The Beauty Diary by Rebekah Scanlan: Best self-tanning mousses out there

One of Emily Ratajkowski’s signature bikini selfies caused demand for this $25 product to go through the roof, becoming an instant bestseller.

Fake tan is one of those things I have a love, hate relationship with. While I love the glow of a fresh tan, applying it can often be an ordeal.

Before you even start you need to exfoliate your limbs, moisturise your nobbly bits (elbows and knees) and be armed with an application mitt to avoid giving away how you really came about with that glowy hue with tell-tell orange hands.

There’s so much to think about — which is why finding a product you can rely on to give you a realistic colour and not destroy your clothes/towels/bed linen is super important.

In my years of fake baking, I’ve found that fake tan products fall squarely into three categories. The good, the bad and the downright streaky.

Em Rata is a fan of the new Bondi Sands Aero tan. Picture: Instagram/EmRata

So when supermodel Emily Ratajkowski papped one of her signature bikini selfies recently and there was a bottle of Bondi Sands lurking in the corner — I knew I had to try it.

Blair James, a co-founder and owner of the brand, told The Beauty Diary her love of the new Aero mousse sent it straight to the top of the bestsellers.

“Emily’s post created huge world wide attention, definitely helping to push Aero to become our number 1 selling product within Walgreens as soon as the product was available in store,” he said.

Here’s what I think of Emily’s choice in tan as well as my other top tanning mousses.

BONDI SANDS AERO

The best fake tans in Aus. Picture: Supplied

Only available at Priceline

Price: $24.99

Excitement about the latest addition to this cult Aussie brand has been huge. Since their brand new foam formula Bondi Sands Aero launched at Coachella in April, social media users have been raving about it, with one declaring it was the fake tan “everyone needs to buy”.

Everyone needs to buy Bondi Sands Aero.
You’re welcome xx pic.twitter.com/tISorp92ZS

— Jake Harry (@Jakeharryart) April 27, 2019

Version 2.0 of their already popular foam went on like a dream as it has a lightweight formula and I have to say, I was a big fan of its coconut fragrance — no one likes that all too familiar baked biscuit smell.

The foam dried super-fast and surprisingly, didn’t transfer to my sheets while I was sleeping. After I was left with a lovely tanned shade that looked natural for my pale natural tone.

My legs before application. Picture: Supplied

Ta da! My subtly bronzed pins after. Picture: Supplied

ST TROPEZ EXPRESS TAN BRONZING MOUSSE

The best thing about this mousse is its ‘express’ feature, which lets you control how dark you want to go. Picture: Supplied

Available at Priceline, Sephora, Amazon, Chemist Warehouse and Woolworths

Price: $59.99

This brand regularly tops Best Fake Tan lists and it’s easy to see why. The major selling point about this product is its “express” feature, which lets you control the depth of your tan. Leave it on for an hour and you’ll have a sun-kissed look, but leave it on for two and you’ll get a deeper, natural result. Let it bake for three hours though — still considerably shorter than the majority of self-tans — and you’ll look like you just returned from a week in Bali. It’s delightful. Plus the mousse is super easy to apply. The formula continues to develop for eight hours once washed off, meaning you don’t have to sleep coated in it which is always a winner in my books.

BALI BODY SELF-TANNING MOUSSE

Bali Body have a huge following for their body oils, but I’m convinced this is the new hero product. Picture: Supplied

Available online at au.balibodyco.com

$29.95

Since its launch six months ago, this self-tanner has sold out four times over globally. Not only do I love the smell and flawless look of this baby, it’s also a vegan formula — which in an era of conscious beauty, is a real big plus.

The Aussie brand already has an in-demand range of body oils and sun creams thanks to their mega one million Instagram following, but I’d make a bold call and say their new Self-Tanning range is their best product yet.

Not only does it apply easily, they’ve also nailed its fresh scent and streak-free formula. No wonder Bali Body has become a cult fave since former Melbourne tradie Dave Oosterloo and wife Laura launched it in 2014.

SOSU DRIPPING GOLD LUXURY TANNING MOUSSE

You've probably never heard of this brand before, but I love the golden complexion it gives you. Picture: Supplied

Available at www.sosubysj.com

Price: $35.96

If you’ve never heard of this brand before, I’m going to forgive you — as it was created by Irish blogger, Suzanne Jackson, waaaay over on the other side of the world. The Brits have been going nuts for this product since Dripping Gold range launched earlier this year where it was so popular, it sold out instantly.

The texture of this mousse is really light and bouncy, but it's a teeny bit sticky for the first few minutes after applying but it does disappear within a few minutes though. Besides, the slight ickyness is worth it for the golden complexion you’re left with once you’re done.

B.TAN PRE-SHOWER 9 MINUTE TAN MOUSSE

I’d give this nine minute tan a miss as it doesn’t live up to its claims. Picture: Supplied

Available at Priceline

Price: $14.99

Nothing sounds more alluring than a self-tanning product that gets results in less than 10 minutes. But as my mum taught me from a very early age, “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”

Always game for a challenge, I gave this one a go about an hour before leaving for a friend’s hen do. Big mistake. Even after leaving on for twice as long as directed and lightly spritzing off in the shower, I was left with zero glow. Their other items do have lots of positive reviews online — none of which I can verify as I haven’t tried them out — but this one just didn’t quite deliver as promised.

HOT APPLICATION TIP: PREP WITH FACE HALO BODY

To exfoliate before applying fake tan, I swear by the Face Halo Body. Picture: Supplied

Available at Priceline and facehalo.com

Price: $30

Before any fake-tan session you need to exfoliate and prep your skin, which often sounds super complicated. But I’ve found the most amazing body mitt that I now use before every fake tan sesh.

The new body version of the hugely popular Face Halo makeup remover pads has a gentle exfoliator side, that’s perfect for buffing away dead skin, while the polishing side is a microfibre material that’s amazing for rinsing away tan after baking in it.

It’s also fully machine washable, meaning you can use it over and over.

This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.

If you have a question about a beauty product or an item you’d like to see road tested in The Beauty Diary, jump into our official Facebook group where you can join like-minded beauty junkies. You can also catch me on Instagram or tweet me — don’t forget to hashtag #TheBeautyDiary.