While exfoliating with your trusted AHA or BHA toner is great for getting rid of any dead skin cells for a flawless application, it's important to wait a few hours – or overnight – before applying your tanning drops over the top.

If your previous fake tan experience is buffing away with a tanning mitt for hours on end, tanning drops will be a real game-changer. They are super simple to use, you can apply two to three drops directly to your face, and let it sink in, similar to a moisturiser, or you can blend with a serum as a tan enhancer.

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Tanning drops allow you to totally customise your glow – adding as much or as little colour as you'd like. You can also mix them into your favourite moisturiser to create your own custom gradual tan. Do you need to wash off face tanning drops? Tanning drops and gradual tan are both great options if you want a bespoke your glow and prefer to develop a natural-looking tan over time. But which formulation is better is really down to personal choice. STEP 3: What's your go-to glow? For instant sun-kissed skin, use our Revolution Glow Tanning Mousse. For a gradual & buildable bronze, use our Revolution Glow Face & Body Drops. You can also combine the drops with your daily moisturiser for a lighter finish,’ Michaella Bolder, St. Tropez’s tanning and skincare expert, explains. ‘Avoid using any exfoliating products directly before applying tan and don't use it in conjunction with vitamin A or retinol. While gradual self-tanner sprays and mousses can sometimes leave you with blotchy and streaky skin—or even worse, looking like an Oompa Loompa—self-tanning drops are fuss-free and take the guesswork out of the process. "What I like about the drops is that you can customize your shade and you have full control over what your color is going to be," says celebrity airbrush artist and Tan-Luxe global tanning expert Alexandra DiMarchi. "They’re the most beginner-friendly because all you do is mix them in with your lotion." Celebrity makeup artist Melissa Hurkman agrees, and also says she prefers them over other formulas since they can seamlessly be worked into your beauty routine.

Face tanners are designed specifically for the face as they contain skincare level ingredients targeted to help treat our daily concerns and strengthen the skin's barrier, as well as add a natural golden finish, rather than a deeper tan result found in body products."To find the tanning drops that provided the perfect bronze, we put them through the wringer and thoroughly tested them out. Scroll down to see the ones that passed the hype test and are worthy of your money. Are tanning drops good for your skin? Bolder advises: "Wait a few moments before applying your moisturiser and avoid using any exfoliating products directly before applying tan and don't use in conjunction with vitamin A or retinol’. Do you need to wash off face tanning drops?

Exfoliation must always take place at least a few hours before you apply a new layer of self-tan. And ensure you avoid any oil-based shower gels or moisturisers ahead of tanning as the oil will act as a barrier. Not only are face tanning drops easy to apply, help to achieve that bronzed radiance, and are more delicate for the sensitive skin on your face, they can also double up as a moisturiser as some contain aloe vera and vitamin E. Our panel of 260 beauty testers tried 17 brands of face tanning drops for two weeks, to see which left skin looking sun-kissed. They made a note of how easy each one was to apply, their scent, as well as if they saw any patches or streaks. We also used a Digi-Eye machine to assess how evenly the tan faded over seven days, giving each a score out of five. Apply directly to exfoliated, clean, dry skin. Pump foam directly onto your Revolution Tanning Mitt. Apply in a sweeping motion over legs, arms & body. Use your remaining tan on the mitt for the face, elbows and knees. Allow tan to develop for 4 hours then rinse with warm water. A universal colour, subtle apple fragrance and formulated with hyaluronic acid for extra hydration. For a more subtle tan, apply fewer drops and for a darker tan, add more drops.They're totally customisable depending on the look you're going for — the rule is: the more drops, the deeper the tan — and they can be applied using a number of different methods.