Nivea Sun Kissed Firming Moisturizer Review
We recently went on a trip to an all day amusement park affair, and I forgot my self tanner, which I really needed because I would be wearing shorts or cut off pants (capris), and my legs were as white as a ghost. So, we stopped at the local store and I ended up picking out a gradual self tanner after much debate, since they didn’t really have many full-on self tanners there, so I really had to choose from one of the ones that are displayed year-round since we are coming up on fall here in Ohio, which narrowed it down to the slew of gradual self tanners that have come out from the makers of moisturizers.
I ended up deciding on a Nivea product, because I do like the Nivea line of moisturizers, and thought that since I know they have a high quality moisturizing line and even some decent cellulite treatment products, how could I really go wrong with their gradual self tanner? So I settled on one called Sun-Kissed Firming Moisturizer, which is both a firming agent as well as a touch of self tanner in it, for a gradually worked on glow. I bought the self tanner that was made for those with “medium to dark skin”, although I am fair skinned, since I wanted quicker, darker results that would be overnight almost or maybe two nights since I didn’t have much time for my self tan to develop.
The Nivea tanner comes in an 8.4 oz container, and runs about six bucks which isn’t half bad at all cost wise. The consistency of the product is very watery in my opinion, so if you try it, you’re gonna want to make sure you don’t squeeze too hard or too much product will come out and you’ll have to distribute it over more surface area than you thought to get it to sink in without wasting it.
There is a faint smell of DHA to it (the chemical that causes the darkening of the skin in self tanners), but nothing too offensive. It rubs in right away, so you have to be careful not to over do it in some areas since it absorbs very quickly. I found that I over did it on my feet, which I had already applied moisturizer to as a prevention measure against it getting too dark down there sincce the drier areas do tend to darken more easily, but I still got a darkening there that didn’t quite look right.
As far as the smell when you are wearing it, it’s not too bad once the DHA activates, although you can smell a faint smell again when it activates. The Ginkgo extract is a nice touch for a shimmery and firming quality added to the cream, and you won’t find me complaining about any product that adds firmness while also creating a nice self tan.
The color was to be expected, pretty much the same as any self tanner, only much lighter since the DHA concentration wasn’t too heavy. Overall, this isn’t a bad choice for a gradual self tanner, just don’t expect a huge change in color - it does still take time, even if you buy a shade darker than your natural skin tone, which is what I did.
