Because we cant all afford 100 holidays a year a la Millie Mackintosh
Gah. Can you ever remember a time when the weather was good? It’s all been a bit doom and gloom since Trump came into power. Are we right? And we’re just gagging for a little sun kissed skin and to release our inner bronzed goddess. And we can’t be the only ones?
Well fear not because we’ve searched high and low to find you the best of the best fake tans that are on the market right now that will help you fake your way to a healthy glow, healthily!
And what’s more, we’ve even got some expert tips from the top to ensure that when you apply your tan, it goes on streak free and how to make it last longer so you’ll have the perfect glow and no one will even know you haven’t been away!
So turn your bathroom in to your very own little holiday get away, maybe light some candles and douse your hair with some sea salt spray to really fake your way to a holiday.
Failing that, put it on your credit card and don’t tell your parents – Sorry Dad!
Autograph Tan Gradual Tan Glow Boosting Droplets Serum, £12.50
Feel your most beautiful, healthy and glamorous with Autograph Tan formulations. Featuring a specialised combination of DHA and erythrulose, this unique and luxurious formulation delivers a bespoke and authentic, natural looking tan by working directly with your own skin’s amino acids.
Tailor your tan as desired with the easy to use controlled dose dropper. Just a few drops of the serum will turn any moisturiser into a gradual tan. Use daily to build a personalised, natural glow over time and experience an enhanced, healthy looking complexion with or without make-up.
To use: simply blend 2-3 drops of the serum with your normal moisturiser to gradually build a natural looking, radiant tan.
Autograph Tan Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil, £9.50
Feel your most beautiful, healthy and glamorous with Autograph Tan formulations. Featuring a specialised combination of DHA and erythrulose, this unique and luxurious formulation delivers a bespoke and authentic, natural looking tan by working directly with your own skin’s amino acids.
This luxurious facial oil has a lightweight, quick dry formula that glides easily onto the skin, blending effortlessly to ensure full coverage and a perfectly even streak-free colour.
For the ultimate golden brown tan that will develop over four hours. The colour provided can be enjoyed for up to three days before fading evenly.
Autograph Tan Self Tan Velvet-Touch Luxe Oi, £12.50l in Light Medium
Feel your most beautiful, healthy and glamorous with Autograph Tan formulations. Featuring a specialised combination of DHA and erythrulose, this unique and luxurious formulation delivers a bespoke and authentic, natural looking tan by working directly with your own skin’s amino acids.
The Self Tan Velvet Touch Luxe Oil is a lightweight, quick dry formula that glides easily onto the skin, blending effortlessly to ensure full coverage and a perfectly even streak free colour.
For the ultimate golden brown tan that will develop over four hours. The colour provided can be enjoyed for up to three days before fading evenly.
Autograph Tan Self Tan Velvet Touch Tinted Mousse-for-Face-& Body in Medium Dark, £9.50
Feel your most beautiful, healthy and glamorous with Autograph Tan formulations. Featuring a specialised combination of DHA and erythrulose, this unique and luxurious formulation delivers a bespoke and authentic, natural looking tan by working directly with your own skin’s amino acids.
Experience an all over glow in less than 30 minutes that will develop into a golden brown over four hours. This colour provided can be enjoyed for up to three days before fading evenly.
Bondi Sands Everyday Liquid Gold, £13.99
Hitting shelves from March, Everyday Liquid Gold is the latest innovation in the Liquid Gold collection from Australia’s favourite tanning brand. The dual-action dry oil formula sets in a moment to build a gradual tan that develops over a couple of days.
Infused with hydrating Argan Oil for moisturisation and the fresh scent of Coconut, this mess-free tan will leave you with perfectly bronzed skin that glows from within.
Bondi Sands Ultra Dark Bottle
Ultra Dark – the darkest tan yet. Hitting shelves from February, Ultra Dark is the latest innovation from Australia’s favourite tanning brand. In the most advanced formula yet, Bondi Sands has used the highest level active ingredients to create the darkest self-tan achievable. Enriched with nourishing Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, the skin feels hydrated whilst developing an ultra-dark glow.
MODELCO TAN Airbrush in-a-Can
The world’s first self-tanning airbrush product that created a new global beauty category. Not only was the aerosol packaging an innovation, but ModelCo created a unique blue-green based formula that banished ‘the orange effect’ seen in a lot of self-tans. ModelCo TAN Airbrush in a Can produced a beautiful, natural looking colour that outsmarted competitors and created a new trend in tanning ingredients. The ‘Tan Airbrush in a Can’ concept has since been followed by some of the world’s largest global beauty houses and continues to be a best seller for ModelCo, with one unit sold every 36 seconds worldwide.
Madame LA LA tan
Madame LA LA’s based on an LA glow, his a dynamic do-all and contains Coco Water for hydrating- no chemical smell and it doesn’t streak.
