StyleNest’s weekly Beauty Bird columnist, Eleanor Tucker shares with us the best face tans giving her a healthy, natural glow this summer. 

Complexion-wise, in winter, I’m happy to sit somewhere between ‘Ivory’ and the second one on the list. It’s usual called something polite like ‘Wheat’ or ‘Light Sand’, whereas the reality is it’s not pale enough to be interesting, but not dark enough to be healthy.

But after a week of sunshine, I’ve decided I need to get my glow on. Remember when we had to just take our biscuit-scented fake tan up over our faces, and risk it collecting in the moustache area? No more. Here are my top five self-tans designed specifically for your face. Hallelujah.

First up is a real, ‘why didn’t anyone think of that before’ product: Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster (£18). It’s a little dropper that you use to add a tailored amount of self-tan to your existing moisturiser, day or night. Some days I add one drop, sometimes none, sometimes two or three, depending on how much of a boost I need – and the colour is subtle and natural. How clever.

Elemis have also come up trumps this summer with their new Total Glow Bronzing Moisturiser For Face (£29.50). A powerhouse of radiance-boosting ingredients such as antioxidant rich green tea and ginger water, this delivers a slow burner of tan with no smell or streaks, just a subtle “You look well” glow. Try the body lotion (£34.50) too.

A purse friendly option that really performs is Simple Kind To Skin Sun-Kissed Moisture Cream (£4.99). I wouldn’t use this as a night cream, and I’d want to put a serious serum under it by day as it’s fairly light in texture, but as a quick fix for a wan complexion, with change from a fiver – what’s not to love?

Institut Esthederm Photo Cellular Care Sun Sheen Light Self-Tanning Face Cream (£28.80) sounds fancy. And it is. It can – wait for it – imitate the distribution of melanin pigments to create a perfect replica of natural tan. Which sounds like nonsense until you put it on and it makes you look sunkissed rather than just an even (less natural) brown.

Finally, a corker from James Read – BB Gradual Tan Face in Light (£20.50). This is my pick for the end of summer when you want to preserve your glow, as it seems to extend what’s naturally there. The ‘BB’ part of the name because is it works as a primer and moisturiser too.

For an all over, natural tan check out StyleNest’s edit of the best gradual tans, here.