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A Bronze Tale Because sometimes you just have to fake it By Cory Feldman There's no need to sing the praises of BeneFit cosmetics--they sing for themselves. For those of you who enjoy the advantages of perfect skin, high cheekbones and a hut in Hawaii--good for you. For everyone else, there's BeneFit. It only takes one experience with traditional self-tanning creams to know that it's not easy being orange. Streaks and strange unexpected tinting are enough to make a fake tan look worse than the pallid, pasty ashiness of January legs. Finally, there's a remedy: BeneFit's Aruba In A Tuba. Rather than dyeing your skin, the lotion's walnut and cedar wood extracts bring out your own pigment. Just three hours after one application you'll notice a bronze glow. With each additional application the skin darkens a little more, so there's no risk of overdoing it. Does this product really work? Well, they don't call it "tan-fastic" for nothing. If you're still wary of the bottle, there are other options. With Glamazon, a liquid bronzer with the consistency of watery nail polish, BeneFit has really outdone itself. If you draw a slightly askew crisscross on your cheek (it'll look like iodine at first) and then blend it like blush, Glamazon will impart a glowing bronze look that gives one the illusion of just having basked in the sun. As with Aruba, the more applications, the richer the look. A long streak underneath where cheekbones would be (if you had any) creates illusory dents in your cheeks. Because it imparts a naturally darker shade, the dents appear to be deeper. A flat-chested editor at Metropolitan swears that this same trick works for cleavage! For the sun-starved San Franciscan, BeneFit offers even more products for that just-got-whisked-away-someplace-warm-and-sunny look, including the Peek-A-Boo bronzer (a light powder for an all-over finish) and Nina's Nugget (eye shadow that's creamy yet not sticky). Although BeneFit Cosmetics cost more than, say, the $1.99 Wet Kiss brand at Walgreen's, they're worth it. The principle behind these products are that they really work and they also feel good. And the best part (for those who never made it to Palm Springs) is that you can continue to glow while everyone else starts to peel . [ San Francisco | MetroActive Central | Archives ]