I am fully aware that skin cancer is scary business and not worth the fake-baking/laying out for hours on end. I also have a pretty healthy fear of getting wrinkley in the future, so, to protect myself, I wear my sunscreen. But I recently realized that maybe sunscreen wasn’t enough, and getting my glow a different way may be a better option.

I started investigating.

My former roommate loved sprays, but I personally don’t trust myself with them. I am mildly OCD and need a lotion to ensure I’m not missing anything. I went on a quest to find the perfect lotion and came across a new product: Jergens Natural Glow Express. It looked just like the rest, except that it claimedto show results in 3 days. Conveniently, I was heading on vacation in 3 days, so I grabbed it.

Please bear in mind that I consider myself an idiot with any sort of gradual tanning product, so if I can find success with this stuff, anyone can. It is virtuly idiot-proof!

The bottle is 4 ounces, and at my local retailer it only cost me $5.99. Depending on where you go, it may be as much as $7.99, but it’s a lot cheaper than spending $30-$40 for a spray-tan at a salon. I did as suggested: exfoliated, shaved, rubbed in the lotion in a circular motion.

After day 1, I must say, I was a little bronzer than before, without a hint of orange. I clearly wasn’t careful enough around my ankles (as made evident by the minor streak-age), but my goal for day two was to amend my mistakes by exfoliating a little extra in those areas. Voila! After being a little more particular on day 2, there were no more streaks.

By day 3 I definitely looked darker and not orange, which I proved by asking about 7 different people, 100 different times. (They were slightly annoyed, but what can I say? I was proud of my sunless glow.) I didn’t use this product on my face, as I use my own bronzing powder and what-not, but Jergens has an express version of the face tan as well.

This stuff is awesome; hit your local drugstore to try it yourself.

(Photo courtesy of futurederm.com)