The sun is shining, and it looks like spring may have finally hit British shores. With this in mind, we challenged the lovely Alaina Vieru, 24, from handbag.com's features team to test five of the best self-tan moisturisers, to help banish winter-weary skin and create a sunny spring glow. 'With pale skin and freckles, traditional one-day application fake tans leave me looking orange and unnatural,' Alaina says, 'Last summer I used wash-off bronzers which gave great colour - but rubbed off. With two big weddings and a beach holiday coming up this summer, I'm desperate to find a quick (and non-smelly) tanning moisturiser that gives me great colour!'
Dove Summer Glow Fair to Normal Skin
£4.99
'Takes forever to dry! Even after 20 minutes standing starkers in a cool room, it left brown swatches on my white top. The smell started out nice and floral, but after a few hours had a slight 'curry' smell. However, the colour was very natural and even. I had the smallest hint of tan after the first application, and by day three looked healthy and full of colour, though slightly darker skins may need a couple extra days.'
Available nationwide
Johnson's Holiday Skin Light Tan
£4.99
'This one smells like holiday in a bottle – tropical and coconutty! However, after a few hours this does fade into self-tan smell. The formula was easy to spread but it did take slightly longer to dry. I ended up a teeny bit orange but other than that it was a lovely, even colour that developed to a nice tan after four days.'
Available nationwide
Clarins Radiance-Plus Self Tanning Body Lotion
£24.50
'This one gets top-marks for scent - not a whiff of fake tan! It also doesn't take long to dry. I'd only apply this every other day, as watch out - the colour keeps going and going. After eight hours I was lightly tanned and after 24 (without another application) I was even darker – quite a feat for just one application! I exfoliated beforehand (although not with the recommended Clarins exfoliator) but my tan still looked a bit splotchy and I had slightly whiter hands than body.'
Available nationwide
Estée Lauder Body Performance Golden
£18
'Love this one! The bottle is reassuringly not orange or yellow, and the rich, shimmery cream went on easily. I accidentally dressed after just three minutes on day four and the colour was still perfectly even and natural. This is great for the fair-skinned as it truly is gradual – about three days to see a hint of colour and five or more to be beach ready. The scent is slightly 'self-tan' but I can live with that. It's now definitely part of my pre-holiday and wedding regime and it's worth splashing out for!'
Available nationwide
L'Oréal NutriSummer Fair
£6.99
'This has a lovely floral scent which doesn't fade, and while the formula is slightly thin, it dries quickly. Colour developed very slightly after one application, and after two days I was more noticeably tanned. It says it can be applied twice a day, although when I did this on day four I had a more splotchy result, but this wasn't hugely noticeable. For the price, this one is a real winner.'
Available nationwide
