With almost an entire week of mild weather, British summertime is officially upon us, and whilst that may mean barbecues, Pimms and long evenings, it also means that we can no longer hide our milk bottle legs under the obligatory autumn/winter uniform of tights. In preparation for the upcoming weeks of playsuits and hotpants, we’ve tested the best methods for getting that perfect tan without a holiday.
Fake Bake (£19.80)
The initial application colour was alarmingly reminiscent of a terrifying Donatella Versace-David Dickinson combo and it did take some time to apply to make sure the colour was even. However, on the plus side the smell was actually surprisingly pleasant. Unfortunately the colour does transfer when it’s developing so may tan your bed sheets as well as your skin. Once washed off in the morning, however, the end result is a natural, professional and even finish. If you can afford to, splash out on this self tan.
Garnier Summer Body (£4.99)
Due to this product being found amongst the moisturisers as opposed to fake tan products, it is easy to get overconfident and slather it all over. Be warned, if you do this major streaking will ensue. On the plus side, the minimal amount of actual tanning product at least meant that the streaks weren’t too noticeable. Another advantage of this lotion is that it really does soften and moisturise your skin, unlike hours of sunbathing. A definite benefit of moisturising tanners is that that you can control your level of tan allowing people to assume you have developed a natural colour, but they’re no good for when you need a quick fix before that big night out.
Rimmel Sunshimmer (£5.99)
If you need to look like you’ve had a week on the beach in approximately 15 minutes then this product is perfect. The colour is pretty natural provided you buy the right shade for your skin tone and it can be applied quickly. One major downside is a complete lack of water resistance, though this obviously means it’s easy to remove, it also means that foam, rain and sweat can strike at any time and ruin your enviable natural glow. For a quick fix it’s cheap and effective but I wouldn’t recommend it for day to day use.
Sunbeds
To investigate this, I spoke to a friend who (in preparation for a holiday) visited a sunbed for 5 minutes a day, 3 days a week. She already had beautiful olive skin and took to the tanning very well. She ended up with a lovely tan, however, for those of us who have a fairer complexion it can be very easy to burn. Sun burn is not a good look and it’s very dangerous. So, is it really worth the risk? I think I’ll stick to tan out of a bottle!