This Gradual Tan Is The Best For A Golden Glow – And It’s Only £8

I'm a big fan of a glow, huge. Sometimes, though, I'll notice myself looking looking a little peaky. My complexion morphs from radiant to lacklustre and my arms border on grey. All is not lost, though. There's one hero product that I can always rely on to revive even the most dwindling of glow all year round: Garnier Summer Body - the best cheap gradual tan.

My obsession started almost a decade ago when I began using this now iconic gradual tan to top up my summer glow during term time at university. Now that I'm a fully fledged ‘young professional’ - as the tabloids like to call us - and theoretically have some semblance of a disposable income ready to spend on prestige beauty brands, I am still resolutely a GSB loyalist, I've thus far found nothing that matches its natural and streak-free results.

Credit: Instagram @Garnieruk

A complete devotee, I like to think I’ve developed a pretty good application technique over top - please, learn from my patch-ridden mistakes. My top tip? Put concerted effort into washing your hands after your fake tanning session. A quick flash under the taps just won't just it, this stuff gets everywhere. Make sure in particular to wipe in between your fingers with a flannel and soap, unless you want to end up with those giveaway patches the next day. Once you've washed your hands clean, use a clean foundation brush to blend a little of the lotion over the backs of your hand, taking care to avoid dry areas like your knuckles.

The second thing to note is that you don’t need to sleep in Garnier Summer Body. The gradual tan only takes four hours to develop, so you can utilise working from home mornings (9am-1pm) twice a week to marinade before washing it off at lunchtime - the lotion's apricot oil scent can get overpowering after that.

Because Garnier Summer Body is a gradual tan, you’re pretty safe from streaks. The only places I’d be wary of are the undersides of your arms and the tops of your feet, and your hands, but we've spoken about those. In those areas, less is more. I tend to apply one dollop (this stuff is thick!) per limb and blend it out evenly with my hands from there.

One word of warning: regardless of what Garnier says, do not use this product on your face. The colour is great, but the breakouts are not. Instead, use Garnier Summer Body from chest to toe and Bare by Vogue Williams’ face tanning mist in medium on the face and neck for a perfect match.

This is basically the lowest maintenance tanning routine you can get. No slathering numerous layers on, no staining your sheets overnight, no scrubbing off mistakes with exfoliator or lemon juice. Just a deep golden colour and seriously soft skin. It really is that simple. Get ready to glow.

And I'm not the only one who's impressed. Julia Harvey, Grazia's shopping editor, is also a huge fan, 'I’ve tried plenty of gradual tans, but always come back to Garnier,' she says. 'The scent has drastically improved since first using back in my uni days – now a light peachy fragrance rather than that (strong) telltale biscuit smell. Despite having pretty fair skin, I use the dark shade most days as a body moisturiser throughout the summer to give a natural looking tan in the easiest way possible - and especially after a holiday to prolong the glow – just be sure to rinse your palms after.'

Shop: More of the best cheap gradual tans

In need of some more gradual tanning tips and tricks? Grazia has consulted Kimberley Nkosi, a spray tan and skin finishing specialist. She was behind Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie's glow on the new Barbie film, so it's fair to say she knows her stuff.

Kimberley Nkosi's Top Tips For Achieving The Best Gradual Tan:

Lydia Spencer-Elliott is the former acting senior features writer at Grazia UK. She has previously freelanced for VICE, The Guardian, The Independent, Cosmopolitan and more. At Grazia, she writes news and features about politics, pop culture, sex, health, entertainment, and real-life stories.