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Form: Lotion
Tester rating: Good
Review: "I loved True Blue Spa Shade to Order's concept of dialing your desired level of color before applying. I have a very light olive skin tone with freckles, so I chose to start at No. 4 on the dial. I made sure to exfoliate and shave beforehand and to be consistent with my application. The directions read to pump until I saw the lotion and color combine but the lotion stayed white despite my pumping for what seemed like forever. So instead of wasting more product I just went for it. It definitely worked. I really liked the color that I obtained and didn't think it looked orange at all. I saw a difference within a few hours and even more so the next day -- without applying more. By day three, I noticed some streaky areas, but I would still use this product again. And I actually liked the smell, which I can only describe as a combo of musk and coconut. (Be sure you like it because it lasts the majority of the day.) -- Sandra

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Form: Spray
Tester rating: Mediocre
Review: "Avon Skin So Soft Satin Glow Airbrush Spray is a nice alternative if you want to use something that doesn't require you to wash your hands or wait for product to dry. But it take a few uses to develop good color, and the slight sting and strong odor don't make for a pleasant experience. The product comes out in a very light mist which is nice but the pump spray doesn't allow you to spray your skin from afar and cover hard to reach places in the way that a continual aerosol would. Also, the quick-drying formula dries so instantly that you can't rub it in if you spray too closely and get too much concentration in one area. I developed surprisingly soft skin and a non-orange, slight glow after one use, but I wouldn't call my initial results a tan. Apply consistently for a few days to get deeper color." -- Debra

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Form: Lotion
Tester rating: Good
Review: "Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Radiance Moisturizing Lotion (for all skin tones) allowed me to customize the color by simply turning a dial. The best part about the lotion was that it delivered natural results in less than two days with little or no smell. And it only took five minutes to dry. If you're fair like I am, watch where you set the dial. I was hasty in my application so I ended up with dark spots on my pale legs. Also be careful not to stain the webs of your fingers; mine were a really dark brown. Other than that look forward to a nice brown glow, even on pale skin tones. If you need to tan up quick for a party, Aveeno should be your secret weapon." -- Melissa

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Form: Gradual tan building spray
Tester rating: Good
Review: "I'm not a huge fan of self tanners since I'm so pale, but Coppertone Continuous Sunless Tanning Gradual Spray converted my sun-loving self. The spray was very convenient to use (I could spray my back without worrying about streaking). My favorite part (other than the compliments I got) was how soft the spray made my skin. I didn't look at all orange (except for my palms after I waited too long to wash them) and the smell wasn't noticeable. The color was light, even (despite my not exfoliating), dried in about two minutes and lasted an impressive amount of seven days. I used it every other night and saw the color after the second application. I definitely plan on buying this product again." -- Sarah

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Form: Gradual tan building lotion
Tester rating: Average
Review: "While Clinique Self-Sun Touch of Bronze Moisturizing Body Lotion offers a subtle, buildable, bronze color without turning hands excessively dark, I wouldn't dump my Bare Escentuals Faux Tan for it. (The latter offered better color and a more fragrant scent.) It took roughly three applications of the Clinique self tanner produce a significant shade of bronze which lasted about a week. (Note: I wasn't ghostly white to begin with and my skin naturally has a golden tint.) A big benefit was that the tanner dried in less than 10 minutes without streaks or tan lines. While the color looked more natural a Mystic Tan, the chemical smell was unfortunately just as pungent. [Editor's note: The scent is light and lemon-y out of the tube but the DHA creeps up later.] I applied the lotion in the morning, then needed to wear a jacket to mask the rancorous smell while sitting almost shoulder-to-shoulder with classmates at night." -- Mysti

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With a new crop of self tanners debuting annually, it's hard to spot the bronzing beauties among the bad seeds. Our panel of testers spent a week trying the latest and reportedly greatest bottled tans to hit the shelves -- from rich, tinted creams to hi-tech mists. Find out which formulas won them over and which made them streaky.
BY CHARLI SCHULER | SHARES
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