Here's another Public Service Announcement from the valiant tester of beauty products, helping you avoid beauty disasters since, well, last month:

I've been a fan of Neutrogena Body Oil for a long time. It's a great post-shower moisturizer when you're in a rush, because it soaks right into the skin. It my legs scale-free during many a cold winter. I also love it during the summer for a dewy sheen when going out.

However, a while back I got the idea in my head for an alternative use. It was near the end of the summer and I was desperate for a tan (meanwhile, all of you who know me know that I'm normally Casper-esque pale. I'll never actually tan without the aid of chemicals, so this was a futile effort from the start). I foolishly decided to venture outside for some kamikaze tanning - or burning. About 20 minutes after slathering on some Neutrogena Body Oil (bad girl! skin cancer alert!), arranging myself in a lounge chair, and cracking open a book, I began to detect a strange odor in the air. What's that? Chinese takeout? Yes...but what? Ah, here it is....sesame chicken!

I wondered who had ordered takeout and if they would share it with me.

After a few minutes I came to the realization that the frying chicken scent was wafting off my skin. The oil was cooking me! I grabbed the bottle and sure enough, the base is sesame oil.

Neutrogena Body Oil has many convenient uses, but it's an awful tanning oil. And I shouldn't have been doing that anyway! Shame on me...next time I'll stick with my Garnier sunscreen.