 Clarins Delectable Self-Tanning Mousse SPF15, £20 for 125 ml at www.boots.com; find it on-line here.
Score: 8.59/10
A ‘mousse-in-a-pot’ which develops to a rich, golden sun-kissed look in just two hours (offering SPF15 protection directly after application, as a bonus). The delectable scent? Fresh peach with a touch of almond. This earned a truly stellar score, wowing our testers.
Comments: ‘Best self-tan I have ever used’ • ‘applies easily, gives gorgeous glow and nice citrus smell’ • ‘faded evenly after five days’ • ‘gorgeous! I LOVE this. Gave a light shade of set honey. Do they do it in bran-tub size???!!’ • ‘love the packaging, very easy to control’ • ‘VG for pale skins as light, natural, sunkissed tan’ • ‘sank in very quickly, took hardly any time to dry’ • ‘divine smell!’.
 Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream, £20 for 125 ml at www.boots.com; find it on-line here.
Score: 8.16/10
Another stellar performance in this category from Clarins - not that we're surprised, since their reputation for fab fake tans goes back a couple of decades now. This offers an instant ‘caramel’ glow, with gold micro-flakes for a light shimmer; it also has the skin-nourishing beneftits of cocoa butter, as well as antioxidant cocoa powder. As with all Clarins suncare, they’ve worked to create a more-gorgeous-than-most fragrance: lily of the valley, peach, jasmine, cedar and moss.
Comments: ‘Loved this product because it had a tint so I could see where I put it; it made me look and feel marvellous!’ • ‘very pleasant to use, slight smell of chocolate when applied, nothing the next morning’ • ‘tinted skin instantly, sank in quickly, took about half an hour to dry completely, colour developed after two hours’ • ‘sheen made my skin look expensive’ • ‘fabulously moisturising balm-like texture’ • ‘good colour on my very fair, mature skin; part of my accessory kit for an upcoming wedding’.
 The Organic Pharmacy Self Tan, £29.95 for 100 ml at www.theorganicpharmacy.com; find it on-line here.
Score: 8.05/10
Testers really liked the natural radiant colour delivered by this cream (it’s good for bodies, too): it contains an organically-certified self-tanning ingredient derived from sugar beet, organic aloe and shea butter for soft, nourished skin as well as an even colour. Offering a golden brown finish that develops in three hours, this is one of Jo's all-time favourite fake tans - but be prepared to spend a bit of time rubbing it in, she counsels. (This also did well trialled as a Facial Self-Tanner.)
Comments: ‘Beautiful even golden colour, no awful smell and no mess’ • ‘easy instructions and a saintly ingredients list!’ • ‘people say how healthy I look’ • ‘I had a lovely golden tan, I felt fantastic and really healthy’ • ‘sank in straight away so could dress’ • ‘really pleasant to use, NO NASTY SMELL; slowly developed a nice golden colour over several days’ • ‘my 16 year old daughter asked if she could try it – there’s no higher form of compliment’.
 Green People Self Tan Lotion, £16.30 for 200 ml at www.victoriahealth.com; click here to find it on-line (remember you get a 5% discount on almost everything at www.victoriahealth.com, plus free p & p - no need to add a code).
Score: 7.81/10
Again, Green People re-submitted this for re-testing for summer 2010 (we started from scratch with these Tried & Testeds) - and again, it performed well for both face and body. Which makes it qualify as a beauty classic in our books! As well as delivering a truly natural-looking effect, the ingredients in this non-greasy fake tan are infinitely more natural than most, too. With a really pleasant fragrance - from the rose, geranium and sandalwood oils - it's said to be gentle enough even for those prone to eczema or psoriasis to use. (It also did well tested as a Facial Self-Tanner.)
Comments: ‘Lovely golden tan as if I’d had a few days of much needed sunshine’ • ‘ made my fat legs look slimmer’ • ‘gave my redhead pale skin a natural colour’ • ‘started fading evenly and gradually after 4 days’ • ’had forgotten how much brighter and happier a tan makes you feel!’ • ‘
Never want to be without this top favourite product – full marks!’
 BEAUTY STEAL Marks & Spencer Self-Tan Lotion for Face and Body, £7.50 for 200 ml at www.marksandspencer.com; find it on-line here
Score: 7.25/10
Non-streaky, lightweight – and it dries faster than you can say ‘farewell, opaque tights’. Testers were impressed by the even colour, which develops over a timeframe of hours, and lasts (so they tell us) very well for such an affordable option. Although some commented on the smell, both positively – and not quite so keen.
Comments: ‘Easy to apply and loved the colour’ • ‘very positive comments for nice natural tan, made me feel fantastic’ • ‘great body moisturiser too’ • ‘very realistic light glow; not tinted but that means no staining; didn’t streak’ • ‘joy to use; light citrussy smell; sank straight in, nice natural light tan, almost perfect product’ • ‘fantastically realistic colour’ • ‘left no tacky film when applied, just nice smooth skin then wonderful colour’.
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