It’s that ‘blah’ time of year, when any lingering summer lustre has drained away and the creeping autumnal chill seeps into our complexion. Plus, if you’re pale like me, switching to a different wardrobe palette only emphasises the unpleasant correlation between burgundy clothing and mottled skin.
It’s all left me craving a hit of winter sunshine, and while there’s no imminent chance of escaping to sunnier climates, I have just discovered a new long-haul retreat in a bottle.
Coming, appropriately enough, from Bali Body, it’s the most brilliantly discreet fake tan I’ve found in a long time, and it’s particularly handy for anyone who’s now spending more time in the office.
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Reason being? The Clear Self Tanning Gel formula is completely invisible on application, non-sticky and totally transfer-free, meaning you can whack on first thing in the morning, head off to work, and just let it crack on while you do. There’s no walk of shame into the 10am conference, feeling a little grubby and gross.
As well as not staining clothes, it’s also one of the most inoffensive-smelling tans I’ve found. There’s the usual DHA tanning active in there but Bali Body hasn’t attempted to smother it with a piña colada scent and, miraculously, the usual ‘wet dog biscuits’ smell hardly developed as my colour did. I sniffed repeatedly at my forearms throughout the day and can confidently say that was the only anti-social side-effect of this tan for my deskmates.
From the clear formula to the barely-discernible aroma, this one really does fly under the radar as a daytime glow - not so much self tan as stealth tan.
The prospect of having no guide colour might be a little intimidating, but I’ve found that’s offset by the gel texture which is (briefly) wet enough for you to see where you’ve put it, and feel confident you’ve not missed any areas.
My invisible friend also glides on in a flash, which is a godsend for these increasingly nippy mornings when you don’t want to be standing in the bathroom like a goosebumpy lump any longer than necessary. My advice is, embrace the fact that bare-leg season is over, and do a lazy, shortcut application which stops at bra level. Who’s going to know or care?
This ‘winter tan’ method of face, neck, dec and arms takes me well under five minutes, and that includes ample time for the vital post-tan wiping of elbows, knuckles and eyebrows. Don’t skip that bit, because autumnal skin is drier than pavement leaves and any fake tan will cling to gnarly bits as tightly as cold hands around a soup mug.
Crucially, a speedy application didn’t translate into a sloppy result. It developed evenly, without needing to scrub off any rusty patches on the usual troublespots. The fact it starts from a clear gel rather than a grainy guide colour means it’s a very gentle, incremental twist of the glow-o-meter, so nobody will do a double-take halfway through the day.
By home time, I definitely had a ‘long weekend in the sunshine’ upgrade which even the ghastly office loo lighting couldn’t spoil. Bali Body reckon it takes four to six hours for the tan to develop but I felt the full benefits were visible by the next morning when I got a nice round of ‘you look well’ comments from colleagues.
It has to be said, the autumnal wardrobe is working far better now, plus even white clothes (and sheets) would be safe with such a transfer-proof tan. To me, it’s a clear winner.
