It seems but a distant memory now but I'm sure there were a couple of warm days not too long ago which caused me to fly into a panic at the thoughts of exposing my milky white legs to the elements.
I keep them closely under wraps for most of the year but I will, under duress, give them a bit of an airing on exceptionally warm days.
Now I was in a bit of a dilemma as to what to slap on to give my legs a hint of a tint when I saw an article in one of the Sunday colour supplements where various types of body lotion, designed to give a gradual build up of colour, were put through their paces and given marks out of 10.
I was quite pleased to see that the Johnsons Holiday Skin, which I failed miserably with last year, didn't score very highly at all. I had begun to think I was the only person in the world who failed to get satisfactory results from this after reading all the glowing reviews about the stuff.
The one that
came out tops with highest marks was a new lotion produced by L'Oreal and called Nutrisummer.
It comes in two types, one for medium skin and one for fair and the recommended retail price is £6.99 for a 200 ml tube, although I picked mine up in Superdrug for less than this, but whether it is still on offer or not, I don't know.
Having such a pathetically pale complexion, I opted for the fair variety.
It works on the same principle as all the other body lotions whereby you apply it daily and it will gradually build up a tanned look over time because it contains a very light dose of L'Oreal's own "soft-tan", a self tan ingredient.
It also promises 24 hour hydration which supposedly keeps the skin moisturised for 24 hours after applying and leaves it with a velvety texture.
According to L'Oreal, one of the key components of the lotion is "hydralium". Not having heard of this before, I thought I would look it up and the google search came up with the following:
"Hydralium is a hydrating complex made of a unique association of glycerine and silicon, acting as a moisturiser. It has a relieving and soothing effect on the skin. It is used in cosmetic products, namely creams, milks, lotions, gels, powders and essential oils. It is used in several new L'Oreal skin products".
Quite a brave claim to make I thought but decided to put it to the test myself and after bathing, I applied this instead of my usual body lotion.
It does advise to wash hands after application. I made sure to heed this advice after last year's disastrous attempts to use the Johnsons Holiday Skin left me with orange palms and grimy brown bits in between each finger that no amount of scrubbing would remove.
The lotion is white in colour and has a consistency somewhat similar to toothpaste in that it doesn't gush out of the tube when it is squeezed, is rather thick and creamy and not in the least runny.
It has quite a strong smell which I didn't particularly like as I prefer more fruity or citrussy smells. This is a rather sweet and cloying artifical smell but nothing too awful and would probably appeal to those who have a preference for stronger smelling body lotions.
It rubs in quickly and the only problem is that it is colourless when applied to the skin, so quite difficult to know where you've applied and if you've missed any bits.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the skin does feel much softer and moisturised after rubbing it in, but the crunch time would be the next morning to find out if there were any streaks or orange ankles to contend with.
After inspection the next day I could just find a white patch near my ankle which I managed to miss, but not a streak, stripe, brown ankle to be seen. The change in colour was very subtle and not glaringly obvious. It also didn't rub off on pale towels on subsequent bathing sessions.
The instructions written on the back of the tube do tell you to apply one or two times a day but as I'm so very pale, once every few days was quite sufficient for me.
By about the third application my legs were taking on a slightly golden hue but nothing too obvious or glaringly fake looking.
Typically we're back to normal weather conditions again now and endless rain, so my legs are well covered up again, but should we ever get another sunny spell, I'm ready for it now and shall definitely be giving my legs another once over with the Nutrisummer.
There is a warning that the lotion doesn't contain sun filters, so if you are going to be outside in more sunny climes, don't forget to put some sun protection on over the top of your newly tanned legs.
It is also not to be applied to the face, though it doesn't say why not and I'm not going to ignore their instructions and slap some on for the benefit of research. I should imagine it is because it is a quite strong fragrance which would probably have adverse effects when applied to the delicate facial area.
My opinion is that this beats the Johnsons version hands down - or legs up come to that and I shall use it again.
I couldn't see lanolin listed in the ingredients but just in case it's there under another name, L'oreal have a Consumer Advisory Department, telephone number UK 0845 399 1949 - which you could ring to check, before buying.
Ignore the criteria below, it bears no relevance to the product.
I've knocked one star off as I disliked the smell but it might appeal to others.
It sounds OK! ~ I use Ambre Solaire 'After sun tan maintainer' and have not found a better one. It's also very natural looking. I may try this and compare. Well reviewed. :-)
dancingqueen_1993 17.07.2007 18:04
fantastic. this review has everything you need to know about the product
.gif)
exceptional by (10%):
very helpful by (90%):
