Tanning drops don’t just give you a winter glow – they conceal problem skin, too
No, you haven’t wandered into a high summer column in error. Facial tanning drops are a peerlessly useful year-round beauty staple for a long list of reasons – and mimicking a fortnight in Tuscany is the least of them.
If you have darker spots, melasma, rosacea, blotchiness, mild birthmarks or scarring that you’re not happy about, please, regardless of your skin tone, dispense with preconceptions about fake tan and make friends with facial tanning drops.
During a recent meeting with the brilliant consultant dermatologist Emma Craythorne, I showed her some old photographs of my once-extreme melasma (large brown patches often triggered by hormonal changes), before and after I’d applied self-tan on the surrounding areas only (covering the dark patches with lighter concealer just turns them grey; levelling up the paler areas works miles better). She was so impressed by the dramatic effects of such a simple, fast and somewhat half-arsed method that she now recommends it to her patients.
I gave a girlfriend some to apply over her rosacea and their effects have boosted her confidence
Shortly afterwards, I had a similar conversation with the esteemed beauty editor Eve Cameron, who told me she’d managed the appearance of the once-problematic acne she’d suffered in her youth by bronzing her face artificially, thus neutralising the angry-looking redness and evening out her overall skin tone.
I then gave a girlfriend some St Tropez Luxe Tan Tonic Glow Drops (£24) to apply over her menopause-triggered rosacea while her doctor-prescribed skincare got to work, and their effects have helped lift the dip in her confidence.
Likewise, if you’re a person with an illness that has dulled your skin and robbed you of the time or inclination to wear makeup, facial self-tan is a low-effort way to restore a healthier-looking glow to skin of any colour. Tan Luxe Super Glow (£23.35), Beauty Pie Awesome Bronze (£12.50 to members) and M&S Autograph Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil (£9.50) are similarly great and effective. Albeit cosmetically and temporarily, of course.
Self-tan does nothing to fix underlying skin issues – the joy is in the speed and exceptional ease of application: just add a few drops to your usual moisturiser and mix, or apply the drops alone like a serum (if you have highlights, wear a headband for either, to avoid staining) you will enjoy a good two to three days of not having to think so much about concealing and covering areas that would otherwise stand out and cause stress.
