Glow with the flow: The Sunday Post fake tan test

SUMMER arrived last week, with temperatures sizzling as high as those in the Med.

And if you have managed to get a tan, it’s probably fading faster than the Scottish sun, which already seems a distant memory.

But the good news is, with so many fake tans on the market, there’s plenty of help out there to top up that gorgeous glow.

Our girls at Sunday Post HQ tried and tested new brands and market leaders to see which delivered on sun-kissed skin – and which ended in DIY tan disaster…

The 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

Gradual

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 natural-looking tan. So good control over shade.

Score: 9/10

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

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 fair-skinned it would look daft if any darker.

Score: 7/10

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

Budget 

ST MORITZ INSTANT SELF TANNING MOUSSE

Application: Messy. Despite using a tan mitt, the dye leaks through on to my hands.

The next day it’s clear to the world that my tan isn’t real.

It has a distinct smell of biscuits so much so that my husband asks if I’ve been tanning! Stained bedsheets galore.

Colour: Despite the application fiasco, the colouring isn’t too bad.

But it creates really dark patches at my knees, ankles and elbows which I later have to fix by exfoliating some of the tan off.

Score: 6/10

SUNKISSED RAPID TAN AND TONE £9.99

Application: This chocolate mousse pops out of the can smelling like a beautifully expensive perfume. It rubs in with very little effort and darkens skin almost immediately, making it clear if you’ve missed anywhere.

Best of all it dries in quickly letting you get on with your day! You can leave it on for anything from one to four hours, depending on how dark you want.

Colour: Perfect for topping up a holiday tan or trying to get sun-kissed from scratch.

After an hour I’m beautifully bronzed with a very natural-looking tan.

Score: 9.5/10

RIMMEL SUN SHIMMER INSTANT TAN £6.99

Application: This is great for last-minute moments when you realise your pale complexion won’t cut it for a night out. It’s easy to put on and gives instant colour, but I’d strongly advise using gloves unless you want your hands to be browner than the rest of your body!

It’s designed to wash off, so don’t wear white as it may transfer – and avoid rain at all costs or you’ll have tiger stripes instead of tanned legs!

Colour: The medium shade gives a lovely shimmery sun-kissed glow.

If you want a natural look, don’t go any darker!

Score: 6/10

GARNIER AMBRE SOLAIRE NO STREAKS BRONZER SELF TANNING MIST LIGHT £11.69

Application: As a self tan novice I found application tricky, as it was a colourless spray and hard to be exact while spraying the aerosol.

There was a strong smell, though, that faded as it developed over a few hours.

I was expecting to have streaky legs but the result was fantastic.

Perfect for someone who wants a natural-looking tan. No streaks or white patches, a very even tan, and not a single mark on my bedding!

Colour: A subtle but attractive glow.

Score: 8/10

Something different

NKD SKIN 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

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

SKINNY TAN MOUSSE WITH ROLLER APPLICATOR £24.95

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

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