No sunshine, no problem.

We're not going on a summer holiday. Or, if we are, it's a staycation situation where the weather's a bit of a gamble. Yes, Blighty blessed us with a recent heatwave, but it's been howling storms or "mehh" weather ever since.

Of course, we've not let that stop us from getting our glow on at home, whether it's from dangling out the window when the sun makes a surprise appearance like one committed Glaswegian did recently (not recommended), or layering up on some self-tan action.

Sales have taken off with brand's like Bali Body reporting a 450% surge in demand for its Ultra Dark Self Tanning Mousse during lockdown. Meanwhile, Coco & Eve's Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam is quickly building up a cult following. After selling out three times and accumulating a 30,000 person waiting list, it's back in stock and selling a bottle every 20 seconds.

It seems even self tan refuseniks are dipping their toe (or entire bodies) into fake tanning for the first time. It might have a reputation for being tricky, going streaky and smelling a bit whiffy the next day, but it also has the power to overhaul pasty limbs, boost confidence and bring the sunshine – even when there is none and cheer ourselves up in the process.

Tanning is an area that continues to innovate, with brands tackling Fanta undertones, dubious scents and patchy stripes to make formulas far more user-friendly. The selection is *huge* – there are silky lotions, fluffy mousses, and handy 360 sprays to suit all preferences and skin types. You can even pick up speedy solutions that develop in just one hour, or long-lasting heroes that stick around for up to three weeks.

Whether you like a deep golden tan or a subtle whisper of warmth, there are options for all. Scroll down to see the best fake tans, that have been tried, tested and given the seal of approval by the GLAMOUR team with our in-house reviews on what exactly they’re best for.

Love a golden glow but looking for something different? We also have reviews on the best gradual tans, best tan for pale skin, bronzers, fake tans for your face and in-salon spray tans. Plus (we’re spoiling you), our top tanning tips to make sure your fake tan looks the best it can be.

Here are the best self tans of 2020 to shop now...


-Best fake tan for avoiding orange undertones-


Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Water, £18.95, Beauty Bay

Results? A thoroughly natural looking finish.

Bonus features: Isle Of Paradise three shades of Self Tanning Water contain colour correcting pigments so not only do they avoid oompa limbs, they tailor options to suit your skin tone. Light has brightening peach tones in, Medium has green to counteract redness and Dark has a purple tinge to curb yellow or sallow tones in skin.

-Best dark fake tan-


Bali Body Ultra Dark Self Tanning Mousse, £26.95, Beauty Bay

Results? This Self Tanning Mousse is an updated take on the original mousse tan from Bali Body, but it's especially formulated to create a darker tan.

Bonus Features: There are various soothing ingredients including chamomile extract, antioxidant coffee seed extract and pomegranate extract, leaving your skin nourished, yet glowing.

-Best fake tan to truly recreate the sunshine-


St Tropez Self Tan Purity Vitamins Mist, £31, Beauty Bay

Results: An instant light gleam that develops into a golden tan with a noticeable glow.

Bonus features: This contains a groundbreaking Sunshine Complex technology. Vitamin D boosters mimic the positive effects of sunshine, brightening and protective skin but without exposing it to harmful UV rays. Plus the fragrance was specifically created to improve our mood.

-Best fake tan for a cult in the making-


Coco & Eve Sunny Honey Bali Bronzing Foam, £29.90, Beauty Bay

Results: Available in three shades – medium, dark and ultra dark – you can tailor the colour to you. The green-grey base colour may sound scary, but in practice it counteracts orange tones to keep things positively golden.

Bonus features: It's vegan and packed with natural ingredients like banana, cocoa, papaya, mango, orange and lotus flower. Plus, it has over 2,000 5 star ratings on Trustpilot.

-Best fake tan for those who hate that self-tan smell-


James Read Coconut Dry Oil Tan, £25, Look Fantastic

Results? A heavenly-scented, natural-looking and skin-loving self-tan that lasts for five days.

Bonus Features: James Read Coconut Dry Oil Tan is bursting with anti-oxidants to fight off free-radical damage caused by pollution and UV rays.

-Best fake tan wipes for glow on the go-


Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pad Gradual Glow, £34, Look Fantastic

Results? Fancy a natural-looking, buildable tan without the fuss? Thanks to their easy-to-use design, Alpha Beta Glow Pad Gradual Glow single-use wipes cut out the need for extras. Great for getting that glow on the go.

