10 flawless, fabulous self-tanning products for fair skin

Cover your body with this stuff and you’ll scam the world into thinking you’ve got a natural bronzed glow. Dial it up or down, depending on the level of tan you want to achieve. This lotion is particularly unique, as it doubles as a gradual tanning lotion, leaving you with an all-season glow that progresses as you apply it.

$49.99 at BodyBlendz

Say goodbye to orange nightmares, streaky application and dehydrated skin. Bringing the roaring sun of Bali to a bottle, this lightweight, non-sticky formula has a perfectly even finish, with a thirst-quenching drench of hydration to keep your sun-kissed tan going stronger for longer. Hot tip: the medium shade has a fab reputation for adding some natural colour to fairer skin.

$44.90 at Myer

If you have super fair skin, you can’t go past Loving Tan’s Deluxe Gradual Tan. Whether you want to prolong or deepen your tan, or you need an all-in-one gradual self-tanner, this skin-saviour gives you total freedom and flawless results. Using advanced colour-guide technology, it also guarantees streak-free application, transforming your skin into luminous, sun-kissed perfection...

$29.95 at Adore Beauty

Cheesy as it sounds, you can get the tan of your dreams with this beauty. With each application of Winter Skin, you can effortlessly build to your desired shade. Even if you have the fairest skin of all (Snow White style), Eco Tan is on a mission to give you a gorgeous, sun-kissed glow in a matter of days.

$29.95 at Myer

You’re no doubt already familiar with this cult-fave budget buy. Bondi Sands is a much-loved Aussie brand that’s been tried and tested time and time again. This means that over the years, it's perfected its approach to glowy, golden skin. What we love most though is that this tanner is a nice, gentle introduction to tanning that helps you get a few shades darker, but not in a major way.

$21.95 at Adore Beauty

Who doesn’t love a fast tan?! This tanning mouse dries in just 60 seconds, meaning you’ll see the colour develop before your eyes. An added bonus? You don’t even need to wash it off! Just make sure to go ‘light bronze’ over ‘deep bronze’ for this one.

$28.35 at iHerb

This lotion is gradual (rather than instant), and develops the more you apply it. If you’re on the paler side and want to test the tanning waters, Le Tan is your best bet. You can either let your colour develop overnight, and either darken it the next day, or fix up any accidental tanning streaks.

$10.99 at Chemist Warehouse

Introducing your summer holiday, bottled. Great for developing a light, sun-kissed glow in one to four hours, this ultra-hydrating formula contains avocado, chia seed and coconut oil to deeply nourish your skin. Any self-tanner that tackles all this (plus more), all for less than $50, is a winner in our books.

$44 at ASOS

Think you can’t find an effective tanner that’s completely natural? Allow this organic tanning lotion to change your mind. An intense moisturising cream and tanner in one, it gradually builds on colour with continued use. Crafted with Kora's signature ingredient, noni extract, as well as rosehip and sea buckthorn oils, this one has all the good stuff. You’ll be left feeling soft, smooth and ever-so-sun-kissed.

$65 at Adore Beauty

We promise we haven’t lost the plot; we know that this isn’t actually a tan but this multifunctional eraser-meets-primer is the miracle product us fair-skinned folk have been calling out for. The skin-prepping aspect of this can will have you saying see ya to rough exfoliation and a big hello to smoothed, soothed skin. Infused with skin-loving Kakadu plum, chamomile extract and aloe vera, these nourishing ingredients will prepare your fair skin for the next layer of tan, all while the natural exfoliants work to buff away stubborn old tan. Oh multifunctional products, we love you. 

$28.95 at Ohh My Glo