Let’s start on a cheerful note: I’m a lazy person when it comes to body care. I mean, I LOVE my showers, but anything beyond that (exfoliation, body creams) is just a burden rather than a blessing. The same applies to self-tan. I enjoy a nice self-tan, I do. I have a couple of self-tanning lotions, but both are for my face because, again, what must come before a typical self-tan application is too. Much. Work. All the preparations that must take place are a lot for one girl to undertake.

However, when I received this Madara Fake It Natural Look Self-Tan Milk as a gift from my dear friend, who also shares a love for organic beauty, I was genuinely excited. After all, the product promised such an uncomplicated application! I forgot to ask for any directions (she used it, so she’d naturally have some tips), and I paid for this mistake dearly. More on that in a minute.

Along with the main ingredient, dihydroxyacetone (used for all self-tan products, there are no natural alternatives as far as I know), this self-tan milk contains a couple of oils (jojoba oil and shea butter) and some mica. Because of mica, it has some sparkle, which lasts a couple of days after application. I haven’t yet decided if it looks cute or tacky. What I love is its scent – fresh and citrusy!

The words “streak-free” on a self-tan lotion is a straight-up lie. Because of this claim, I applied the milk as evenly as possible to dry skin (as stated on the bottle) and started my new life as a zebra a couple of hours later. After this, I went online to the Madara website and saw a whole routine that needs to be done beforehand (exfoliation, body creams) to achieve a streak-free look. I mean, what? Then every self-tan lotion is streak-free. So don’t get fooled by this like I was. The tan is subtle and natural (except for my knees and elbows that now look dirty), with no orange hues whatsoever – which I adore.

I am pleased that I had the chance to try this Self-Tan Milk (blogger’s curiosity and all), but I know a couple of other self-tan products with less fussy applications than this one, and with far better outcome. However, if you’re a pro at self-tan application, considering how good it looks once applied correctly, this might be a product that works for you.

Madara Natural Look Self-Tan Milk can be found at Madara’s official website or at any other stockist nearby.

Have you tried this self-tan milk? Do you have any recommendations for self-tan body milk/lotion?