Stila Sun Shimmer Dry Oil

Sadly, the Stila Sun Shimmer Dry Oil did not quite make it onto my list of "Bronzers for Brown Girls."  Not because it's an awful product - it's not.  It's just that I think it could be a better product with a few significant changes.

I had my entire dance troupe, The Niraja Dance Company (NDC) try this oil during our performance at this year's Bellydancer of Color Association Festival (BOCAFest).  We wanted an extra bronzy look, so we all slathered this on.  We had pretty much the same feelings on it.  In the words of my troupemate, Jahzaal, "The color was awesome to look at.  It would definitely be something I would pick up in the store to get that 'bronze color look', but I couldn't see it!  I wouldn't want anything way too dramatic looking, but I would want to see a change or slight difference."  So, it's clear that Jah felt as I feel ... it wasn't bronzy enough at all!  Now, keep in mind that we have several different shades of brown in the troupe (see the pics on the site), so it's not just that this isn't bronzy enough for darker-skinned women.  Even the lighter ones couldn't tell the difference.  After repeated applications, I did see some shimmer, but that's it.  No bronze enhancement at all.

The other major problem is the application.  This is an oily product and it just pours out of the bottle, getting all over everything.  It would have been much better with a spray pump.  Having tried a similar product by Sephora, I know that it works much better that way.

So, to sum up: Stila Sun Shimmer Dry Oil would have been awesome had it been bronzer.  In this case, it's just a slight gold shimmer - probably great for fair skinned people, but not awesome for brown girls.  If all you're looking for is shimmer, go for it, but don't expect this to make you look like a bronzed goddess.  Also, if you buy it, buy a separate pump for the bottle, so you don't get the gold oil all over everything.  On the positive side, it dries nicely, didn't leave residue on the costume and does work nicely as a skin moisturizer and adds a beautiful soft glimmer to the skin.