At the Vanity - Comparing Perfekt, Laura Mercier and Charlotte Ronson Body Bronzers

The lowdown on daily self tanners from St. Tropez, Lorac and Pacifica came a few weeks ago. Now it's time for Perfekt, Charlotte Ronson and Laura Mercier to go head-to-head in a self tanner throwdown.

First up on the roster is the Perfekt Matte Body Perfection Gel. Unlike the regular Perfekt Body Perfection Gel, which is available in a three-color range designed to suit those with paler skin tones as well as the tan-hued ladies, the Matte version is sold in only one hue, a dark chocolate color. The matte version is formulated with Smart Color Technology, which the brand claims enables the color in the tube to mesh perfectly with the wearer's skin in order to bring out the most natural-looking color, thereby ensuring that nobody's faux tan looks...well, faux.

Second up is Laura Mercier Body Bronzing Makeup, which comes in a single shade and imparts a rosy-colored tan and shimmery gleam to the skin.

Third on the list is Charlotte Ronson's A Summer's Kiss Face and Body Glow which is a glimmering bronzer that uses Light Filter Technology, which claims to adjust in any lighting to give the most flattering glow to the skin.

Here are the swatches of each pictured on my arm. The first photo is taken in the shade and the second photo was taken in direct sunlight. Starting from the top is Perfekt, then Laura Mercier, then Charlotte Ronson.

As you can see, the Laura Mercier and Charlotte Ronson bronzers look exceedingly similar on the skin, as they both cast rosy, pinkish tans - replete with shimmer - to the skin. Perfekt is matte and darker in tone than the other two, and it reminded me of St. Tropez, as both brands contain green undertones to counteract Snooki-esque orange tints that appear in other tanners. The texture of Perfekt was fluffy and mousse-like, and little gobs of product sometimes spewed everywhere when I was trying to squeeze some from the bottle. The product looks a bit garish in the picture, but once I started to rub in what I had squeezed onto my arm, it blended pretty nicely and evenly into the skin. Sometimes I would see uneven, small, dark patches if I tried to blend product over too expansive an area of skin, but otherwise I had no issues. I couldn't detect a scent from Charlotte Ronson or Perfekt, but Laura Mercier gave off the most alluring coconut-beachy fragrance that practically sells the product by itself. As a girl that wears tanning oil just for the scent, I am hooked. And reviews from others that have purchased Laura Mercier Body Bronzing Makeup have all echoed the same sentiment.

Overall, Perfekt gives the most natural color, as it blends in easily and lacks the tell-tale shimmer that indicates a faux-tan. However, the $48 price tag may rebuff some potential customers.

Charlotte Ronson is similar to the color and texture of Laura Mercier, but is $18 for a 3 oz. bottle whereas Laura Mercier is $38 for a 5 oz. bottle. But, Laura Mercier's extremely enticing coconut scent gives her product an extra oomph that the others can't compete with.

Final say: It just depends on what you're looking for. Need something cheap? Go with Charlotte Ronson. Want something to look natural and that is easy to use? Go for Perfekt. Want something to double as a perfume and to last for a long time? Choose Laura Mercier.

At the Vanity - Comparing St. Tropez, Lorac and Pacifica bronzing lotions

Ah yes, springtime. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, the sky stays blue past five o'clock, and the sun is bright and shining. And the sun's presence brings with it a bronzed population of people basking in it's warmth. (By the way, stop basking. SPF PA+++ is the new black, I hear.) However, should you wish to protect your skin from cancer and/or wrinkles, sun spots, vitamin D overdose (has this ever actually happened?) leathery skin, sunburn, and more, there are other options available of the faux-tan variety.

Aside from gradual self-tanners that can be layered day after day for darker color, there are bronzers on the market that add color to the skin, but that wash off at the end of the day. As anyone that has tried gradual self-tanners or bronzers knows, finding a formula with a color that looks natural, doesn't reek, applies evenly and won't stain skin or clothes is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Especially because I am fair-skinned, I have to be super careful with what I apply to my body, else I can end up looking like one of the following: 1) bruised, as though someone stood close range and threw golf balls at me; 2) like Snooki; or 3) like I have jaundice. Therefore, I've become quite the product patch tester in order to avoid all three of those unfortunate scenarios.

The three bronzers that I've tried are the St. Tropez 'One Night Only' Instant Glow Body Lotion, Lorac's 'TANtalizer' Body Bronzing Luminizer and Pacifica's 'Coconut Crushed Pearl' Bronzing Body Butter.

I swatched each of the three formulas on my arm for an easy comparison. There is a dark, more concentrated swatch of each formula paired next to how the it looks once sheered out on the skin. Just to show the hue, amount of pigment and shimmer of each one, the comparison pictures were taken in outdoor shade, direct sunlight, and indoors.

 (Outdoor shade. From left to right: St. Tropez, Lorac, Pacifica)

(Direct sunlight.)

(Indoor lighting.)

St. Tropez - This product already has a cult following, and it has been endlessly mentioned from magazines to blogs, but this is my first experiment with the brand. I must say, I'm a believer. The addition of a green pigment to the formula keeps that dreaded orangey pigment at bay and creates very natural-looking color. I love that, unlike some clear formulas, you can see where the color is being applied when you put it on your skin, and even though the color looks dark against my own skin, it can easily be sheered down to a lighter wash without getting splotchy. Of the three formulas, this one was the only without any shimmer to it. Another plus? The scent is wonderful, as it smells like a light Ralph Lauren perfume. Finally, the price of $18 for five ounces of product really can't be beat. 

Lorac - This bronzer won Allure's Best of Beauty award last year, so it's had it's fair share of acclaim. The main reason that I gave this brand a go was because while I was in Sephora, I saw that a fair-skinned redhead had applied product to only one of her legs, leaving the other intentionally bare so as to compare it to her natural skin tone. It looked amazing. I wouldn't have been able to tell that she wasn't naturally as tan as the 'TANtalizer' made her look. On the small swatch I applied to my arm, it looks slightly more red-tinged when compared with St. Tropez, but once sheered out, it looks uber-natural. 'TANtalizer' doesn't contain any glitter, but it does have a shimmer-sheen to it. The scent isn't off-putting, but it does smell artificially fruity, a bit like how scented ChapStick smells. The price is $32 for a 5-ounce tube.

Pacifica - This particular product seems to be more moisturizing than the other two, with less pigment, almost as though it is a body lotion first and the bronzing element comes as a perk. The color is a reddish bronze that, while not necessarily unnatural looking, does contain glitter pigments that would alert onlookers to its faux-ness. This lotion can be sheered out to the point where only the teensiest amount of color - with plenty of glitter - remains. The smell, unfortunately, turned me off of it almost entirely, as it smells like old, fake, stale coconut. I don't even know if coconuts can get stale or what a stale coconut actually does smell like...but I imagine it would be something akin to the scent of this lotion. The price is $24 for an 8-ounce tube.