I had a stylist bleach my hair and put in ugly brassy and yellow highlights when I wanted to be beige/ash blonde. I had to go in and get highlighted again and they had to go lighter to strip out the copper/orange color. Anyways I am so thankful that I ordered this prior because my hair is now so light it is almost white (more natural looking than the orange, but still very very blonde even with the blue-beige low lights they put in).
First this self tanning lotion is more like a watery gel. The ingredients are few and so they do not aggreviate my very acne prone skin. I put it on last night on slightly dewy skin (from misting) as they recommended. I washed my hands good. This morning I woke up and found that I had a natural color to my skin. It is not streaky anywhere and my hands are not stained. This self tanner gives a light natural color, not a dark tan like some self tanners can give -but I also feel that this is a buildable self tanner. I really do not think that this stuff (the color added to the skin) will peel off after a couple days (like other self tanners can do if the color is built up). The smell (reg. self tanning ingredient smell) is light and goes away after you wash your face.
I think that at $12 a bottle this stuff will last a long time. I took a nickle sized portion and it worked on my damp face, neck, and chest (area that will show through a deep v-neck shirt). It is made for the face and body and did not clog my pores on my face (like most tanners do!). I would say that this gives a lighter color than Lancomes flash bronzer (but Lancomes bronzer is tinted, tiny tiny tiny, and expensive for how long it lasts!)
I am very fair (NC15-NW20) so this may not show up on darker skin very well without building it.