under the Irish tectonic plates because it just kinda tumbled into my basket.

And I am, eh, grateful for this Richter activity because I am now the proud owner of a lightly sun kissed face.

I used quite a thin layer of product on the face (taking care to pop some vaseline on the eyebrows and around the hairline) and the consistency means that it sinks in rapidly. I woke up with a light colour, more 'caramel' toned than a darker hue, but the small quantity of product used meant that I look a healthier but not actually tanned.

Sure there are some porcelain girls who can rock the pale and look gawjus, but my skin really benefits from a light coverage.

If, however, you like a darker colour or your skin is naturally more sallow, you might want to look elsewhere. And I know two people who definitely won't be using this product - Michelle Keegan and Aengus MacGrianna.

Michelle recently said:

This is my natural skin; I don’t wear fake tan. I can’t help it: I have Spanish heritage.

And our very own news-y icon Aengus told us that his colour is all his own. Don't believe us? You can check out his reply to our coverage of his wedding here. No news on Anne though.

But if you are the owner of fair, sensitive skin that has no Spanish heritage, then you should perhaps hope for a bottle to fall into your basket.

Have you tried out LRP Autohelios self-tan gel? Would you be tempted to give it a go on your fair skin?