Those of us who don’t want to age, or even die prematurely from hours spent soaking up the sun or lying on a sun bed, check out Stella Cristin’s Tan Vogue to know how to get an even looking artificial tan. This, over the past few years for millions of women (and men) has become part of their normal daily or weekly skincare routine. It is time consuming and can be, if perfect coverage is required, expensive.
I have tried numerous brands and different formulas with many varied outcomes; streaky, patchy, lumpy and of course, orange. I have been at some point in time, temporarily cursed with all of the above looks and not just because of the product used. Good preparation of the skin is essential to achieve a perfect, or as near to perfect as possible, glowing goddess look. After years of experimenting and leaving my white bathroom with a permanent brown veil of spray and staining my sheets orange, I have finally found, in my opinion, three of the best fake tans money can buy. When I say best I mean ease of application, outcome and smell because some fake tans smell distinctly of soggy digestives which maybe, in a slightly strange way, pleasant for five minutes or so but after six hours, which is the minimum time the tan is required to be left on the skin, it gets extremely annoying and somewhat nauseating.
Firstly, I’d like to mention that all of the three best tans are not sprays they are liquids (almost gel). I found that sprays tend to permanently discolour everything within ten feet and unless it is instantly cleaned with water and abrasive it will stain. Since contact with water will ruin the tan within the first six hours, it simply can’t be cleaned and will stain, therefore, liquids are much better.
Secondly: exfoliate. This gives the tan a smoother appearance and will make any brand you choose look far better. The first of the three fake tans and the one which came third is FAKE BAKE ORIGINAL. This costs £25 and is easy to apply with the latex glove which is included. When the tan has been applied it looks slightly streaky and sometimes has a green tinge to it. Do not worry, the colour at this point is just the guide colour and washes off leaving the more even tan behind. I usually put on the tan at night and go to bed then shower the next morning as this gives it plenty of time to develop. As mentioned before though, the smell from this particular tan is horrendous and even gave me a headache. I could not wait to smother myself in mint shower gel. Even with the windows wide open there is no escaping the smell which fills the whole house and not just the area you are in. This was a major downfall but the outcome after showering was in fact very good, quite even but more of a deep brown colour rather than the desired golden glowing look.
The tan I rated number two is CLINIQUE SELF SUN. This costs £15. The application process is the same but I found that the smell was still apparent but nowhere near as vomit inducing as number three. The outcome the following day after showering was better, slightly more even and less of a harsh brown colour, still though, not the golden glow I was searching for.
The best tan, the one I rated number one and also the best I have ever used is FAKE BAKE FLAWLESS. It costs £20. This, to my surprise came not only with a latex glove but also a velvety textured mitten which ensured a more even and easy application. The absolute best and most positive thing about this product is the fact that it does not smell! Well it does, but it smells of soap or light perfume rather than soggy digestives. My tanned skin after showering was amazing. I had finally achieved the perfect golden glow! It wasn’t a harsh dull brown, it was golden. I also found that moisturising every night means that this process only has to be repeated once per week which is obviously a huge bonus. This great fake tan has been awarded top marks by me and has earned itself a permanent place in my bathroom.

By Anna Kociuba.