I have a confession: I really love being tan. Even though I know how terrible the sun is for my skin, a small part of me misses how I felt after a long stint of laying out, baking in it (and between you and me, I even have a little nostalgia for my tanning bed days. Don’t worry, I’m cringing too).
Fast-forward to today and that kind of exposure is a huge no-no. In fact, if there’s one hard rule of beauty, it’s that you simply must wear sunscreen. UVA/UVB rays cause cancer, but they also accelerate the aging process, creating age spots, discoloration and fine lines and wrinkles. Not worth it.
So I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t be naturally tan anymore—I know too much. But what’s a girl to do when she wants a summer glow? Invest in Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Serum, that’s what. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when it first crossed my desk, because the product looks like straight up self-tanner out of the bottle. But as soon as I rubbed it into the back of my hand, that harsh faux tan color dissolved into the prettiest bronze hue that melted into my skin and looked like the real deal. I decided to put it on my face and became obsessed at first wear.
First of all, Drunk Elephant is one of the OG clean beauty brands I first tried when switching to an all-natural skin-care routine. I know that none of its products have toxins and chemicals so I just plain feel good when I use them. Second of all, there is a slew of skin-rejuvenating and protecting ingredients (like cocoa extract, platinum peptides and skin-brightening chronopeptides) in this specific tube that make it more of a two-for-one product. At its core, it’s an anti-pollution and anti-aging serum that helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and dullness. And on the surface, it leaves me with a (safe) sun-kissed glow, the reason why everyone has been complimenting my “radiant” skin.