Beat the heat when you are going bare for summer.
Limiting sun exposure - whatever your skin colour - is a good idea, to protect its condition, but if you are fair-skinned there can be something a bit off-putting about revealing pasty white legs to the world. Somehow a bit of colour on your limbs seems to even out tone and make skin look firmer and fresher.
Even if you spend all summer long shading your face, chances are you'll want to get a bit of a tan elsewhere. The easiest, and safest, way is to fake, not bake.
Obvious tans are no longer fashionable, so add a little golden sheen with an instant bronzer, gradual tinted moisturiser, or a self-tanning product. Bronzers will wash off in water, but the other tanners will last longer thanks to chemical ingredients including dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which is what gives them that distinctive fake tan smell, which you also get with salon spray tans.
Some people barely notice the smell, others consider it a disgusting pong, describing it as "biscuity", "meaty" or reminiscent of Rotorua. I tend to restrict fake tan use to my legs rather than higher up the body where the whiff is harder to ignore.
Various products claim to be odour-free, but I've yet to find an effective one that truly is, though some definitely smell better than others. Often an initial pleasant aroma will be from added fragrances and essential oils, but after a few hours warming up on the skin the disguise is off and you'll get a whiff of what is essentially a chemical reaction between you and the DHA. The smell is strongest in the first 24 hours and will subside somewhat after showering, but it can take a few days to wear off altogether and if you're following the instructions to reapply your fake tanner expect the smell to linger longer.
Before applying a fake tan you'll be exhorted to exfoliate to ensure a smooth finish. This is a good idea, but you don't need to spend up on exfoliation products, a rub over with some kitchen sea salt mixed with olive oil will do, or just wipe your legs down with a flannel. The idea is to avoid scaly bits giving your tan an uneven look, so if you're thinking of using a fake tan start moisturising your skin at least a few days in advance to prepare the surface.
Watch you don't apply too much fake tan round the knees and ankles, I usually wipe over these areas with a tissue to remove any excess. Wash your hands thoroughly at the end, using a nail brush to ensure there's no tell-tale staining around the cuticles. If you do get stains in the wrong places, exfoliate gently or use a fake tan remover, these products being most effective if used promptly.
Once your tan starts going blotchy, usually after 3-5 days, then it is best to exfoliate the remnants and start again.
A bit like sunscreens, fake tanners are an area where paying top dollar doesn't always deliver the best results. There's plenty of cheaper buys that perform the basic job just as well as more expensive offerings. The premium brands like to emphasise the added skincare benefits of their tanners, but whether you want added antioxidants with your fake tan is up to you.
Some companies such as St Tropez and Modelco are justifiably known for their tanning expertise, but big brands are also innovative and quick-dry formulas are becoming standard, with a choice of rub in or spray on formulas. More fake tanners now combine a longer-term result with an instant bronzing effect.
Here's a few we put to the test, to help you sniff out a new favourite.
1. Summer Tan Mousse $55
Strong coconut smell. Came out of the bottle very dark, which was alarming, but the colour was on the subtle side, even when applied to pale thighs. This Australian-developed range for beauty salons includes professional spray tans for those wanting to try a new brand and a host of take-home products, including this instant effect fast-drying spray and tan-in-a-can products.
2. Skinfood Tanning Moisturiser $13.99
This is promoted as a unisex product and gave similar results to the Dove, below. It went on white and took more rubbing in. Paraben free.
3. Dove Summer Glow Beauty Body Lotion $9.99
Nice body lotion with an initial mild fresh smell and a slight fake tan after-aroma. Takes fair skin up half a shade or so, but a day later this is barely discernible. Repeat daily applications are definitely needed, but this lotion won't give the depth of colour of a fake tanner, so best for someone who just wants a hint of slow-developing tint in a great value large bottle.
4. L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Tinted Gel $29.59
Good, natural looking results the day after easy application. Almost didn't need a second coat. Smell was not unpleasant, and only needed a miniscule amount, so good value for money. Suitable for the face as well as body.
*Sublime comes in spray-on formulas also. The addition of instant tan ingredients to this version makes it an all-round winner.
5. Dr LeWinns Sunless Self Tanning Lotion $40
A safe, subtle choice that quickly slaps on without worry about streaky bits. It's a white, more natural-smelling cream loaded with aloe vera and vitamins, like applying a moisturiser before bed if you want to wake up a shade darker. Reapply daily to maintain colour.
