Bronzing big time!

This weekend, the weather in Vancouver was just amazing, I didn't actually think it's possible here: sunny, really warm and altogether summery! It definitely put me in the holiday mood, which practically equals wanting a nice, golden tan :) So I digged out any self-tanning/bronzing products I had stocked up in the bathroom cabinet and so the project 'Holiday Skin' began.

Right now, I am using Dove Summer Glow Beauty Body Lotion to tan my body. It's a 'moisturizer with subtle self-tanners and light reflecting pigments. Gradually builds a beautiful light summer tan'. The light reflecting pigments are nothing more than golden shimmer, and I am not so crazy about that part, because I'd prefer to highlight only certain parts of my body with the shimmer, like arms or legs, and not necessarily my feet, for instance. I have the fair to normal skin version and I have to say I quite like the color it gives me. I feel it looks pretty similar to my natural tan, which is never chocolate brown, but something closer to golden or peachy shades. The smell is also ok: when you squeeze it onto your skin, it smells very fruity (sort of apricot?), and then of course you get a little bit of that fake tan smell, but it fades quite fast and doesn't bother me too much. I know that Lollipop26 also likes this lotion :)

For my face, I am using Johnson's Holiday Skin Daily Facial Moisturiser. I bought it a long time ago together with their Holiday Skin lotion for the body, but I wasn't a huge fan of this latter product. The facial version claims to keep your face moisturized all day and gradually build a beautiful, light tan (why do the marketing people keep using the same expression for this type of product?!).  I like the packaging, it's a simple, golden yellow tube which makes squeezing the cream out very easy. I also quite like the color it leaves on my skin. And that's it for the pros, unfortunately. I am not too fond of the smell, it actually does smell like fake tan right away, the consistency is quite runny and feels a bit greasy on my skin (I've got normal to combination skin version), it doesn't have any SPF protection in it, and I don't think it is a good moisturizer. I try to remede the last two cons by applying this early in the morning, well before going out, and then washing it off and applying my regular day cream before putting on make-up and hitting the road.

To make my face and decollete seem even more tanned and glowing, I use my Coastal Scents Sheer Radiance blusher. To me, it's definitely a bronzing product; in the pot it looks very orange and shimmery, but again, once I blend it into my skin, it looks pretty much like my natural tan. I apply it where the sun would naturally hit me, i.e. on my cheeks, chin, forehead and nose, as opposed to where you'd place a bronzer to contour your face. 

Once I develop a darker tan thanks to these products, I'm planning to attempt a silver eye look as seen on Armani and Blumarine S/S 2009 shows. Watch this space for that!

Thanks for stopping by :) xxx