Bonus Features: Gentle exfoliating acids in the formula work to smooth the surface of skin, and help ensure an even, streak-free finish.

Prefer to build up your tan? Check out our list of the best gradual tanners of 2019

-Best tan remover for clumsy tanners-


Isle of Paradise Over It Magic Self-Tan Eraser, £17.95, Look Fantastic

Results? Not technically a fake tan, Over It Magic Self Tan Eraser is a very important side kick. This nifty product is essential for any mishaps or removals because, let's be honest, all good tans must come to an end.

Bonus Features: This magic remover gently exfoliates with glycolic acid but is also infused with coconut, chia seed and avocado oils to nourish.

-Best fake tan drops for a subtle day-to-day glow-


Tan-Luxe The Body Illuminating Tan Drops, £42, Cult Beauty

Results? That fresh, dewy, I-just-returned-from-the-beach-but-kept-my-SPF30-topped-up kind of tan.

Bonus Features: These handy Body Illuminating Tan Drops can be added to any body lotion, oil or moisturiser to transform it into a bespoke self-tan. Add one drop for a weekend by the beach, or four for full-on bronze brilliance.

-Best for a fast fake tan-


St Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Mist, £26, Cult Beauty

Results: This bestows a light even tan in one hour, a sun kissed medium glow if you leave it on for two hours and a deep golden bronze if you leave it on for three hours.

Bonus features: This gives you three shade options in one formula and because of the speedy developing time, it's perfect if you're in a pinch and need to turn your tan around quickly.

-Best fake tan for acne-prone skin-


Vichy Idéal Soleil Hydra-Bronzing Self-Tanning Milk, £10.50, Feel Unique

Results? A buildable, natural-looking tan that benefits from the glowy boost of hydrating thermal water. Not many products can work as well on the face as the body, but the gentle Idéal Soleil Hydra-Bronzing Self-Tanning Milk ticks both boxes.

Bonus features: Paraben-free and suitable for sensitive skin. It doesn’t cause breakouts either.

-Best fake tan for a deep glow-


Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Dark Mousse, £7.99, Feel Unique

Results? With 1 Hour Tan Dark Mousse you can achieve an even and subtle hint of colour after one hour, a chocolatey tan after two and an intense Barbados-bronze if you stick it out for three.

Bonus features: Super-quick drying and an olive undertone to ensure zero traces of tangerine.

-Best fake tan for flawless results-


Bondi Sands Self Tan Foam Dark, £14.99, Feel Unique

Results: A really dark tan with golden undertones, for the ultimate Australian beach babe look.

Bonus Features: Bondi Sands Self Tan Foam Dark dries in seconds and you can even shower after one hour (or try the one hour express for an even quicker, deeper colour). Ideal for those with olive skin as the results are really rich in colour - although it has gorgeous golden undertones that work brilliantly on fair skin types as well.

-Best fake tan for a glow that can be washed off-


Vita Liberta Body Blur, £28.95, Amazon

Results: Not just a tanner, Body Blur airbrushes a multitude of imperfections and is especially effective on the legs.

Bonus Features: What's more, it washes off, so don't panic if something goes wrong!

-Best fake tan for beginners-


Garnier Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronzer Dry Body Mist, £10.99, Boots

Results: A no-nonsense multi-angle spray tan, No Streaks Bronzer Dry Body Mist leaves a light tan, ideal for a subtle glow. A perfect product if you’re new to the world of self-tan sprays.

Bonus Features: Multi-angle dry mist spray, apricot extracts to moisturise skin, quick-dry, no need to rub.

-Best budget fake tan-


St Moriz Advanced Pro Formula 5-in-1 Tanning Mousse, £7.99, Superdrug

Results? Colour so rich and realistic, others will ask where you holidayed. St Moriz Advanced Pro Formula 5-in-1 Tanning Mousse lasts for ages, and responds well to top-ups.

Bonus features: Easy-to-spread foam formula, with a pump that only needs one hand.

-Best fake tan for a pro glow-


Venetian Self Tanning Mist, £35.99, Norvell

Results: A dark glow but with no orangeyness.

Bonus Features: This is the brand used by the tanners on Strictly Come Dancing to give the dancers and the contestants a healthy dose of bronze. It contains violet tones to keep things looking natural.