Madame LA LA Self Tanning Mousse Tricks and Tips by Nicole Dash Jones, Founder
If you want to add a little glamour to your body tan, after applying LA LA tanning mousse add a bit of our new Bronzing Ball to your mitt and gently pat and smooth over shoulders, neck and décolletage for an instant golden sheen with results as if you have spent two weeks on the beach!
No streaks? Skin Preparation for a tanning mousse is essential and using an oil free based coffee scrub (e.g Grounded Body Scrub) really helps in removing dead skin cells leaving a clean slate to apply a mousse and do wait 20 minutes for the skin to cool down and dry before applying, that way you can guarantee even coverage (heat generates the tanning agent
DHA sometimes causing a tan to over- develop in certain areas of the body causing streaking so cooler skin is best).
St.Tropez Gradual Tan Sculpt & Glow, £18
This includes Sea Algae Extract which has been clinically proven to tone and firm the skin after 4 weeks of regular use.
Tanning & Skin Finishing Expert, Emma Kotch says;
My top tip with gradual tans is to wash your hands in between each section of the body, e.g. legs – wash – torso- wash – arms – wash. As St.Tropez gradual tans are designed to be absorbed by the skin quickly, so that you’re ready to get dressed almost instantly, this will help to avoid any tell-tale signs on your palms.
St.Tropez Gradual Tan Luminous Veil, £18
It’s a lightweight face grad tan that also adds luminosity and protects skin from pollutants, thanks to the South Korean Camellia Flower Extract Red Snow.
Fake Bake’s Flawless Coconut tanning serum
This tanning serum is the only fake tan to use coconut oil so it’s really hydrating!
James Harknett, Fake Bake’s Global Creative Consultant’s tips for tanning:
Avoid streaks by applying your tan to smooth moisture free limbs. Just moisturise sparingly on dry areas. Always exfoliate before self tanning. This will remove the residue of other skin and body care that can block the tan from activating evenly in the skin. Use a product with a guide colour that allows you to see where you are tanning.
Avoid dark patches, by thinning out the tan on dry areas of the body such as the knees and elbows. Dab a pea size amount of moisture to these areas before application.
Sienna X Deep Glowing Self Tan
This is the tradition fake tan, the ‘go to’ for those wanting to create a professional tan in the comfort of their own home.
It’s a rich moisturising lotion renowned for its streak free finish and natural colour.
It has anti-cellulite formulation, infused with Green Tea and Calendula it also helps to enhance your natural skin tone.
The silky lotion glides onto the skin and should be left on for up to 8 hours to reveal the perfect ‘Just stepped off the plan’ holiday glow… its non-sticky base means you can pop some comfy (loose fitting) clothes on in no time.
It contains the Sienna X signature fragrance which is a blend of coconut and vanilla.
Application top tips!
Preparation is key. Gentle exfoliate the skin 24 hours prior to applying the tan – perfect base for the lotion to be applied to.
For a professional finish on those tell-tale areas (knees, hands, elbows) mix your tan with moisturiser and gentle sweep over the areas, this allows you to blend the tan evenly and produce natural looking results.
Follow your after care, hydration is key to keeping your tan for longer. Make sure you apply moisturiser daily, we recommend our Radiance Body Balm for a luxurious finish.
Manuka Doctor ApiBronze Anti-Cellulite Bronzing Gel, £24.99
Manuka Doctor ApiBronze Anti-Cellulite Bronzing Gel is a light-textured tinted crème gel anti-cellulite formula delivers a natural golden tan that develops in one hour. Enriched with moisturising ingredients to leave a silky smooth finish, this non-sticky formula smoothes on evenly and blends flawlessly leaving skin refreshed & hydrated. This unique uplifting Bronzing Gel helps reduce the appearance of cellulite & improves skin’s firmness for younger looking body contours. Contains Purified Bee Venom (PBV) & Manuka honey to help visibly promote skin’s elasticity. Suitable for all skin types.
Rimmel Sunshimmer Self Tan Lotion with Chia Oil, £8.99
Rimmel introduces new Sunshimmer Self Tan Lotion, its first self-tan lotion with chia oil that you can use all year long and delivers a natural sun-kissed look. This caring formula, with chia oil, leaves skin feeling nourished and hydrated all day long.
– Simply apply the lotion until you’ve reached your desired tan, then reapply once or twice a week to maintain.
– The formula, with chia oil, extracted from the chia seeds presents antioxidant and nourishing benefits.
– Refreshing fragrance.
– Tinted formula lets you see where it’s been applied for a streak-free finish. The unique lotion melts instantly and effortlessly into the skin.
– Its smooth, ultra-lightweight texture, blends and dries quickly to give you a perfect non-oily finish, without any sticky residue.
– Skin feels nourished, hydrated and comfortable all day long.
– Water and transfer-resistant.
