Affordable self tanners - which is best?

Sticking with yesterday's summer theme, I decided to today give fake tans a thorough testing. As someone suffering from immense paleness, fake tans are a crucial part of my summer routine - but the last thing I want is that tacky orange glow that so many tans give.. is it too much to ask to have a self tanner that is actually brown?! For the last few months I've been testing three of my favourites so far ranging from dirt cheap to reasonable pricing - the St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse, the Superdrug Solait Tinted Bronzing Foam and the Vita Liberata Extra Rich Silken Chocolate self tan gel.

St Moriz Self Tanning Mousse, approx. £2.99

Colour: Gives a surprisingly nice golden glow from instant application - ready to wear after applying

Ease of application: Easy to apply, though does need thoroughly rubbing in, otherwise it doesn't bond to the skin as well and results in streaking

Lasting effect: 2-3 days maximum, is buildable but looks best immediately after application on the first day

Superdrug Solait Tinted Bronzing Foam, £5.99

Colour: Gives an average golden colour, though can look quite orange if applied too heavily - not at all buildable

Ease of application: Very easy to apply, incredibly hard to streak and glides over drier patches of skin

Lasting effect: Up to 4 days use before returning to original colour

Vita Liberata Extra Rich Silken Chocolate Self Tan Gel, £10-£15

Colour: Gives a gorgeous golden sunkissed colour - easily the best colouring of the three but guide colour must be washed off as is orange.

Ease of application: Trickiest application of the three - easy to streak and also sticks to dry patches of skin so full exfoliation and moisturising is necessary before application, but gorgeous if applied correctly!

Lasting effect: Up to a week of colour, only the guide colour washes off in the shower



Out of the three, I would definitely say that the St Moriz self tanning mousse is my favourite - it's easy to use and the price amazes me! It's more of a tan makeup as it fades a lot in the shower but for that price I really don't mind. I would suggest always using a fake tan mitt when applying any fake tan, as it really does make the difference with your application - as well as saving you from orange hand syndrome!

For a first time fake tanner, I would definitely suggest the first one I ever used - the Solait bronzing foam for a few reasons. Firstly, it's pretty cheap and therefore if you decide fake tanning isn't for you, you haven't wasted your money! Secondly, it has an almost flawless application as long as it's applied with caution, minimising the risks of any streaky mishaps!

If you're looking to buy any of the products, Vita Liberata and St Moriz are easily available from online retailers such as Amazon, whilst the Solait product is in Superdrug stores.

That's about it on fake tans - now go get tanned!

Top to bottom: St Moriz, Solait, Vita Liberata

Left to right: St Moriz, Solait, Vita Liberata