by Verity Clarke
10 hot fake tans
1 of 10St Tropez Self Tan Express Advanced Bronzing Mousse, £33.00, St-tropez.com
The self-tanning gods over at St Tropez have hit gold again with this fuss free beauty. Tan,shower, wash and be ready to paint the town red in just one hour.
2 of 10Elemental Herbology Sun Kiss Self-Tanning Body Moisturiser, £27.00, Space NK
One for the nature lovers. The self-tanning agents in this hydrating lotion are actually derived from sugar-beet which in our book basically means you’ve bagged yourself a natural tan.
3 of 10Lancome Self-Tanning Moisturising Face Gel, £24.00, www.lancome.co.uk
Fake a post holiday glow with this lightweight face gel enriched with nourishing precious oils.
4 of 10James Read Wash-Off Body, £18.50, Harvey Nichols Nationwide
This backstage favourite delivers instant colour and comes off exactly when you want it to. Perfect for commitment phobes!
5 of 10Elemis Total Glow Bronzing Body Lotion, £34.50,www.timetospa.co.uk
Gradually build beautifully bronzed skin with this moisturiser from Elemis. Floral notes mean no 'biscuity' smell either.
6 of 10No7 Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Body Tan, £9.95, Boots
This highstreet hit guarantees a light, even all over glow without having to tighten those purse strings.
7 of 10Clinique Body Tinted Lotion, £19.00,www.clinique.co.uk
Create a rich, natural looking tan in just a few hours with this bronzing gel from Clinique.
8 of 10Chanel Soleil Identite De Chanel in Bronze, £30.00,,www.chanel.com
Achieve a 'I've just spent a week on the beach' glow with this buildable face tan.
9 of 10Omorovicza Glam Glow, £46.00,www.omorovicza.co.uk
Great for both face and body, this self-tanner develops quickly and has a gorgeous citrus scent.
10 of 10Vita Liberata Self Tanning Night Moisture Mask, £29.95, Boots
Tan while you sleep with this ingenious new offering from Vita Liberata. Apply before you hit the hay and wake up to a radiant glow that lasts for up to 7 days.
Summer. Long, glorious days spent basking in the sun, showing off bronzed limbs and sun kissed faces – no filter needed. Nope, we can’t remember it either. Posting beach filled #tbt snaps to Instagram is the only way we can remind ourselves that we haven’t always resembled Caspar the Ghost. Luckily for us though the booming fake tan market means that sunshine is now available in a bottle; from mousses to gels and lotions to sprays, getting gorgeous summer skin no longer requires a trip abroad.
Be warned though, faking it isn’t for the faint hearted. There are a few golden rules to follow to avoid those fake tan no-nos of orange streaks and tell-tale patches. Of course, we're going for bronzed goddess, not gypsy wedding. A mitt is to tanning what a hairbrush is to hair; so don’t even think about getting jiggy with the bronze stuff without one unless an uneven finish and Tangoed hands is the look you’re going for. Plus, exfoliating before application is the key to preventing patchiness and getting the natural looking tan we’re all craving, so make sure you have a good scrub before you start. And don’t forget to keep moisturising after to ensure you glow for longer.
Summer may not be round the corner but we sure as hell can fake that ‘I Christmas in Barbados dahling’ golden glow. So beat those pesky January blues with our pick of the hottest fake tans around. We won’t tell if you don’t…