I'm a Beauty Editor—This Is My Secret Weapon for Quick, Streak-Free Self-Tanning

One product I can personally vouch for is the Tan-Luxe The Face drops, as they provide a customizable, natural-looking tan with no mess. I'm not the only one who thinks so—here's what one Sephora reviewer says, "I'm obsessed with self-tan and I could never find the perfect one for my face. They either made me breakout or would darken some areas way more than the others—even if I exfoliate regularly and hydrate my skin properly. When I tried this one (OMG) life changer. You can control you tan with the amount of drops you use, I’d recommend using 3–4 drops on your face and neck for a big difference and 2 for a natural glow." 

The Tan-Luxe drops also come specifically formulated for your body that works the same way. Just mix them with your moisturizer and watch your tan develop over a few hours. One happy Sephora reviewer says, "I'm a tan fanatic, I've tried everything on the market and nothing has been as easy and as pretty as this tan! It doesn't smell when developing, doesn't transfer, doesn’t fade quickly, doesn't end up streaky, and the bottle lasts a long time!! 10/10 worth every penny."

These drops come in three color shade options—light, medium, and dark—so you can tailor your tan perfectly. According to reviews, there's no streaking, no transfer, and no skin irritation even on sensitive skin. One Sephora reviewer specifies, "Love this stuff! This is the only self-tanner I use now, or see myself using in the future. Three drops of the light shade mixed with Cetaphil moisturizer and I get a perfect light glow! I haven't had any streaking or orange smudges on my clothes or bedding. No skin irritation and I have eczema and keratosis pilaris."

Step it up to this blue bottle for a medium tan.

Or reach for the purple bottle, which provides a deeper tan. 

These can be used on the face and body and, from experience, provide a natural-looking glow in a matter of mere hours. Take it from one reviewer who says, "These work so well! I used them once at night and people over my Zoom calls noticed immediately the next morning that I was noticeably tanner." You know something is good when people even notice on Zoom. 

A longtime beauty-editor favorite, these tanning drops don't smell or streak like other formulas do. One Revolve reviewer says, "A must-have!!! This works great on the face and body, it is kind of a small bottle to use for both since putting on the body it requires a lot of drops? But I use it mostly on my face and it works amazing! I wake up with a tan/glow! This works the same as the other bottle that's clear. One night I forgot and I put the night cream on and then added the drops afterwards and it still worked great. Same way as I would mix it with my night cream. PLUS it doesn't have as strong of a smell as other tanning lotions! Obsessed! Will continue to purchase this." 

The cool thing about these tanning drops is that they include good-for-skin ingredients like niacinamide, vitamin E, echinacea, and hyaluronic acid. It's almost as if it's a self-tanner–serum hybrid. Take it from one reviewer who says, "I bought this to give my pasty skin some colour in the winter and was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. I exfoliated before using, and spread the oil directly on my face. Two applications and I saw a nice glow."

One of my favorites, these tanning drops are just as good as the brand's other all-star products, including the Nº32 Deep Gradual Self-Tanning Cream in Santal ($38) and the Nº28 Exfoliating Body Polish in Santal ($36). Both of those products smell incredible, and I can't recommend them enough. But back to the tanning drops. They never fail to give my skin a natural-looking glow. It never looks orange, streaky, or fake. One reviewer explains it perfectly: "I cannot rave about this product enough. I have extremely sensitive, severely acne prone skin and this is a dream. It doesn’t clog your pores and not once has this caused a breakout. I add a 4-5 drops to my moisturizer every few days to maintain a nicely tanned face. The color is beautiful, more of a deep glow, not that artificial orange you get from so many self tanning products. I am on my second bottle and will be purchasing this for a very long time." 

Also infused with hyaluronic acid, this budget-friendly pick is easy on my wallet yet works just as well as other, luxe products. As one reviewer puts it, "I am one of those fair skinned women that always looks orange with fake tanner no matter what product I have used. Finally came across these self tanning drops and am in love. It looks natural and blends into my sun tanned skin on my neck and chest seamlessly. It also made my skin feel smooth and silky on my face all day without drying out or weird smells."

I love Bondi Sands self-tanning products, and these tanning drops are no exception. They don't look patchy, streaky, or unnatural, and they're infused with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin E for extra glow-boosting power. "This is the only tanning product I trust to use on my face," says one reviewer. "It’s perfect because you can gradually build your color without being scared you overdid it."

I've been using this vegan formula for months now. I like that it's completely clear and never stains my clothes. Plus, it has virtually no self-tanner smell, and it gives me the most natural-looking glow. Think "I just got back from vacation, and it shows." Don't just take it from me, though. "Absolutely love this stuff," says one Amazon reviewer. "It's the best face tanning serum I've tried. This one makes my skin feel super soft and glowy without makeup but it goes on really well under it too. Doesn't feel greasy at all, and the tan develops gradually so you can build it up to the perfect shade for you. I'm definitely repurchasing this again!"

If you want to mimic an Aussie glow without spending money on a plane ticket, reach for these tanning drops. "Have gotten compliments on my makeup, but wearing no foundation, just this! Blends very well into skin over normal morning treatment/moisture products," writes one reviewer.