During the festive season, a lot of party dresses are sleeveless or have a deep V-neck. As ‘sleeveless’ and ‘deep V-neck’ don’t rhyme with ‘milky white skin’, I’ve got two options: stay away from the sleeveless, deep V-neck dress or get a tan…

But how to get a quick tan in the midst of winter? Not by booking a flight to the south of Spain and not by going to the tanning station… but by smearing a body lotion which gradually gives a natural colour. And that’s where ‘Dove Derma Spa Summer Revived Shimmer Body Lotion’ steps in!

The promises

This is what I could read on the Dove website:

I use this body lotion a couple of hours before going to sleep and that for a couple of nights in a row. That way I’ve got a lovely soft shade after 2-3 days.

I apply an even layer on my arms and cleavage (I don’t do my legs as in winter I wear tights) and after applying I carefully wash my hands with soap (not forgetting my cuticles!).

I do a body scrub regularly to avoid patches.

Pros 

• Gives a gradual tan.
• This is a very hydrating lotion.
• Easy to apply.
• The lotion gets absorbed by the skin quickly.
• Economic in use, a 200 ml tube will take you very far!!
• The price (about 8 EUR for a 200 ml tube).
• Comes in 2 shades: fair and dark. I’ve got quite a fair skin, but I still use the dark version. I have used the fair body lotion, but I didn’t notice a lot so now I am using the darker shade which is still not very dark!!
• This lotion gives a soft shimmer, nothing to bling bling though! There is also a non-shimmer version.

Cons

• Sometimes I’ve got patches, but nothing a good scrub won’t fix 🙂
• There’s a slight hint of the typical selftanning smell, but once the body lotion is applied, the smell disappears quite fast.

Conclusion

This is a very good gradual bronzer at a very friendly price. So when you’re in need of a bronzed skin by Christmas, you know what to buy!

Love, Kathleen

Here you can read another review of a gradual tanner.