Lancôme's Bronze Riviera summer color collection features natural mineral blush, new Juicy Tubes and a limited edition bronzer. Courtesy photo.

Lancôme gets it: Sure, we want to look bronzed. But we also want to look young.

The French brand's latest launch is Flash Bronzer Face Lotion, which adds the anti-aging benefits of seaweed extract, antioxidants and SPF 15 protection to a self-tanning product that tints skin with natural caramel extract and light-reflecting micro-pearls. Gentle notes of jasmine and honey dry into a summery wood base for light fragrance.

Lancôme claims that you'll see color within 30 minutes, and that your new tan will last up to five days. They've also added stain resistant technology, though we caution against bronzing and then hopping into your brightest whites right immediately afterward.

The rest of the brand's top-selling self-tanners have also been repackaged and reformulated to contain the natural caramel-tint as well as pure Vitamin E and light-reflecting mico-pearls.



And if you're on a beauty budget, we hear that insiders in-the-know often double up and use the leg gel successfully on the face.

"I know you're supposed to exfoliate before putting the self-tanner on, but I don't even do that. And I use the leg gel on my face! The color comes out great and it works, so I've stuck with it," Lancôme's Beauty At Every Age expert Sandy Linter quietly told us at a recent event.

While the summer collection includes loose mineral blush, all-natural peach and pink Juicy Tubes and a perfectly pink polish, our pick is the oversized Bamboo Bronzer -- which is big enough to double as a self-defense weapon.

"Bronzer under the cheekbones, chin and on the tip of the nose gives you a sexy contour that looks very natural," advises Linter.

We'll have to ring up Linter come September for more tips, as we bet that bronzing disc will last far into the fall and winter.