Last time we talked about the Lancome tanning mousse, which received a dismal rating of 17/30. I still can't figure out why Elle named it one of the top 5 self-tanners!?

Lancome Flash Bronzer Glow 'N Wear - a 2007 CEW Beauty Awards finalist -is a FAR superior product. It claims to be "Virtually Transfer Free," and guess what? It is!

Glow 'N Wear is a tinted gel, available in Shimmer Tan and Natural (no shimmer) formulas. The tint in both versions is lovely - a sheer, golden tan that lets you see where you've applied the product and provides a nice "instant" tan. Shimmer Tan has the added bonus of very fine gold shimmer; it's noticeable, but nowhere near Studio 54-esque crazy disco shimmer.

Glow 'N Wear has a strong, "perfume-y" floral scent out of the bottle, but it eventually fades into what you'd otherwise assume was a scented body lotion. The telltale DHA smell appears as the product develops, but it never attains the bizarre metallic quality of some others (most notably, its sister product, the mousse). Overall, Glow 'N Wear scores moderately high on the scent front.

Now, that claim of being "virtually transfer free." Believe it or not, it's true. For a tinted self tanner, this product is incredibly neat. It dries in less than 5 minutes, even on large areas of the body, with no sticky or tacky feeling. As long as you don't work up a sweat or get rained on, it stays where it belongs - on your skin - with no transfer onto sheets, clothes, purses, or shoes.

The resulting tan takes a few hours to develop underneath the tint, and it's gorgeous. Not even a hint of orange.

Just to prove the point, I've gone through several bottles of both the Natural and Shimmer Tan over the last few months. Normally I'd balk at the price tag of $29.50 for 5 oz, but this time it's 100% worth it.

Fake Bake Month Official Rating

Scent: 3
Color: 5
Texture: 5
Drying Time: 5
Neatness: 5
Bonus Points: 3 (for identical shimmer and non-shimmer formulas)

Total Rating: 26/30

Ed. Note 9/1/10: This product has since been repackaged and reformulated; check out Flash Bronzer Tinted Self-Tanning Body Gel.