I'm sure NARS created the new, limited-edition Body Illuminator ($45) in Laguna for me. Well, maybe for everyone like me, sun phobes who look too white to wear a sun dress. I don't miss the sun - and the damage that came with it - but I do hate my pasty appearance in tank tops and shorts when I "go ultra-casual."The NARS Body Illuminator will give you fair-skinned beauties a golden glow from head to toe - or wherever you want it. Laguna Body Illuminator imparts a bronze (but not too bronze, more like sun-kissed) radiance. It also deliciously scents the skin with the exotic, tropical Monoï de Tahiti oil. In short, it looks great and smells great - and it washes off. There's no weeks-long commitment.
After the success of their award-winning, light-reflecting illuminators for the face, NARS created this illuminator for body application. The color dries quickly, stays put, and does not transfer onto clothing. It's perfect for arms, legs, neck, and décolleté, and you can use it year-round.
This product contains bisabolol, obtained from the chamomile plant, and used to soothe and care for dry skin. Bisabolol has a weak, sweet floral aroma and is used in various fragrances. It has been used for hundreds of years in cosmetics because of its perceived skin healing, anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. It also has açaí oil, polar berries, and sodium hyaluronate - all good things for your skin. In addition to those ingredients, there's Indian Frankincense, believed to have soothing and comforting properties. As a rule, I don't like the smell of frankincense, but I don't smell it in this body tint. I smell its luscious tropical scent.
NARS had another product a year or two ago (I still have it), scented with French Polynesian Monoï de Tahiti oil. NARS Monoï Body Glow II is/was a body oil that captures the fragrance of the native Taire flower soaked in coconut oil. Body Glow II is so intoxicating, I still have it. I ration my use of it because I never want to run out.
The shade of the Laguna Body Illuminator is subtle, which is why I love it. For my swatch photo, I applied it on my arm as I would apply it naturally. It blends easily and leaves behind a pretty tan color - not muddy or surreal. I've seen it on Kathy Shoreman hours after application. I thought she had used a self-tanner on her arms. It's a perfect shade for both of us. It is not, in my opinion, a perfect shade for those with dark skin, but dark-skinned beauties probably aren't worried about looking pasty. You could wear it as a light illuminator.
The finish is slightly shimmering - pleasantly so. It will jazz up your appearance without shouting fake. The shimmer you see on the left side of my photo is the sun's reflection. The finish is closer to what you can see on the right side of my arm. I turned my arm away from the sun while taking the photo to try to reduce the glare.
You can purchase the NARS Body Illuminator at NARS online or at NARS counters at Neiman Marcus and other department stores - Sephora too. NARS is offering free shipping with a purchase from Portrait of Paradise, so it would be a good time to order it if you can't get to a NARS counter.
Photo at top courtesy of Sephora