Indonesian authorities arrested 72 people accused of using illegal fires to clear land across Borneo and Sumatra as a worsening dry season generated heavy transboundary haze and contributed to the closure of nearly 600 schools in neighboring Malaysian states.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul convened senior military and intelligence officials after more than 50 bombings and arson attacks targeted infrastructure in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, prompting an urgent review of security measures amid fears of renewed insurgent violence.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that every Singaporean child will receive about 70,000 Singapore dollars in financial support through cash payments and grants by age seventeen, as the government steps up efforts to address the country’s declining fertility rate.
Thailand has begun enforcing updated electric vehicle requirements that oblige foreign automakers to produce two vehicles locally for every one imported this year, alongside new battery sourcing rules intended to deepen domestic supply chains in the Eastern Economic Corridor.
Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry upgraded its annual economic growth forecast to as much as 5.5 percent, citing robust global electronics demand and a sharp increase in the adoption of agentic artificial intelligence among local businesses.
President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated Indonesia’s national electric motorcycle initiative in West Java, backed by state financing and designed to build domestic capacity in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing while positioning Indonesia as a global production hub.
Thailand received investment applications worth 1.4 trillion baht, or about 43.6 billion US dollars, in the first half of the year, a 37 percent increase from a year earlier as global technology companies expanded data centers, cloud infrastructure and advanced electronics manufacturing.
An Indonesian court convicted twenty-six-year-old Luzian Andrin Zgraggen of blasphemy after he breached strict holiday restrictions and posted an explicit video from an empty beach.
An Indonesian court on the island of Bali has sentenced twenty-six-year-old Swiss national Luzian Andrin Zgraggen to one year in prison for publicly insulting Nyepi, the sacred Balinese Hindu Day of Silence.

The verdict follows Zgraggen's arrest in March after he recorded and published a social media video that violated island-wide religious restrictions and sparked widespread public outrage.

During Nyepi, Bali enforces strict, mandatory observances requiring residents and tourists alike to remain indoors, extinguish lights, cease travel, and refrain from loud noises or public activities.

The island's international airport suspends operations and commercial internet connectivity is largely restricted for twenty-four hours to maintain complete silence.

Zgraggen violated the curfew by walking onto a deserted beach, filming the empty surroundings, and sharing the footage online alongside captions containing expletives.

Presiding judges ruled that Zgraggen's deliberate breach and subsequent social media broadcast caused profound offense to the Balinese population and desecrated religious customs.

In court, Zgraggen expressed remorse and offered a public apology, testifying that he had failed to comprehend the scope and religious gravity of the annual holiday before violating the rules.

The prison sentence reflects an intensifying campaign by Indonesian authorities to enforce local laws and religious standards amid record post-pandemic tourism volumes.

While immigration officials have historically deported or briefly detained foreign visitors who violated local ordinances, local prosecutors have increasingly sought formal custodial sentences for deliberate acts of public blasphemy and disruptive behavior at cultural and religious sites across the province.
Japanese police intervened after the child was discovered abandoned for hours in rainy, foggy conditions at 2,000 meters while his father continued hiking toward the peak.
Japanese police have castigated a forty-eight-year-old father who abandoned his seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji in poor weather conditions to continue climbing toward the summit with his older child.

Mountain hut staff discovered the boy sitting alone on a bench near the trail's sixth station at an altitude exceeding two thousand meters, prompting an emergency call to local law enforcement.

The boy, left behind with only a soft drink and a snack after complaining of fatigue, was found waiting in dense fog and rain.

Police officers located the father hours later between the seventh and eighth stations, approximately a three-hour hike further up the mountain.

By the time authorities brought the father back down to reunite with his son, the child had been left unsupervised for approximately eight hours.

Police reprimanded the father upon his return, emphasizing that abandoning a young child on the mountain under adverse weather was entirely unacceptable, regardless of climbing ambitions.

The father apologized for what he described as a rash decision.

The incident occurred along the popular Fujinomiya route, which begins at the fifth station and typically requires an eight-hour round trip to reach the 3,776-meter summit.