6. Shiseido Tinted Self-Tanning Gel $46
Suitable for face and body. Easy to apply, but the smell got more pronounced on the second application and the natural looking colour in medium wasn't that dark, so reapplication needed.
7. St Tropez Everyday Perfect Legs $69
The black nozzle gives you bit of a fright as thick brown lotion pours out. It's messy, but rubs in with ease. You can see where you've been and can tidy up if you're quick. The lotion has a luxurious feel and creates a reasonably natural looking colour on the skin after regular use. This versatile two-in-one product contains aloe vera, is paraben free, and features Aromaguard smell reduction technology, which worked, according to our tester.
8. Clinique Self Sun Body Tinted Lotion $45
Pampering gel cream formula that develops over time, but goes on tinted. The light/medium gave fair skin a good strong tanned, yet natural, look after only one application. A bit of after-aroma, but the result was encouraging enough for re-use.
9. Modelco Body Meringue Bronze Glow $57
Can needed a good shake to distribute colour/sparkles evenly, but once on it wasn't streaky and the colour was subtle. No strong smell, although up close a little leather like. Initial sparkle wears off.
10. IZ Sunless Tanning Jet Set Tan $49.90 (150ml)
Super easy to apply and hassle free. No messy hands, with the spray applicator ensuring a gentle and even covering. The advice to do gentle circles as you apply works well. Slight smell initially, but you can pretty much put your jeans on and go. Our tester would use this again.
Stockists: Selected supermarkets, pharmacies, department stores and brand counters. Invisible Zinc also in health stores. St Tropez ph 0800 883434, Skinfood skinfood.co.nz, Summer Tan ph 0800 223288
Science of smell
Scientists have shown that the worst of the smell of fake tan can be chemically neutralised. By manipulating odour molecules pong can reportedly be reduced by up to 70 per cent.
The smell caused when active tanning ingredient DHA reacts with collagen in the skin to release a number of different odour molecules, including sulphur dioxide. Male skin tested with fake tan by an English company called CPL Aromas generated the most smell, possibly because the upper layer of men's skin is thicker, providing more collagen for the DHA to react with. New Scientist magazine reported last year that the tests had identified 250 to 300 odour molecules in the air when self tan was applied to various skin types. Chemicals the scientists suspected would react with the smelly molecules were then introduced to produce larger molecules that were shaped differently and so perceived differently by the nose.
Tests of the manipulate molecules, using professional sniffers, then showed much lower pong perception, with a 12-fold reduction in the detection of sulphur dioxide.
"Molecule manipulation technology has been introduced in some St Tropez products, under the name Aromaguard.
Tan triumvirate
The ease with which you tan in the sun will make no difference to how a fake tan develops on your skin. The tanner is simply a superficial dye whereas suntan is a deeper melanin reaction to UV rays. If you're out in the sun, with or without a tan, wear a sunscreen.
Instant tan: Achieve an instant tan with wash-off products which are like a foundation providing superficial colour coverage to the skin, some with moisturising or sun screening ingredients added. They generally offer more colour than a tinted moisturiser and like other tanners may be sold in light, medium and dark options. As well as gels, lotions and creams, this faux glow category includes powder and liquid or mousse bronzers. On application the colour should be true or darker than it will remain, the latter can be disconcerting, but these products generally blend out easily and, of course, if they don't suit they can be removed easily.
Recommended: Lancome, Le Tan, St Tropez and Sugar Baby Suntanned Sweeties.
Gradual tan: Achieve a gradual tan with body moisturisers containing slowly developing colour. These dual purpose products are a food introduction to the world of fake tanners, being usually less intense in both shade and smell. The upside is that they offer good value plus skin conditioning, the downside is that they go on invisible and the colour develops over a few hours, but some barely register browner, so you will need to faithfully reapply to see much difference.
Recommended: Olay, Nivea and Palmers.
Fake tan: Achieve your preferred depth of fake tan by reapplying the product, although one application will often develop dark enough to do. Many fake tanners now handily come with an instant tanner as well, meaning you get an immediate bronzed effect and then further colour development over time. Smell varies widely, but so does smell perception so one person's favourite may revolt you - or your partner.
Recommended: L'Oreal Sublime and Clarins mousse.
