If your skin isn't quite ready to be revealed for summer, you need the kind of glow that you buy in a bottle. The Glossy team test out the best glow-getting skin finishers
Benefit Bathina Body Balm
Price: £23.50
Buy online: www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk
Feedback: “This tinned product from Benefit claims to give a golden-pink glimmer to the body. With a cute velvet puff and and pot of dense balm, the packaging is lovely, complete with the slogan 'Take a picture… it lasts longer.' The puff and balm combination made the application easy and really quite soothing - it's a thick balm which glides on, but I have to say I expected more in terms of colour and shimmer. On my fair skin, there wasn't much of a sheen and after a few hours it had dried in a way that made me look like I have dry skin (which I do, but I was hoping this would moisturise it!). It also has a very strong, floral scent which is a bit overpowering - though for legs which are further from your nostrils this wouldn't be an issue. It felt lovely on, but I'm not sure it gave anything that a moisturiser couldn't do - and possibly do better.“
Reviewer: JJ
Score: 5/10
Burberry Body Oil Mist
Price: £35
Buy online: www.johnlewis.com
Feedback: “The packaging is very appealing so I was quite excited to open it up. Prior to application I showered with a popular unscented shower gel. I opened up Burberry body and the bottle is BEAUTIFUL, it just reads luxe. It sprays on much like a perfume. The scent is very strong, almost unbearably so; I'd describe it as a musky floral detergent scent. It's not terrible but I'm not a fan, personally. It's very heavy and lingers, so at least it has staying power. The oil is superb, it made my skin uber soft and it sunk in quite well. There is the tiniest bit of residue but that could be because I was using it quite excessively. Overall I'd have to give it a 6/10 just because the scent is quite nauseating and it looks like it isn't going away anytime soon!”
Reviewer: IM
Score: 6/10
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Clarins Golden Glow Moisturising Body Lotion
Price: £29.50
Buy online: www.clarins.co.uk
Feedback: “I loved this product; it's very smooth to the touch and absorbs quickly. It is supposed to create a gradual tan but luckily doesn't have that telltale scent that most tanners have. It doesn't give any colour at first; on application it's just like any other moisturiser and there was no colour to speak of. Even a few hours later I couldn’t see any difference in tone, but I’ll stick with it as perhaps it just needs to be built up over time.”
Reviewer: VN
Score: 7/10
NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Or
Price: £34
Buy online: http://uk.spacenk.com/Huile-Prodigieuse-Or/MUK200004753,en_GB,pd.html
Feedback: “This best-selling dry oil contains a cocktail of thirty precious plant oils, vitamin E and golden particles. It's a fantastic multi-tasker and can be used on the face, body and hair to nourish, soften, repair and impart the most beautiful golden sheen. It has the most sublime scent, too - this is one oil that will never disappoint and is simply my summertime essential.”
Reviewer: BB
Score: 10/10
Aromatherapy Associates Roland Mouret Body Serum
Price: £47
Buy online: www.feelunique.com
Feedback: "This product is really light and was absorbed into my skin super quickly, making it really pleasant to use and not greasy at all. It made my skin feel much softer and soothes but it didn't add anything in terms of looks; there was no real glow or tone to it. The scent is a bit too overpowering and a little 'old' for me - not something I'd want to use every day!"
Reviewer: RM
Score: 6/10
This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle
Price: £36
Buy online: www.boots.com
Feedback: "This is a perfect product to get a subtle summer glow and to add that little bit of skin confidence when stepping out in those shorts for the first time this summer. It's really easy to apply thanks to its pump bottle, and comes out as a dark cream - but it blends into a natural, radiant sheen when rubbed in. I found it dried very fast with no sticky residue, leaving my skin feeling deeply moisturised which is a big bonus. I would describe it as a lightweight, subtle foundation for your legs. Blended over bare legs its featherlight texture has a hint of colour that evens out your skin tone whilst smoothing out bumps and imperfections."
Reviewer: SM
Score: 8/10
Omorovicza Gold Shimmer Oil
Price: £52
Buy online: www.liberty.co.uk
Feedback: “I was slightly sceptical about using this oil at first as I've found that lots of 'shimmer' products tend to contain an abundance of what looks like gold glitter particles. However, on applying the oil I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it absorb into the skin super fast and give the most natural looking glow sans any trace of glitter, it also had a divine ylang-ylang and orange blossom scent. It deeply nourishes the skin and leaves it looking naturally beautiful, earning itself a permanent position in my skincare routine.”
Reviewer: KB
Score: 10/10
St Tropez Gold Skin Illuminator
Price: £12.26
Buy online: www.st-tropez.com
Feedback: "I first saw this product being used backstage at London Fashion Week at the Roksanda Illincic show and knew then and there that I needed it in my life. The models' limbs were literally beaming down the catwalks. You can use it on top of a tan or to add some glamour to lacklustre, pasty skin. I use it whenever I have to get my legs, arms or shoulders out, come winter or summer. It comes in three shades but I prefer the golden one - you just rub it in, it's foolproof and voila! You have limbs to be proud of with just the right amount of gleam and it's neither greasy nor metallic looking."
Reviewer: ST
Score: 9/10
Thalgo Polynesia Sacred Oil
Price: £26
Buy online: www.thalgo.co.uk
Feedback: "This is a very lightweight oil-based shimmer that claims to enhance the skin and give a golden shimmery glow. The oil sinks in very easily without any stickiness, and although a small bottle it is very long-lasting. Tropically scented, it has that real getaway scent to it; I used this on holiday last year and I loved the hint of shimmer it adds to tanned skin. However I don't think it adds much excitement to a paler skin tone, so I would probably only use it on holiday when my tan is at its best."
Reviewer: SM
Score: 6/10