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Lisa's Golden Glow a Go-Go
Soon enough, summer will be over and fall will bring cooler weather and the end of days spent outside. Thankfully, there is an easy (and much safer) way to maintain that summer color: self-tanners! I have been using self-tanner all summer long, and plan to do so well into winter. Since I am normally so incredibly pale, I like the richness and golden glow that self-tanner adds to my skin. Not to mention that it camouflages redness, spider veins, and other little skin imperfections. Recently, I tried two new self-tanners for the body, and a tinted moisturizer for the face that I like quite a bit.
Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer
is a great choice if self-tanner scares you a bit. It has a very low level of the tanning ingredient, so the results are always pretty and natural. I purchased the formula for fair skintones, and in about three days I had just a hint of color. Application is simple and stress-free, just apply like you would any moisturizer - no worries about streaking. Apply every day until you get the level of color you want, and then apply every couple of days to maintain.
I like Jergens Natural Glow because it does not add too much color, but warms up my skin, and acts a bit like "foundation" for the body; it does a fabulous job of evening skintone and hiding those little veins that have cropped up on my legs (hello, mid 30's!). If you want just a hint of glow, you should give this one a try. It also comes in a formula made for medium skin tones.
I also tried Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Spray Micro Mist
- another winner! What I love most about this formula is the fine, continuous mist spray application, which allows you to apply quickly and easily. One caveat: while the directions say to spray about six inches from your skin, this didn't work for me at all, and left me with the dreaded tiger stripes. However, when I moved the bottle about a foot from my skin, the results were beautiful: I didn't have to rub it in, and was easily able to apply to my back without any help (although my husband was a bit disappointed, because this is usually his job!).
Since I tried the Neutrogena formula, I won't use any other. No more scrubbing my hands to avoid the yucky "orange palm." I simply spray the medium shade on top of my regular body lotion, and have a lovely, sun-kissed hue. A word of advice: do this in the bathtub, or while standing on a big, dark towel, because the fine mist tends to go everywhere.
With my darker skintone, I needed to change up my foundation to match. Since self-tanner does a great job of evening out my complexion in its own right, I don't want a heavy, creamy foundation on top of it. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer
is an excellent tinted moisturizer that easily beats its more expensive competitors. Two of our other reviewers have sung its praises, and I wanted to add my voice to the chorus.
Seriously, you have to try this one, people. Sheer color, SPF 20, and a dose of retinol make this your one stop application for sheer coverage, moisture, and sun protection. At $11, you can afford to have a few different colors, but each shade works well with a variety of skintones because of how sheer it is. I use this every day, and would be hard pressed to sack it in favor of something more expensive. Bravo Neutogena!
You can find any of these products at your local CVS or Walgreens, as well as drugstore.com. They are all a great bargain, and perform just as well as their higher-priced counterparts. This means you get to look fabulous, and save a buck or two - always a beautiful combination!
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Posted August 30, 2005
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