 Joico Gradual Self-Tanner, £12.95 for 250 ml at www.bathandunwind.com; find it on-line here.
Score: 8.47/10
Not familiar with Joico? Better-known as a haircare brand, they're part of Shiseido and thus can tap into their legendary skin expertise.
Comments: ‘Enjoyed using this, went on well, sank in easily, nice smell and looked natural subtle colour’ • ‘initial smell a little over-perfumed but covered usual self-tanner pong – very pleasant to use, just right consistency, not tinted but overall result was completely natural-looking tan’ • ‘faded gradually with no obvious patches.’
 St. Tropez Everyday Body, £14 for 200 ml (of course you get a 10% 'insider' discount at www.HQhair.com when you visit from our site - just add the code BBHQ11 at checkout)
Score: 8.14/10
Brit brand St. Tropez swept through Hollywood this spring fake-tanning all the Oscar contenders, but this moisturising aloe-rich daily lotion (Sarah’s favourite) gently builds colour so you can choose whether to look like you vacationed in Cornwall – or Beverly Hills…
Comments: ’Very easy to apply, slight floral smell’ • ‘golden sheen next day, then built up to subtle realistic glow’ • ‘delighted by natural light gold, ideal year round’ • ‘liked the way you can control the colour and not just turn mahogany over night’ • ‘loved this, great results and got compliments’ • ‘sank into skin within a few minutes, left a pleasant sheen, colour developed after a few hours to a subtle golden-brown, very realistic’ • ‘skin looked healthy and was silky smooth: I‘ve been converted by this product!’ • ‘so pleasant to use that I could easily incorporate into daily routine, end result really subtle and attractive’.
 Natio Sun-Kissed Glow Gradual Tan Lotion, £13 for 200 ml at www.debenhams.com; find it on-line here.
Score: 8.12/10
Natio is a popular Aussie brand just landed in the UK. Bringing a touch of Down Under’s sun to these shores, this two-in-one lotion – scented with tangerine and cinnamon extracts – builds a gradual, non-streak tan while quenching the body with moisture.
Comments: ‘Joy to use, gave incredibly realistic tan on my day-glo white skin’ • ‘loved this fantastically moisturising product’ • ‘tan-glow developed to light golden brown over three days’ • ‘took 3 applications to get a nicely tanned look - faded evenly over 2-3 days’ • ‘10/10, even golden colour made me feel good, took three applications to get to optimum colour; will definitely buy another’.
 BEAUTY STEAL Nivea Sunkissed Skin Body Lotion (Fair to Medium Skin)
£5.99 for 250 ml at www.boots.com; click here to find it on-line.
Score: 8/10
There are two variants for this - our testers trialled the lighter option, but it also comes in Medium to Dark Skin. Nivea counterbalance the drying effects of self-tanner with grape seed oil to nourish and firm. Testers did find a noticeable smell, though most said it didn’t bother them.
Comments: ‘very pleasant and easy to apply’ • ‘smelt when applied but quite inoffensive, great texture’ • ‘sank in after about 20 minutes, took roughly 5 hours until colour noticeable, which was subtle and even, four days to proper golden glow’ • ‘gave natural golden realistic colour – not at all orange, and no patchiness’ • ‘felt confident about my warm glowing skin, tone looked more even too’ • ‘good for a subtle gentle tan’.
 BEAUTY STEAL Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Natural Bronze, £4.88 for 250 ml at www.superdrug.com; find it on-line here.
Score: 7.39/10
Based on the legendary cocoa butter formula of the original bestselling body lotion, Palmer’s infuse this with self-tanner to build a deep-ish tan (for most skin tones, though some found it subtle) over a few days, while leaving skin deeply nourished. But take heed from the tester who noticed the big difference after exfoliating on the second application. This did divide testers rather with some rating it highly, others not getting on with it. Quite a strong smell of cocoa – like Chocolate Vienna biscuits according to one tester.
Comments: ‘Chocolate-y smelling cream, quite thick but easy to rub in, gave golden tan from the first application’ • ‘absorbed well and skin felt incredibly soft’ • ‘would happily switch to this from more expensive brands’ • ‘great for a head start in the tan stakes’ • ‘gave quite a dark colour, more like a proper fake tan than a gradual tanner’ • ‘wish they had told me to exfoliate first! Second time round it was much more even and I felt good and felt I looked good!’.
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