Best Fake Bakes
However baked you want your body to look (golden croissant? gingersnap?), there's a faux glow to get your there safely. We tested every self-tanner under the sun and found a sweet spectrum's worth of winners.
Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer, Fair to Medium
When you want a bare-minimum tan, take it slow. This lotion builds up color over a week. ($9, at drugstores)
Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel
Seen by beauty insiders as the, um, gold standard in midrange tans, this gel is as fast-drying as it is believable-looking. ($36, clarins.com)
L'Oreal Pairs Sublime Bronze Airbrush Mist in Deep Natural Tan
The darker the formula, the more you fear streaks, but this nozzle and superfine spray make evenness easy. ($11, at drugsores)
Xen-Tan Moroccan Tan in Ultra Dark
This stuff takes your skin from zero to cinnamon toast-- fast. While the full effect takes 3 hours, you'll start to tan in 10 minutes. ($35, xen-tan.com)
