FINDING the best fake tan for your legs can be difficult - but ends up being a huge confidence booster once the warmer weather rolls around and you can start flashing the flesh.
If you were born with milk bottle-coloured pins like us, it's safer to achieve an all-over bronzed look by reaching for the bottle, rather than baking out in the sun's harmful rays.
Which fake tan is the best?
Fake tan is a personal preference - there are products that are perfect for that instant, last minute tan - and ones for those blessed with patience, who prefer to sleep on it.
It's worth nothing though, that the skin on your face, around your eyes and neck is much more delicate and fragile, and should be treated as a different tanning journey. Don't worry, we've done the hard work for you and found the best facial tanning products of 2021.
It can seem a little overwhelming, but don't worry - we've done all the hard work for you and round-up the best fake tan for your legs of 2021.
1. Best instant fake tan for your legs: Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Fake Tan
- (AD) Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs, Medium Glow, £8.99 from Amazon - buy here
Sally Hansen's Airbrush Legs is an instant tan, meaning you can just spray and go - no development time is needed.
It's also an absolute bargain at under a tenner, and was made specifically for legs.
It promises no streaks and the endless five-star reviews testify that this product is not only great for giving your legs a temporary tan, but for evening out skin tones and covering up any blemishes for one-night-only.
As you can wash it off, that means no mess on your clean bed sheets - the can is portable too, if you needed a touch-up on-the-go.
It's sure to be a handbag favourite this year.
2. Best cult fake tan for your legs: Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam
- (AD) Bondi Sands Express 1 Hour Self Tanning Foam, £17.23 from Amazon - buy here
Bondi Sands is currently one of the biggest tanning brands of the moment, and while any of their self-tan products would make great tanners for legs, the Express 1 Hour Self Tanning Foam is undoubtedly a beauty favourite.
A little goes a long way with this product, and you only need to wait an hour for it to develop before seeing a noticeable difference in your skin tone.
While it's recommended you only leave the tan on for an hour, leaving it for around three will give you the darkest, natural glow without taking it too far.
3. Best fake tan mousse for your legs: Doll Beauty Doll Tan
- Doll Beauty Doll Tan, £12 from Beauty Bay - buy here
If you're already a fan of Doll Beauty's products (its eyelashes and highlighters are huge hits in the beauty world), you won't be disappointed with their opulent self-tan mousse.
The bright pink bottle is super on-brand and is the first ever fake tan to have caviar extracts in it - how luxurious!
The mousse formula comes in both medium and dark shades, and there's a guide colour for easier application.
Not only does it look amazing, but it smells great too - infused with marshmallow extract, the sweet, sugary smell is worlds away from the biscuity aromas often associated with fake tan.
It's best to let this product work its magic overnight because it takes around six hours to fully develop, and you can layer twice without worry of streaking if you're after an even deeper tan.
4. Best budget fake tan for your legs: St. Moriz Fast Tanning Mousse
- St. Moriz Professional Fast Tanning Mousse, £5.99 from Boots - buy here
For a budget fake tan, St. Moriz does an incredible job and leaves you with a natural, golden tan as opposed to the orange tones cheaper products often result in.
The fast tan means that you can be ready to go on your night out in as little as one hour - perfect if you've left everything to the last minute.
Paired with a trusty tanning mitt, the mousse formula glides on effortlessly, and the dark guide colour means it's easy for you to see if you've missed any patches.
For maximum effect, leave the tan on for the full three hours - or overnight for an even deeper colour and coverage.
5. Best fake tan for your legs with a mitt: Fake Bake Flawless Self Tan Liquid
- Fake Bake Flawless Self Tan Liquid, £24.95 from Look Fantastic - buy here
The coconut-scented self-tan liquid from Fake Bake will give you one of the most natural-looking glows from our list - and it smells exactly like a summer cocktail, with notes of tropical fruits and coconut.
Rather than slathering on layers of mousse for an ultra-deep tan, you can layer and build up your colour gradually with this spray self-tan.
Promising a streak-free application and a six-hour developing time, the Flawless Self Tan comes with a free mitt - use it to buff out the product after you've spritzed the formula evenly all over your legs.
6. Best express fake tan for your legs: Sienna X Express Self Tan Tinted Mousse
- Sienna X Express Self Tan Tinted Mousse, £23.89 from Feelunique - buy here
Sienna X's Express Self Tan Tinted Mousse is packed with pomegranate and Vitamin E - which are both well-known in the beauty world for their antioxidant and moisturising properties.
The fast-absorbing mousse has a natural guide colour so the tan can be worn out in public whilst developing and nobody will bat an eyelid.
The best-selling tan is a favourite of celebs and models across the country and is surprisingly affordable, given the fan base.
While the tan should be left on for one hour to achieve a healthy glow, it's worth letting it develop for the maximum recommended time of four hours for an even, golden tan, leaving you good to glow.
Though the tan isn't particularly pigmented, it is incredibly hydrating and works well on a number of skin types - just make sure you moisturise your knees, elbows and other pesky dry patches before application.
7. Best fake tan drops for your legs: Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops - Medium 30ml
- Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops, £19.95 from Look Fantastic - buy here
Isle of Paradise has quickly become a cult favourite in the self-tanning world, and these self-tanning drops in medium (also available in light and dark), work easily with your body moisturiser. Just drop a few of the gorgeous coconut-scented drops into the bottle, and you'll give your skin a healthy-looking golden boost each time you moisturise.
The drops are packed with hydrating, nourshing ingredients like coconut, chia seed and avocado oils - and can be used in your facial moisturiser as well.
Is it better to shave before or after tanning?
If you shave after tanning, you're likely to get long-lasting streaks and clogged-up pores that can cause breakouts and an uneven coverage.
The dream regime is: exfoliate, shave, moisturise, sleep - then fake tan.
Then, once you've woken up (or left it a substantial amount of hours), you can fake tan.
However, if you don't have enough time to do that, just make sure you shave, exfoliate and moisturise before you tan.
If your skin isn't cleansed and exfoliated, it'll result in an uneven coverage - fake tan has a habit of clinging to blemishes and dry patches, leaving a messy look.
MORE SUN SELECTS
Enjoyed our round-up of the best fake tan for legs? Then be sure to check out more recommendations on our Sun Selects Beauty page.
We've also rounded up the best fake tan for your face, right here.
We’ve designed Sun Selects to help you find everything you need at the best prices. Click the link to find more of our top picks.
This article and any featured products have been independently chosen by The Sun journalists. All recommendations within the article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue: this helps to support The Sun, and in no way affects our recommendations.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKynZpOke7a3jqysp2Wjmrmmr9OsZnFsZGqGdoWOm5ysrF2brqyxjK2Yp2WcmrS0ew%3D%3D