The Hot New Fake Tans

No you haven’t read it wrong; Lee Stafford, he of the hair world, has branched out into fake tan. The range includes mousse, spray and cream tanners which glide on easily and dry fast. All the tans are wash-off, but you can be sure they won’t budge until you want them to.

Fake My Tan, from £8.99 by Lee Stafford at Boots

L’Oreal’s new tan-in-a-can has an ultra wide nozzle to diffuse the fine mist so you can ensure an even, natural tan. Thanks to the fast-drying mist, there is no need to laboriously rub the product in which means no tell-tale brown palms. Just remember to cover your feet with a towel to avoid the mist settling on your feet and turning them darker than the rest of you.

Sublime Bronze Express Pro, £13.99 by L'Oreal at Boots

Face tans can cause all sorts of tanning mishaps, which could be why many avoid them. Estee Lauder’s offering is super light in consistency as well as colour, which means you can ensure there will be no blocked pores or you’ve-been-tangoed complexions. Use this in place of foundation to give skin a glow or double dip with a bronzer for a deeper, contoured colour.

Bronze Goddess Self-Tanning Lotion for face, £20.50 by Estee Lauder

We know the sun’s rays age you, so it’s great to see a fake tan that prevents the ageing process too. The clever people at Fake Bake have added Mibelle Biochemistry’s anti-ageing Swiss apple stem cell technology (read more here) to its new Platinum Face tanner. The formula is sheer and buildable, so you can match it perfectly to the rest of your body; plus, there is no fake tan smell detectable. It’s also worth noting team ELLE tested every variant from the FB range and every one was fool-proof.

Platinum Face, £29.95 by Fake Bake at Lookfantastic.com

This moisturising fake tan from the brand associated with tanning oils and “that holiday smell” doesn’t just give your skin a glowing bronze hue, it also protects too. Containing shea, mango and cocoa butters, this crème keeps skin well moisturised to counter-balance the drying effect of the tanning active DHA. It’s really quick to apply, taking only a few minutes and is streak free. The spf 10 is also a welcome bonus.

Self Tan Creme, £13.99 by Hawaiian Tropic at Boots

This fake tan should come with a warning, it is ultra ‘I’ve been to Thailand for a month’ dark. Founded in the US, XEN-TAN’s Absolute Luxe is ideal for those with dark skin tones or a summer tan to start with, this is not for those with an English rose complexion. Enriched with coconut oil, skin is left super tanned and nourished.
If you don’t trust yourself with such a dark tan, its in-salon spray tans are faultless and will have people second guessing whether you’ve been on holiday. The therapist can also tailor the tan just for you, so if you want it paler on the face or darker on the legs, you’ve got it.

Absolute Luxe Dark Lotion, £34.99 by XEN TAN

Airbrush spray tan, £40 by XEN-TAN at Michaeljohn, 25 Albemarle St, London. Enq: 0207 629 6969 (Priced nationwide from £25, enq: XEN TAN)