Tanning Trends | The Best Fake Tans for Spring.

Let’s talk about fake tan and some of the best gradual and natural tanners on the market at the moment. Spring is springing and sprung and I think with the glimpse of a bit of sunshine, we are all fast-forwarding our minds & bodies to the beach (is it me or is EVERYONE on the entire Facebook appears to be on holiday right now?)…I think I have spent more time online perusing holidays/Air bnb/Secret escapes than anything else this week. Top of the spring shopping list is pastel brights and clean white shades, and a pale complexion can sometimes look awash against this neutral tones, so indulge in a natural and easy fake tan.

 I am not sure about you, but I am a real lazy beauty person, and I SO wish I had the time to keep up with my tanning in the winter months but I just don’t….yet always moan about how pale I am. I don’t think I have fake tanned for over a month now, but I’m bringing out the big guns to get that faux glow back with a vengeance! Fake Tans have advanced do much over the years and long gone are the streaky, stinky tango tans (although they definitely still do exist in Romford btw) and for any skin tone it is much easier to get a custom colour that you are happy with from the paler skins to the deeper tones. There is A LOT of choice out there and tanning is easier and quicker than ever, not only that but the next generation of fake tans are often infused with active ingredients that improve the skin rather than just bronzing it. I want to introduce to you the next generation of fake tans..

A great multi-tasker & slimming (yes) natural tan is the He-Shi Body Sculpting Gradual Tan. This is perfect for those who just want a soft and natural hint of colour as it is as described, a gradual tan ; something you can apply every day or every other to give that faux glow. It is a hydrating & skin sculpting self tan infused with slimming ingredient ”Intenslim” complex which firms and reshapes the skin. Caffeine is encapsulated with antioxidants for a double-pronged approach to improve micro-circulation. This is brand new from He-Shi and it’s the  first tan I have used which is slimming and I think it’s a really great idea in prep for summer.

If you dread the sticky residue feeling and snow-flaking on your bathroom floor for 5 minutes as your tacky fake tan dries then Fake Bake Flawless Coconut Tanning Serum could be the one for you! It is a beautiful silky elixir that is infused with coconut oil to give hydration and light-weight tanning that I have never experienced until now ; Absorbs into the skin easily and with no sticky residue and is dry within like 0.345 seconds so you can get dressed straight away and even YOU forget you have fake tanned as you just smell of glorious coconuts and holidays. This serum formula has a light colour guide that washes off after the desired development time so gives than instant faux glow which looks great during the day . I also like the fact that this is light enough to use on your face too, as a lot of tans are face OR body. Thumbs up and a must-have tan for your arsenal.

A completely new & innovative product is the St Tropez Luxe Tanning Oil. It is a dry oil so absorbs into the skin well without a heavy residue and is a super luxury tanning product. I think this is one best for daytime tanning ; particularly if you almost want your skin to look immediately ‘done’ as it gives a hint of instant colour and a lovely sheeny finish. You know those moments when you weren’t expecting to wear a skirt or show off skin and then you want to but your skin is like scaly and almost white-green?! THIS is the tan for those tough times. This nourishing tanning oil contains Brazil nut oil, Grapefruit seed oil, Lemongrass and Bitter orange oill so the scent as you can imagine, is beautiful.

**Please do not ever use this as a holiday/beach oil as it has no SPF – this is stricly a fake tan!

Possibly one of my most used brand of fake tans ever is XEN Tan and I love so many of their products and have used their stuff for years. If you struggle with fake tanners for the face/ find them break you out and make you feel a bit grim then you need to try the XEN Tan Face Tanner Luxe which is simply the best. It comes in x2 shades, I always use the darker one but the paler one is just like a gradual tan for the face (no instant colour) if you are a bit anti-tan and porcelain. The formula is oil-free, paraben-free and is enriched with Camellia, Aloe Vera & Vitamin E to give your skin a little love as it tans. 

For a budget/drugstore option then I am really liking this Dove DermaSpa Summer Revived gradual tan which is literally your everyday body lotion. Completely colourless and I find after just one application I have a really healthy glow to my skin. I have found quite a few of the cheaper options, even the gradual lotions can go REALLY dark and orange but not with this one. I also like to use something like this to keep my tan topped up when I have ‘proper tanned’ ; so this lighter lotion is good to alternate with a stronger fake tan. It’s currently 50% at Superdrug too at the moment, so worth a try.

As with all fake tans, I find even these lighter/gradual ones are best applied with a tanning mitt that make your life SO much easier. They don’t cost much and you can wash them so they last you ages too. I like this one from St Tropez or the XEN mitt.

What is the best tan you have tried?