Review: Neutrogena Sun Fresh Sunless Lotion in Medium/Deep

I have a confession to make: up until a week ago, I was a self-tanner virgin.

The product that deflowered me? Neutrogena Sun Fresh Sunless Lotion in Medium/Deep.

I tan fairly easily and rarely burn, so I never really saw the point in self-tanner. However, the other day I looked down at my legs and was shocked at how unattractively dull they appeared (winter was to blame, no doubt). This called for immediate action...

The product claims to be "a fresh new approach to a natural-looking tan. The ultra-light formula infuses skin with sheer, natural looking color, then seals it in with skin-silkening hydration. The luscious scent, with notes of grapefruit and nectarine, creates a fresh experience that stays fresh all day."

I was a bit worried that I would end up a bright orange oompa-loompa, but the scent was far more pleasing than any other drugstore self-tanner I'd sniffed before, which was reassuring. I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'luscious,' but it's certainly tolerable.

After exfoliating thoroughly in the shower and drying off, I applied the lotion as evenly as I could. The product claims a drying time of 5 minutes, which wasn't too far off the actual drying time for me (about 7, 8 minutes). I dressed and continued with my day as normal.

About four hours later, I was pleased to find that I was not at all orange. Instead, I was sporting a rather believable tan, and the self-tanner smell was far from obvious. There were a few streaks on my lower arms, but that was my fault for not blending in the lotion well enough.

One application was enough color for me, so I don't know how well the tan builds with reapplication. The color lasted about 4 days without reapplication.

Overall, I was happy with this product. What would make it better? If the lotion had a tint, so it could be applied evenly more easily. Because if you aren't careful, this will definitely streak. Also, you don't get that much product for the price - but I'm willing to overlook that for the results.

Ease of Use: 3.5/5
Results: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

Neutrogena Sun Fresh Sunless Lotion is available at Drugstore.com for $9.99.