The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
Beauty brains
Want a tan without damaging your skin? The latest crop of self-bronzers not only deliver an even colour – they smell good, too, says Lisa Armstrong
Lisa Armstrong on the best way to achieve an even, sweet-smelling self-tan
Self-bronzers are now so good that even I’m tempted. I gave up on them for a while because I couldn’t live with the streaks, the contortions required to do my back, or the ingredients. Specifically DHA, which some scientists believe to be toxic.
However, unless you’re breathing in hefty amounts of the stuff – if you’re a regular spray-tanner – it shouldn’t be a problem. And to be extra safe, you can confine yourself to Dha-free bronzers, such as The Chemistry Brand’s Glow Oil. This is 95 per cent idiot-proof (I volunteer myself as a tester). It doesn’t streak and builds slowly. The only caveat is that it can be a bit too ‘glowy’ for some. I happen to like the radiance, but if you applied it too generously every day, it could turn from radiant to radioactive. Alternatively you could try The Organic Pharmacy’s Self Tan, which does contain DHA but delivers a natural colour in three hours – no mean feat.
It’s worth finding a bronzer that works for you as you’ll then be less tempted to sneak some real rays into your regime, which in turn will slow down the development of wrinkles. Not that all sun is to be avoided. After three decades of debilitating sun rash, I discovered that an hour’s walk every evening during that first halcyonweather lockdown, with my sleeves rolled up, dosed me with sufficient vitamin D not to get the rash when I finally got to Greece last August. For the first time I could walk around without covering up completely. A little sun is surely good for the soul and not terrible for the skin. The operative word is little – certainly not enough to get the deep tan that so many still chase. This summer, thanks to intermittent sun, I’m dosing up with Wild Nutrition’s Natural Glow supplement – a ‘pioneering’ formula that spikes the skin’s collagen production, protects it from UV rays and boosts natural tanning.
Even just the lightest, biscuit colour can improve the look of legs and arms, especially as we get older and have thread veins – and worse – to contend with. Next up, drops that can be added to your moisturiser for as subtle or as intense a depth charge as you wish. The advantage with these is that you add them to your existing moisturiser or body cream instead of applying it on top, which means one less layer of product. You have to ensure you’re thoroughly blending both products, but other than that, they’re easy. I like Tanluxe because it comes in two different shades.
The Caravaggio of tanners, Amanda Harrington’s products are also the business. She’s worked on film sets and on tour with The Rolling Stones, applying a cocktail of fake bronzers with an artist’s array of brushes to ensure her clients don’t just have the requisite sun-kissed look, but that their muscles appear defined and toned. Yes, skilled bronzing can do that. No promises with her DIY kit, but it does produce a great colour – and there are shade options.
I’m also taken with Bali Body’s Tanning Mousse, which does everything you want a bronzer to do.
Finally – and most expensively – Sisley’s Self Tanning Hydrating Body Skin Care earns its place here because it’s a pleasure to use: it has a lovely light aroma and texture and produces excellent results. Plus it absorbs in seconds. In that sense, you get what you pay for. But all of the above are infinitely better when used with a special mitt. Yes, it’s another piece of kit, but it saves your palms from orange-ification and makes for a much more even finish.