Remember when Jergens Natural Glow revolutionized self tanning with the introduction of the gradual self tanner? Even the most tan-o-phobic girls could achieve a golden glow with this product; it was like the kiddie pool of tanners. For beginners, you know? The funny part is that Natural Glow was quickly eclipsed by competitor products that smelled better and produced a better looking tan (most notably, Dove Energy Glow was miles ahead).

Now Jergens is looking to shake things up again with Natural Glow Express. This new product claims to give you a tan in just 3 days, rather then 7 - so it falls somewhere in between a gradual self tanner and a regular-strength tanner. (Side note: early reviews have really amused me..."I'm so glad I don't have to wait 7 days now!" Um, are you not aware that there are plenty of products out there that will give you a tan in ONE day?)

That said, if you're still afraid to take the plunge with a regular tanner, or you just prefer to combine your tanning with your daily body lotion routine, this might be the product for you. The thing is, I'm not sure it's any better than some already existing tanners. One application of Natural Glow Express in Medium gave me the exact same result as one application of L'Oreal Sublime Glow in Medium (but then again, the L'Oreal is a bit stronger than most gradual tanners). I'm betting that if you used Original Natural Glow in Dark for 3 days, you'd get the same result as using Natural Glow Express in Medium for three days. It's all about the amount of DHA in each product. Make sense?

Natural Glow Express is also thicker than I normally prefer, making it a bit of a chore to spread. But don't get me wrong, the resulting tan was very nice. It's just not something that I haven't been able to achieve before.

Here's the real kicker: Original Natural Glow is $5.99 for 7.5 oz and Natural Glow Express is $7.49 for 4 oz! So if you're willing to pay the upcharge for a "3-day tan," go for it. Or, just upgrade your usual gradual tanner by one shade and see how you fare with that.