On trial: Self tan moisturisers

The tough beautyheaven testers put five self-tan moisturisers to the test. Find out the results!

On Trial: Nivea Body Summer Beauty, $5.99
Tester: Tracey, beautyheaven editor
Verdict: “I’m not exactly the patient type, so I’m surprised how much I like this product. It’s a brilliant moisturiser and contains grape seed oil (a powerhouse antioxidant) to help firm sluggish skin. One application gave me a slight glow, but to build a just-back-from-Tahiti tan, I needed around four days. The payoff, however, was that the result is absolutely natural and even. I also love that there’s the Nivea Visage Summer Beauty to keep my face in sync with my body, and have found that a little on the backs of my hands does away with annoying ‘wristbands’. If I needed to get golden overnight, I’d use a straight-up tanning product for colour first but would then definitely rely on SummerBeauty to maintain the tan.”

On Trial: L’Oreal Nutrisummer, $14.45
Tester: Claire, beautyheaven beauty co-ordinator
Verdict: “I really loved the colour this moisturiser left my skin. It wasn’t too orangey or yellow, just a nice light hint of colour that developed in about three days. It did smell a little bit, but it wasn’t so bad that it bothered me. Nutrisummer was really easy to apply and, while I had to be a bit careful around my nails and between my fingers, I didn’t have to worry much about streaking or patchiness on other parts of my body, which is great for someone who doesn’t have time to worry about a perfect tan application every day.”

On Trial: Dove Summer Glow, $6.99
Tester: Claire, beautyheaven beauty co-ordinator
Verdict: “I used this when it first came out (a few months ago) and was really keen to build up a rich tan quickly. I have quite fair skin and picked up the formula for darker skin (Summer Glow comes in fair/ medium or medium/dark formulas) thinking it would work faster. While the result was definitely darker and appeared almost straight away, it meant there was less margin for error when it came to application and I had to be really careful to avoid streaks and patches. It still produced a nice result that wasn’t too yellow or smelly, but I think next time I will go for the light-skinned version so the result is more gradual and natural.”

On Trial: Neutrogena Bulid-a-Tan, $18.99
Tester: Janet, beautyheaven consultant
Verdict: “On day one, I liberally applied the product all over, making sure I smoothed it in evenly. After five minutes drying time, I dressed and left for work. Within an hour I noticed a healthy-looking, natural colour on my arms – and the after-scent was light and smelled like a suntan cream. I repeated the process the next morning and, by the time I arrived at work, I looked like I had arrived back from a weekend at the beach in Byron. On the morning of the big night out, I put the last application to the test. My dress was predominantly white, so I was in desperate need of skin that would contrast rather than blend in and look sickly. What a success! I had a serious trust fund tan that looked perfectly natural, with a fabulous, dewy finish.”

On Trial: Johnson’s Holiday Skin, $6.99
Tester: Laina, beautyheaven consultant
Verdict: “The consistency of Holiday Skin was light and creamy, and it did leave my skin feeling silky and moisturised. The dreaded fake-tan smell was a little stronger than I expected, but definitely much better than normal self-tanners. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because it is a gradual tanner you don’t have to blend it flawlessly! I was careless one morning in my manic rush out the door and neglected to blend thoroughly around my ankles, resulting in faint tidemarks. Though you can get dressed straight after applying it, which is definitely a bonus when you’re busy. I used it every morning for five days and have developed a lovely subtle golden glow.”