The fact that I’m afraid of the sun is no secret.  In fact, as you may have noticed (I’ve only referenced it about 500 times), I’m pale.  Borderline albino, really. To be perfectly honest, I’ve actually had the sales girls at department stores tell me their lines don’t make a tinted foundation for my skin tone.

What you may not realize is why I’m so frightened of UV rays.  It’s actually not vanity – it’s health.  My skin tone means that I’m at a very elevated risk for skin cancer, a fact that has been driven home by my family’s health history.  I’ve had very close family members who have had melanoma removed (one of them, my sister, while she was in her early teens).

But even I’m not immune to the lure of sunkissed skin.  A tan looks healthy, and accentuates the muscle tone I’ve been working so hard on this diet to accentuate.  So, in my quest for a dermatologist-approved glow, I’ve become a self tanner addict.

Some of my favorites, after the jump!

This is a new discovery on my part, and hands down one of my absolute favorites.  Unlike many products, which can look orange (even when they’re not supposed to) on my very fair skin, this self tanner just produced a believable brown, subtle color.

Even better, the 360-degree aerosol delivery made it really easy for me to reach places that I normally can’t reach myself (like between my shoulder blades).  And the Skin So Soft formulation delivered touchably soft, moisturized skin.

I love that this Sensitive Skin formulation is hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic, even on the face. And the fact that Avene R&D designed the lightweight, non-greasy product for easy application with no staining or tidemarks is a total plus – I have yet to truly master the art of the “lotion” (as opposed to spray) self tanner, so this makes life a lot easier for me.

The product boosts a “high percentage of soothing, softening Avene thermal spring water, it is well tolerated by even the most sensitive skin.”  While I don’t have sensitive skin myself, I can see how my friends with that problem would benefit.

Finally, the scent is unmistakably “self tanner,” yet it’s a lighter scent than other options in the mass arena, and is definitely more pleasant.

Let me preface this by saying that as a general rule, I’m not a fan of VS lotions.  They certainly have their appeal, but I tend to find the scent too cloying for my tastes and the consistency of the product not to my liking.  It’s a personal opinion, but there it is.

That aside, I have to say that I actually really like the Bare Bronze moisturizer.  It gives a very subtle color that you can control through daily application (or, in my case, by mixing the product with some Cetaphil moisturizer).  Because this option is primarily a moisturizer, not a tanner, it features a host of very cool ingredients, including:

• Aloe butter and silk protein nourish and hydrate.
• Antioxidant Vitamins A, C and E provide protection.
• Pearl extract helps maintain healthy, young-looking skin.

Overall, it’s an easy to apply, long lasting, subtle product.  My one complaint about the Bare Bronze Daily Glow Moisturizer is the smell – other brands have found a way to temper the chemically odor of self tanner, but this product didn’t even bother to try and mask it.

Tags: avene, avene moisturizing self tanning lotion, avon, avon skin so soft, avon skin so soft satin glow, Bronzer, Self Tanner, victoria's secret, victoria's secret bare bronze daily glow moisturizer

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 11:47 am and is filed under Schmears. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.