My safe bets for a golden glow

Sun-proof your face and get a tan, without gloopy SPFS and harmful rays

This week I’m all about the yin and yang of face tanning. We all know we’re not supposed to tan – any dermatologist will tell you that protecting your skin from ageing sun rays is one of the most important parts of a daily skincare routine. Yet many of us also love the ‘healthy’ glow (however ironic that is) that a tan can give our complexion – but it’s better to fake it than to make it.

So on the one hand there’s protection – and I’d like to rave about it in the form of Ultra Violette, a suncare brand that has become one of the biggest beauty stories of the moment. New here from its native Australia, within weeks of launching its products were the second

Many of us love the glow of a tan, but it’s far better to fake it

bestselling on spacenk.com (beating the rest of the SPF category fivefold).

My favourite is Queen Screen Lightweight Skinscreen SPF50+ (£36). Note the word ‘skinscreen’, for this is new-generation suncare – products that feel like your usual skincare formulations rather than traditional gloopy SPFS. Hence its ingredient list, which includes kakadu plum for vitamin C – good for fighting pigmentation and fine lines – and a light rose fragrance.

This skinscreen melts into skin like a serum, feels moisturising and gives a good base for make-up. It protects skin from blue light (emitted by electronic screens) and pollution, too, as well as from UVA and UVB rays and is oxybenzone-free (kinder to coral reefs). What’s more, it feels lightweight on, so it is easier to use on a daily basis – which is what we all should be doing. Keep in mind that this is suncare, so you should apply more of it than your usual moisturiser: the brand recommends three pipettes of Queen Screen per dose.

Now to the faking-it side of proceedings. I’d like to focus on Clarins Radiance-plus Golden

Glow Booster (£21, clarins.co.uk). Simply add one to three drops of this to your moisturiser at night to get a gradual tan with a very natural finish. I use three and it really isn’t too much – I’ve experienced no streaking or other self-tan disasters. Do remember to take your cream up to the hairline and blend down to your neck to avoid telltale tan lines. Is it better than the Tan-luxe serum I wrote about earlier in the year? I’d say they’re on a par, just different roads to the same result.

If you’re really nervous about self-tanning your face then the Clarins might let you feel more in control – start one drop at a time and build up. But both are excellent. @edwinaingschambers