The Body Shop Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil

Alright, so it’s a little late in the season for a review of The Body Shop’s Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil but hey, I've been busy.

I’m generally weary of any product that uses phrases like “even bronzed look,” “honey-bronze glow” and “tan-enhancing” because usually these products look horrible on my pale skin. But this, this one actually works, in part because it’s not trying at all to be natural. No, this product is all about the shimmer and that’s something I can pull off.

But while it’s shimmery, it’s a subtle shimmer. Again, certainly not natural, I don’t think shimmer can ever be natural, but as far as shimmers goes, this one is quiet tasteful and pretty, and adds just the right amount of bronze-tinged highlights t to where ever you apply it.

Now, in the bottle that bronze colour looks rather strong but once on your skin it’s actually even more subtle than the shimmer and is much closer to the colour of honey than bronze. Applying multiple coats will intensify the bronze colour but then doing so also ups the shimmer level and like with any shimmer product, it is possible to over-apply this one (though you do really have to heap this stuff on to get into that territory).

The Body Shop calls this product both a “dry oil” and a “lightweight body oil.” I prefer the first term because literally, this oil dries as soon as it hits your skin, leaving you with a pretty, slightly bronze shimmer, as well as a lovely scent (though a warning, some might find this scent a bit strong).

On the left, several coats, on the right, just one

This product does do a pretty good job of staying in place as long as you don’t touch it. If you say, rub it on your shoulders and then touch your shoulders, the shimmer will transfer to your hands. Because of that, I would avoid wearing this oil on any body part that might come into contact with delicate or light-coloured fabric.

I would also avoid travelling with this product. While it does come in a sturdy glass bottle that has a stopper, it still has the potential to make a huge mess if it were to break or spill.

Would I buy this again: Given the size of the bottle, 100 ml, I really don’t think I’ll ever need to buy any more.

Should you buy it: If you’re looking for something that will make you look tanned or bronzed, skip this item. But if you want to enhance your existing tan, or just want to bring a bronzy glow to your SPF-protected skin then check this product out.

While it retails on TheBodyShop.ca for $22, I have seen it recently in store on sale (which makes sense since this is really a summer product).