Estee Lauder Body Performance is certainly one of the higher-end gradual tanners tested this month, and I came in with very high expectations. I've always found Lauder products to be exceedingly well-formulated and on the mark.

Body Performance Golden Naturally Radiant Moisturizer delivers on all fronts but one: the smell. It has a light, pleasant floral scent, but something is lurking underneath. Something like...bugspray. For the life of me I can't figure this out. Fortunately the bugspray note dissipates rather quickly and you're left with that light floral base. It isn't a dealbreaker, just something rather perplexing.

In the other categories, this product performs like a higher-end, more luxe incarnation of the St. Ives gradual tanner we talked about a couple of weeks ago. It's very moisturizing; far more so than many of its counterparts from other brands. I actually enjoy the way this feels on my skin, which I can't say about some of the others. Lauder's offering is smooth and luxurious. Major points for texture!

The lotion also has a luminous, pearly quality to it; it's not quite shimmer, just a subtle luminescence that makes you look like you're glowing from within.

The resulting tan takes a few applications to develop, and while it never reaches the bronze depths of a St. Tropez or a ModelCo, it's subtle, even, and believable.

Fake Bake Month Official Rating

Scent: 3
Color: 4
Texture: 5
Drying Time: 4
Neatness: 4
Bonus Points: 3 (the formula just feels so great on skin, plus the pearly glow is gorgeous)

Total Rating: 23/30