Review: Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze Body Lotion

Everyone feels better with a tan don't they? Life just seems a little bit brighter when your skin looks like you've been hanging in the Bahamas for the past week instead of the reality of sitting in the office or your classroom. I'll always love having a tan but have found the process a bit of a faff to keep up regularly (I'm super lazy), so always stuck to instant for nights out (good old St Moriz) and then spend the rest of the week looking like Casper's little sister.

When it comes to gradual tanning lotions I have memories stapled in my mind of school days where the girls (myself included) used to coat their bodies in Dove Summer Glow and more often than not make a total hack job of it and be walking around with bright orange streaks down their legs getting progressively more prominent as the week went on - not a great look to be sporting really! 

I gave gradual tanners another chance when I picked up Palmer's Natural Bronze lotion while it was in a half price sale after Christmas (usual RRP is £5.35 from Boots: link). I love the Palmers regular cocoa butter body butter; it's the most nourishing and beautiful smelling product I've ever put on my body, so I was hoping that this would be the same except it would leave me looking golden and beautifully tanned. It does still smooth and nourish the skin and doesn't leave any tacky residue behind which I love, and also it comes with a pump dispenser - something that I'll always be a fan of (small things). The main difference though is that it most definitely does not smell beautiful. It is as far from sweet cocoa butter as you can possibly imagine! A lot of fake tans have that biscuit/beef crisps lingering kind of smell and this one is no different. I don't mind it and can happily live with it, but it's not a scent that my boyfriend can put up with! Oh dear. Looks like this is just one to use when he's not around then. So, if anyone knows of any good fragrance free tanners just like this one then let me know!

With the tan itself I have never had any problems with it being streaky/stripey/patchy/blotchy and it has always come out lovely and even all over and although it is pretty dark which shocked me for a 'gradual' tan, it still looks a natural shade and isn't orange. The lotion comes out of the bottle white and looks like any other moisturiser so it can be hard to tell where you have or haven't applied it yet but as long as you're careful with how you apply and make sure to rub it in well and blend it in carefully at your hands and feet (often my downfall is failing to blend at my hands), then you shouldn't have a problem. The tan takes a couple of hours to develop and fades away gradually and evenly with each shower. You can reapply every day or every other day to build this up to a deeper and darker tan, or because it comes out so dark with one use you could use it the night before a special occasion and be prepared to be asked where you've been on holiday!

Cheap and cheerful at just over a fiver and doubling up as both an everyday moisturiser and a natural tanner this is an amazing product that I'm sure I'll repurchase, providing I can get my boyfriend to put up with the smell!

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