Image via Mario Badescu

Maybe it's vanity, or simply sheer paranoia, but I want my skin to look freakin' awesome at the beach, okay? So I'm not the thinnest twig on the shore, and my (lacking) assets in the chest department will never get me a swimsuit modeling contract, but this is one variable I can control, and I will. That's why I road tested Mario Badescu's excellent new Summer Shine Body Lotion this weekend.

Mario usually shies away from producing silly, frilly ancillaries, and I respect him for that. It's all about serious skincare, and that's something I can truly appreciate. So I wasn't exactly sure where this product was going or how it even fits into their collection, but after using it, I get it.

The shimmer in the lotion is subtle yet fierce, but benefits such as added vitamin A make it a fabulous moisturizer. This stuff DOES make your bod look rockin and I'll tell you why: The brightening particles reflect sunlight off your skin, giving the illusion of being kind of airbrushed, plus it lends an overall glow. The other cool, unexpected bonus was that it survived multiple ocean swims, so it lasts all day, and into post-beach cocktail hour.

I only have two small complaints: One, why, why, why does it have to smell like coconut a la old school sunscreen? Haven't we all agreed by now that no one wants to smell like a piña colada? And on that note, I wish the formula contained SPF, but spraying on your sunscreen over it doesn't interfere with the shine effect, so...