A nice tan can make you look healthy and even out minor imperfections on your skin. However, if you’re serious about keeping your skin healthy you’ll be using a good sunblock every day with adequate UVA protection. While this is fantastic for your skin in the long-run, it also means that you’ll find it harder to pick up a nice tan on your face.

In order to get around this you can use self-tanners. Self tanners are products that you can use every few days in order to create and maintain a healthy glow on your face, neck, arms or virtually anywhere else that needs a little colour. Right now i’m rocking my pale skin but I have tried and tested nearly all of the major self tanners on the market in order to give my face and arms some nice colour during the summer.

In this entry i’m going to cover a few facial self-tanners and two all-over tanning products. First of all, a few tanning tips:

• Follow the instructions on the packaging.
• Use the product the night before you want a tan, never on the day.
• Exfoliate your skin before applying the tanner in order to get an even application. Facial scrubs and AHA products are both great for this.
• If you want to tan your hands, feet or elbows – spread the tanner there from neighbouring sites like your arms and ankles. Tanner can pool in these areas when applied directly and they’ll look darker.
• Wear some gloves! This only applies for tanning the body as the colour tends to stay on your hands for longer as you apply to larger areas. Buy a pack at your local drugstore.
• Less is more. Start off by applying less than you think you should and then use more the next time if you want a darker colour.
• Apply to completely bare skin. Skip your regular facial products at night in favour of your tanner, if you have to moisturise – wait for half an hour after applying the tanner.
• If you’re tanning your face, remember to do your neck too! If you expose your chest with your clothes, tan that too with the same product.

For me, a self tanner needs to tick a few boxes in order for me to use it regularly:

1. It must be foolproof to apply. I’m not good with trickly/fiddly application.
2. It can’t give me that dreaded orange colour.
3. It can’t break my skin out in pimples and spots.
4. It must look good and natural.
5. It must dry quickly.
6. Colour needs to be even and blotch free.

So here’s a list of the best in no particular order:

Clarins for Men – Auto Bronze Self Tan Gel

This gives a nice, healthy glow to the skin. It takes about two hours to develop and you can use it every day or every couple of days in order to maintain the colour. Application is easy, just use a small amount and massage it into your face and neck. Wait for 15 minutes for it to absorb. It contains fragrance so it may irritate more sensitive skin, not great for super oily skin.

Fake Bake THE FACE

A popular facial tanner and it’s not hard to see why. It gives you a really nice, tanned colour. Application is easy – just apply before bed and wash your face in the morning. Your colour will be even and streak free.

L’Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturiser

Another product that provides excellent colour in an easy to use format, no breakouts – perfect tan. It’s not exactly gradual, you’ll have the full colour within two or three days.

Biotherm High Recharge Natural Bronze

This is definately the way to go if you’re a facial tanning newbie. It contains slightly less colour than regular facial tanners for a really natural, healthy looking glow. Formulated for men, it also makes a good moisturiser and I highly recommend it as your first product along with the Johnson’s tanner below. Gives you a nice, gradually developing tan.

Body Tanners

St Tropez Whipped Bronze Mousse

One of the most famous brands of self tanner. I dislike their other products but this one is second-to-none for quick body tanning. The application is easy, it comes in a mousse which is easy to apply and leaves you with a nice streakless tan the next day. It also dries very quickly. Probably the only quick body tanning product i’d recommend as it can go horribly wrong with others. You can also use this on your face without breaking out, try it on your body first though.

Johnson’s Holiday Skin

This is a body moisturiser that will gradually build up to a nice, even tan on your skin. It’s ridiculously easy to apply (just like a body cream), the colour is nice and it comes out even. There is a ‘for face’ version which also works well but may clog combo or oily skin. Good for anyone new to body self-tanners as it gives you a very natural and slowly-building tan. You don’t have to be extra careful with gloves and stuff using this tanner as it builds so gradually, just massage it all over your body like a body moisturiser on freshly exfoliated skin.

Whichever one you choose, remember to read the points above. Remember that less is more – if you use to little you can apply more the next day but if you use too much – be prepared for some major exfoliation the next day in order to get your skin looking decent!