by Emma Pezzack

Real is better is generally considered the maxim when it comes to most things, however there is one time in life where faking it is positively au courant – when deciding to get your tan from a bottle, not the sun. There will always be those among us who haven’t been able to resist the urge to lie around drenched in Tropical Sun or Coconut Oil, relishing the deepening of our skin color as our skin fries (me among them over the years!), and blithely ignoring the vast accumulation of sun damage facts well documented.

However, as the greatest cause of aging on the planet and the dangers of melanoma an increasing reality, you have to ask yourself; is all that pain really worth it, or is it better to just slather from a bottle & skip the collateral damage? Gone are the days when using fake tan meant your skin resembled a new shade of tangerine bronze and you’d have to spend 2hrs naked before being able to get dressed. The new vanguard of self-tanners is streak-free, natural looking, easy to apply and doesn’t rub off, not to mention contains a ton of organic & natural ingredients.

Here are my picks for the best of the bunch:

• L’Occitane Castanha Self-Tanner - $26
• Aviva Organic Sun-Free Skin Glow Body Crème - $39 
• Lavera Sunless Tan Self-Tanning Lotion - $27 
• Renaud Naturals Monoi de Tahiti Sunless Crème for the Body (Dark) - $20 
• Chocolate Sun Organic Sunless Tanning 
• Tarte Sunburst Body Beaded Bronzing Lotion – $39