Get glossy summer skin with body oil

By Deborah Fulsang

Summertime skin calls for glow. Whether it’s hangover thinking from our past and we associate the warm-weather season with bikinis and bronzed glistening skin à la Bain de Soleil circa 1980, or the Jennifer Lopez-made-famous bronze-is-better look, we’re fans.

There’s little better than oil to quench skin and make even the driest elbows, knees and heels look newly spa-treated. Glistening limbs look healthier and leaner too, so for the vain among us (yes, we admit it), it’s a great way to look slimmer and sleeker when we’re attempting short-shorts and sundresses.

To suit the moment, we’ve rounded up a trio of oils that have caught our fair-weather and fragrance-loving attention.

A SUBTLE SHEEN
Look to one of France’s best-selling brands for this lightweight oil. The 97.8 percent, non-greasy natural formula comes laced with vitamin E and 30 percent plant oils, plus a tropical-smelling fragrance that’s pretty and subtle scent with hints of nut (almond, hazelnut and macadamia) and camellia flower.
Nuxe Limited Edition Huile Prodigieuse I Love Huile Prodigieuse, $39 (100 ml), www.thebay.com; or the shimmer version, $39 (100 ml), www.thebay.com

A GLAM GLOW
Subtly aside, sometimes you want a little shimmer. That doesn’t necessarily mean you harbour a little Kardashian within. (But hey, it’s okay if you do. We won’t tell.) Moroccanoil Shimmering Body Oil looks intimidatingly glossy, but in fact is buildable and lustrous without being too So-You-Think-You-Can-Dance gilded.
Moroccanoil Shimmering Body Oil, $45 (50 ml), www.moroccanoil.com

SCENT-FREE LUSTRE
If you’re a purist, perhaps you don’t want a scented body oil. We get it. You want the benefits of a skin-quenching potion but would rather rely on your chosen perfume to define your fragrance style statement. This new Vichy oil is your ticket. Smooth it on your parched limbs and then spritz your favourite toilette. You’ll be moisturized and feeling so good-in-your-skin.
Vichy Nutriextra Extraordinary Oil, $29.50, London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart

Do you have a favourite? Tweet us (@TheWhaleTheRose) about your chosen body oil for Summer 2014. Glowy, scented summer skin: How scentsational.