favOUrItES

faKE BaKE flaWlESS £30

aPPlIcatION: It’s a very thick, liquid serum which glides on with ease and the coconut aroma smells good enough to eat.

Fast-drying, it hydrates the skin which is great.

Sadly it doesn’t come, as the title suggests, without flaws.

My bed sheets were covered in brown smears and, despite using a tanning mitt, there are a few tell-tale signs on the tips of my fingers. cOlOUr: Transformed from Casper to bronzed babe overnight, this tan develops into a lovely deep colour. ScOrE: 9/10

St trOPEz claSSIc BrONzINg mOUSSE £19.99

aPPlIcatION: This foamy delight has its ups and downs.

The soft foam dries very quickly, leaving a nice smooth feel. However, this makes it difficult to see exactly what’s been covered, meaning a patch up job on hands and feet was required in the morning. cOlOUr: Waking up in the morning was a bit of a shock – it was really dark, but a quick hop in the shower and the deep bronze had transformed into a sun-kissed glow. ScOrE: 7/10

l’OrEal SUBlImE BrONzE ElIxIr SElf taN SErUm £15.99

aPPlIcatION: The bottle tells you the tan will last a fortnight. Great, a bronzed goddess without the faff of repeated top-ups? Bring it on!

Unfortunately I later realised you have to use it for three consecutive nights to get that promised result.

It’s a serum, which feels a bit odd. It felt like hard work doing my whole body with this formula. It does smell a bit biscuity after you’ve applied it, but so do most of them! And my sheets had a faint orange glow to them. cOlOUr: Gave a relatively streak-free result. Waking up on the fourth morning after three repeated usages, I had a slight orange sheen. ScOrE: 6/10

clarINS dElIcIOUS SElf taNNINg crEam £25

aPPlIcatION: The first thing I notice is the smell, it’s like cocoa, much nicer than a typical tan aroma.

It looks lovely, a pot of caramel coloured cream which you lather on.

The colour helps you see where it’s going so you can make sure it is even so you spot any missed bits and fix before it dries. It also moisturises. cOlOUr: Perfect, streak-free tan. This is a little more expensive but worth every penny. Doesn’t look orange either, it’s very natural.

People told me I was “glowing” all day. ScOrE: 9/10

dOvE SUmmEr glOW

£4.59

aPPlIcatION: A dream to apply and great for beginners.

It’s more of an everyday application than a one-off and designed to be part of a skincare regime. No mess, no fuss…simply rub it in like a moisturiser all over your body.

You can see shimmery golden bits straight away. Despite the low price this feels luxurious and smells nice, too. The white colour means no streaking. cOlOUr: After one layer there’s barely any colour, but after three, a nice naturallooking tan. So good control over shade. ScOrE: 9/10

NKd SKN PrE-ShOWEr 10-mINUtE taN £13.99

aPPlIcatION: Easy as pie. It’s a clear cream that you slap on, wait 10 minutes, then shower off. The colour develops over a few hours.

There’s no colour guide so I hope I’m applying correctly and it’s streak-free! Hanging around naked for 10 minutes isn’t ideal, but it’s fine and the tan develops over the next 4-8 hours. This won’t transfer on to clothing so could potentially be done first thing in the morning. cOlOUr: Overnight, a nice light base colour develops. After two layers it’s a healthy glow, like a few days in the sun. ScOrE: 8/10

NO 7 NatUrally SUNKISSEd gradUal BOdy taN £9.95

aPPlIcatION: It develops with repeated usage, but I saw a faint glow on my whiter-than-white legs after the first application.

It’s like a very rich, creamy moisturiser, a treat in itself. I have dry skin so I was impressed at how effective this was. It’s white, so there was no danger of stained clothes, towels or bedding.

But it isn’t odourless! At first, it’s pleasant, but that familiar fake-tan whiff was still there next day. cOlOUr: For true, peely-wally Scots like me. No Oompa-Loompa looks here! ScOrE: 7/10

vIta lIBErata marUla dry SKIN OIl £39

aPPlIcatION: I’m slightly put off looking at the oil in the bottle, but its actually a pleasure to put on.

There’s no mess and you can use bare hands to apply. I’m terrified by the dark shade and no matter how hard I rub it in, it looks streaky.

Smells a bit like burnt candy floss, it can be worn in the sun as it has SPF 50 built in. cOlOUr: Thankfully, once rinsed, it’s even and brown.

Be careful not to miss any bits though as it’s quite dark after just one application.

I left it on for two hours but you can go up to eight for darker results. ScOrE: 9/10

gArniEr SUMMEr BodY grAdUAl TAnning MoiSTUriSEr £7.99

ApplicATion: Very simple, applies like suncream and is easy to see where it’s been rubbed in.

Builds up over time so the initial colour is very subtle. I was impressed by how moisturised my legs felt and it smelt lovely and fruity…at first! After that, it smelt a bit more chemical. There were no stains on the bedding and I loved that I could wear a skirt without worrying about having very white legs. coloUr: Quite subtle and as I’m very fairskinned it would look daft if any darker. ScorE: 7/10

SkinnY TAn MoUSSE wiTh rollEr ApplicATor £24.95. £12.99 for roller

ApplicATion: The light mousse goes on pretty easily and the roller is a great invention.

I thought the concept was a little weird at first, but it’s actually clever as it prevents orange hands – and certainly makes it easier to reach that patch in the middle of your back which is usually a two-person job!

Didn’t notice any smell or transfer on to bed clothes.

coloUr: Lovely colour which lasts a couple of weeks and fades gradually which saved having to scrub off.

ScorE: 8/10

Bondi SAndS EvErYdAY liqUid gold

£13.99 ApplicATion: As easy as lying back on your sunlounger!

The light oil smooths on effortlessly and despite being clear, you can see where you have applied.

There is a slightly sticky feel as it dries and you’re advised not to dress for another five minutes or so after application, which is standard.

Overall, I’m seriously impressed with how faff-free it is. The coconut scent is strong but I quite liked it, and it died down overnight. coloUr: Great natural, streak-free glow. Light after one layer but builds easily. ScorE: 9/10

TAn SMooThiE vElvETY SMooTh TAnning MoUSSE £24.99

ApplicATion: I loved the moisturising mousse format.

It is so easy to use and dries quickly. It goes on a muddy, dark brown and I initially panicked because it was really dark. But handy for seeing where you’ve applied it. You shower off after leaving to develop a few hours.

It claims to be a multi-tasker, containing anti-ageing ingredients and fruit extracts to condition skin. Which explains the fruity smell, though it fades quickly. coloUr: You’re instructed to exfoliate before use, but I didn’t and still got an even result. ScorE: 6/10