It’s no exaggeration when I say I’ve been looking for the perfect bronzer forever. OK, so at least since I realized how sickly I look in the winter and how a little bit of color really does make all the difference. Every bronzer I tried either looked incredibly fake on me or felt thick and caked on. Until I discovered The Body Shop’s Bronzing Powder.

I tried pretty much every bronzer in the drug stores and couldn’t find anything that looked natural. I didn’t want it to be obvious I was getting all my color from bronzer, but I also didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg. I don’t know what possessed me to walk into The Body Shop because I rarely ever shop there. But I saw their bronzing powder for only $18.50 and the salesgirl had nothing but good things to say. It was more than I was spending at the drugstore, but if I continued buying horrible $8 bronzers, I would be bankrupt anyway, so I went for the sort of splurge (don’t get me wrong, I know I could be spending much, much more on bronzer).

I also purchased a large brush, which is what the salesgirl suggested for application. Immediately after I brushed the bronzer on, I felt like I had returned from a tropical vacation. The only thing worse than caked-on looking bronzer, is bronzer you put on and then can’t even see a difference. But this went on so evenly and had a little bit of natural sparkle, but because it is so light, it made me feel like I wasn’t wearing a thing. It’s so natural and sun-kissed looking that I can brush a bit on my neck and chest to get that all-over glow.

The bronzer comes in four different shades, simply labeled as 01, 02, 03, and 04. It contains marula oil, which helps repair the skin’s moisture barrier and must be why it applies so evenly. It also contains vitamin E to help keep your skin soft and moisturized. I love that the compact is easy to throw in my purse and has a little mirror for easy anywhere applications.

Sometimes I wish I could sleep in The Body Shop’s Bronzing Powder just so I could wake up looking so touched by the sun every morning.