Fake and Bake

When it comes to self-tanner, exactly how much is too much? (Wait, did we just pull a Bradshaw?) When others notice, and comment on, the persistent smell of the DHA in your self-tanner rather than your perfume, you’ve gone a little too far. When you've gone from sun-kissed to Doritos fingers, you’ve gone too far.

With the rising heat index and summer on its way, acquiring the perfectly bronzed skin tone is high on many to-do lists, but tread carefully. A healthy alternative to melanoma, not surprisingly, is self-tanner. But with so many options readily available, how is a girl—or guy, or gay, most likely—to know which to choose. In hopes you’ll avoid the Zac Efron meets Hogan family approach, here are three of the best self-tanners on the market:

1. To gradually build the perfect tan look no further than Clinique’s new Touch of Bronze Moisturizer. The daily moisturizer provides a subtle and healthy tan that builds on itself each day with repeated use. This lotion is the perfect way to avoid going straight from paling to ailing. Lather up!

For the fast, all over tan, reach for L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Any Angle Spray. This self -anner is particularly nice because it is easy to apply to those hard-to-reach places such as your back or back of your legs, or whatever.

If self-tanning lotions and sprays freak you out, try Estée Lauder’s Go Tan Sunless Towelettes. Especially great for travelers, these towelettes won’t leak in your luggage. Even better, this easy-to-use self tanner starts to appear in less than an hour.