The best self-tanners (and tinted moisturisers) for summer 2015
We're massive fans of self-tanners. Some self-tanners, that is - because they're definitely not all created equal. Earlier this season, for a YOU Magazine 'Summer Sun Special', we trialled dozens of products - together with some of the new 'glow-boosters' (and tinted moisturisers, too, because we know there are still women who wouldn't go near fake tans if you paid them). Here's what truly impressed. SELF-TANNERS
Using a tanning mitt - for example TanOrganic Self Tanning Mitt/£4.99 at www.victoriahealth.com - will give you a more even tan (and clean hands). Apply small quantities lightly and build up, rather than sloshing it on. Do hands and feet last with just what is left on the mitt so you don’t get build-up.
GRADUAL/DAILY TANNERS FOR FACE AND BODY
James Read Day Tan SPF15 Face/£22 for 50 ml. We really like the natural, gentle golden shade this delivers; it’s nicely quenching too, leaving skin feeling comfortable.
Crème de la Mer The Face And Body Gradual Tan/£65 for 200 ml. This light gel-cream has the most wonderful texture, which is easy to blend into skin. We love that it can double for face and body.
Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Lotion/£5.25 for 250 ml. A real beauty steal body lotion that delivers a subtle natural hint-of-a-tint, along with a hit of hydration.
ONE-HIT WONDERS FOR FACE AND BODY
St Tropez Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil/£23 for 30 ml. This smells divine and leaves complexions with a golden glow (no shimmer, unlike its body product).
Chanel Précision Soleil Identité Perfect Colour Face Self Tanner/£30 for 50 ml/020-7493 3836. Exfoliate face and neck before the first application. This gives a gorgeous ‘just been on holiday’ colour, with two shade options, Golden and Bronze.
Clinique Self Sun Body Tinted Lotion/£19 for 125 ml. Easy to apply, it transformed our winter-white legs; plus we’re always grateful for tinted products so we know where we’ve applied. Medium/Deep option gave a good goldy colour. Also in Light/Medium.
St Tropez Self Tan Luxe Dry Oil/£25 for 100 ml. Veils skin with a light shimmer of instant colour. Pasty legs turn golden and gleaming in a few seconds flat. Plus we love the citrussy fragrance.
BEST GLOW-BOOSTERS
Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster: for Face/£18 for 15 ml, and For Body, £26 for 30 ml. Add a few drops to your favourite moisturiser and you’ve ramped up its benefits to a gorgeous self-tanner.
This Works Energy Bank Sun Flash/£28 for 30 ml. Add a squidge of this bronze-coloured gel, which is supercharged with vitamins, to your moisturiser or foundation for instant healthy colour.
Guerlain Terracotta Jambes de Gazelle Cooling Bronzing Mist/£36 for 100 ml. This features sweet orange extract to refresh plus a tan booster to accelerate natural tanning.
TINTED COMPLEXION PERFECTORS WITH SPF
Estée Lauder DayWear Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Sheer Tint Release Moisturizer SPF15/£38 for 50ml. This sheer tinted moisturiser has a magic ability to adapt from an unpromising shade of grey as it exits the tube to match any skin tone.
Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF20/£27 for 40 ml. This new treatment and complexion enhancer in two shades evens out your skin tone, adds luminosity and promises to cover dark spots.
Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint Beautifying Foundation SPF20/£34.50 for 30 ml. For those days when you need a light summer foundation that gives a soft, dewy, truly jolie finish. It comes in five shades.
BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF30/£26 for 35 ml. An ultra-lightweight mineral product, this offers the best of a BB (blemish balm), CC (colour corrector) and tinted moisturiser, with ten shades suitable for every skin tone.
Superdrug Daily Defence 7-in-1 Day Cream/£9.99 for 50 ml. We are really impressed (as are dermatologists) by this multitasking anti-ager, which offers a bunch of beauty benefits for a real budget price. It comes in two shades.