Vitality Tests Fake Tan

We’re a bit of a disaster when it comes to fake tan – we’ve been rocking the porcelain skin look so long, we’re well out of practice. One of our favourites is a wash-off product  – we like to apply this and pray for no rain! Rimmel’s Sunshimmer comes in Medium and Light shades, and in shimmer or matte format (£6.12 a tube www.superdrug.com). We swear by this. We’ve also recently tried out St Tropez’s Instant Glow Body Lotion (£12.26, www.boots.com) – we can imagine Farrah Fawcett would have liked this . It’s just the ticket for busy bombshells who want to look bronzed without spending too much time or effort in advance, because you can simply bronze-and-go! But again, rain could signal disaster! We’re fans of St Tropez here – the Self-Tan Bronzing Mousse (£2.43 for 120ml, www.boots.com) is one of the best developing tans – it dries quickly, you apply it with a mitt, and you can see it going on thanks to its colour, and after showering it is really natural. Just remember to buff those dry areas before application!

If you’re a bit of an expert (like Christina!) then try ModelCo Mousse (£30, www.spacenk.com) and make sure you apply with the mitt (£9). The most brilliant thing about this self-tan is the fragrant smell – like coconut and vanilla! Most tanners don’t smell too good, but this one actually smells tasty! It’s really easy to apply and gives an instant sun-kissed glow while developing into a darker tan in around 4 hours time. It is a slightly more orange hue, so probably for experienced self-tanners who can apply expertly!

If you want a bit of shimmer, then give Origins The Great Pretender (£15, www.origins.co.uk) a go. You can see it as you put it on, it smells heavenly, really sweet, and it gives you a pretty light coverage, but it does have that shimmer in it, so if it’s a flat tan you want, this isn’t for you. Now, if you’re a fake tan fan, and even if you are a novice, you must try Fake Bake Original Self-Tan Lotion (£25.50, www.fakebake.co.uk). Done properly, this self-tan is brilliant. The lotion is very dark so you can see exactly where you need to apply and where to blend, and the final colour is very natural. For best results, this tan should be left to develop overnight. (Avoid stained bed linen by sleeping in an old single duvet cover!) Further applications of Fake Bake give a deeper tan, so you can choose how brown you want to be, which means this self-tan is not just for summer – it’s great all year round. The only drawback is the scent, which is a bit chemical. However, the results are totally worth it.

Now the Clinique Self Sun Body Airbursh Spray (£16, www.clinique.co.uk) had us divided. In the ‘I love it’ camp, Christina, and in the ‘Oh my God, what has happened’ camp, Merle. According to Christina, it’s easy, quick and produces a very natural colour. She applied the spray before bed (the tan develops in one hour, but fully deepens in 24) and woke up to find bronzed legs that looked as though they’d be in the sun for a few days – a really  natural tan, which can be hard to find.  The smell is extremely sharp, quite chemical, but the spray technique is so easy and the colour is so believable that she can’t wait to use it again!

Once applied, glide over with a mitt to make sure your tan is even. No one wants to be a patchy bombshell. Like Merle. Who also applied the tan, and rubbed it in, albeit with her hands, and then probably lay down a bit quickly, but come on, we’ve done this before. Hideous streaky legs, and a quick dash into town for tights for that night’s wedding were the only things to be done after this. Use. With. Caution!  Oh, and it really does smell. Like cooked rice, or tortilla chips or something!

We think Merle would be safer with a gradual tanner – we’ve tried quite a few over the years, and most recently we’re into Shiseido’s Daily Bronze Moisturizing Emulsion (£30, www.johnlewis.com) This is a great all-rounder for every day. If used each night before bed as your regular moisturiser, it develops into a gorgeous golden colour. It’s perfect for a subtle, sophisticated glow in the run up to summer, or to elegantly prolong an existing tan. This tanner is fairly high maintenance though, as you really do have to apply religiously each evening in order to build a good colour, but the shimmering bottle will look fabulous on your dressing table.

Of course there are plenty other fake tans out there, in every format. What’s your favourite? Happy tanning!

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