The mountain, an active volcano and designated UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts roughly two hundred thousand hikers annually, has experienced a series of safety incidents and overcrowding issues, leading local authorities to enforce stricter route management and daily visitor caps.
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Chinese luxury companies in jewelry, watches and premium wine are increasingly targeting Southeast Asia’s affluent consumers as a testing ground for international expansion, intensifying competition across the region’s high-end retail market.
Thai policymakers are examining new frameworks to strengthen trade and logistics links with New Zealand, as Bangkok seeks to diversify international commercial partnerships and expand its role as a regional distribution hub.
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A series of coordinated arson and bomb attacks in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat led to the suspension of State Railway of Thailand services and prompted Malaysia to advise citizens to postpone non-essential travel to the border region.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has rejected demands from China’s embassy to remove the grounded naval vessel from Ayungin Shoal, reaffirming Manila’s position on its territorial claims in the South China Sea.
President Prabowo Subianto has ordered a major emergency response to forest and land fires in Kalimantan and traveled to the region to oversee containment efforts, while authorities pledged tougher enforcement against environmental violations.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong used his National Day Rally to warn that intensifying US-China tensions and fragmented supply chains are creating a more uncertain global environment, urging Singapore to deepen partnerships that protect its position as an international hub.
Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority is advancing modernization plans across regional airports to distribute rising tourism flows more effectively and strengthen the country’s role as a major aviation hub in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia’s Immigration Department detained one hundred ninety-eight undocumented workers during an operation in Subang Jaya, as authorities continue a nationwide crackdown on unauthorized foreign labour and warn businesses against employing unregistered workers.
Public health experts say the high cost of newer dengue vaccines is a major barrier to wider protection as severe outbreaks across Southeast Asia claim dozens of lives this season.
Bangkok municipal inspectors have identified severely overcrowded residential facilities housing migrant workers with official identification cards, prompting reviews of sanitary conditions, housing standards and possible labour exploitation.
Conservation groups and residents are urging Singapore’s planning authorities to reconsider proposed residential development near Gillman Barracks, citing concerns over the ecological value and biodiversity of Maju Forest.
A fatal shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, in which a student killed a peer before taking his own life during a livestream, has prompted renewed discussion in the Philippines about campus security and institutional responses to student safety.
Thailand’s disaster authorities are coordinating relief operations across six provinces affected by persistent flooding, while officials in Nan province are strengthening flood preparations ahead of further heavy rain.
Malaysia’s government is advancing legislation to repeal a university law dating back fifty-five years, responding to longstanding demands for greater campus autonomy and more space for student political activity.
Thai authorities have ordered the removal of unauthorized durian plantations covering six hundred rai of protected state land in Trat province as the government tightens enforcement around the country’s rapidly expanding export-oriented durian industry.
A series of coordinated bomb and arson attacks targeted infrastructure in Thailand’s southern Narathiwat province, injuring two people and underscoring continuing security challenges in the area bordering Malaysia.
Indonesia is preparing stricter local content requirements for electric vehicles as policymakers seek to attract more investment in domestic manufacturing and make greater use of the country’s large nickel reserves.
Government officials, central bankers and business executives are meeting in Singapore for the Reuters NEXT Asia Summit to discuss artificial intelligence, supply-chain shifts and the outlook for economic growth across Southeast Asia.
Early economic data indicate that Thailand’s latest co-payment subsidy has increased domestic consumer spending and retail activity, providing additional support for the government’s efforts to strengthen the economic recovery.
Malaysia has temporarily halted the extradition of a Malaysia Airlines pilot arrested in Jakarta over alleged drug trafficking as Indonesian authorities investigate whether the case is linked to a wider international smuggling network.
Thai authorities have raided more than sixty companies suspected of using illegal foreign nominee structures in major tourist destinations, intensifying enforcement of rules governing foreign participation in property and hospitality businesses.
Malaysia and Brunei are using ASEAN channels to address hazardous air pollution after high Air Pollutant Index readings in Sarawak and elsewhere, with the two countries pressing for action against peatland and agricultural fires.
Trade analysts warn that US investigations into alleged tariff evasion by Chinese manufacturers could disrupt legitimate exporters across Southeast Asia, where production networks are closely integrated with Chinese manufacturing.
Google is working with Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society on data privacy and regulatory frameworks as the company prepares for major cloud infrastructure investment in the country.
Indonesia’s disaster agency says seventy-five people have died following a seven point seven magnitude earthquake off Flores island, while tens of thousands remain displaced as authorities repair damaged infrastructure and provide emergency assistance.
Singapore has allocated two hundred megawatts of additional power capacity to four major data center operators as the city-state seeks to meet rising demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
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