MISSED out on the sunshine we've had this year? Or are you playing it safe and sticking to the shade?

Whatever the reason for your lack of tan, you don't have to look deathly white. It's never been easier to look bronzed and beautiful - even if you've been nowhere more sun-drenched than your own bathroom. Our bold team of testers have bravely offered their lily white limbs to try the latest in self-tan products for that instant healthy glow.

GOOD NEWS: The days of the bright orange stripes - always a bit of a give-away really - have gone. Today's self tans are much improved, more effective and much subtler.

BAD NEWS: Applying fake tan is still a tricky operation. You need a steady hand and plenty of patience.

OUR FAVOURITES

No. 7 QUICK DRY MOUSSE for face and body, 150ml £9.50

Strangely, the instructions were inside the box, which you have to dismantle to read them. Strange smell, but not unpleasant. Mousse soaked in really well with absolutely no greasiness and left a good, nutty brown colour. Impressive. Needs repeating every two-four days.

NIVEA SUN TOUCH SELF TAN SPRAY, 150ml £8.49

No instructions, so not very helpful. But easy to apply and no streaks. Looked very natural but not very dark. Don't apply straight after moisturiser or you'll need lots of coats. Took three-four hours to develop and lasted two-three days.

BOOTS SOLTAN MOUSSE, 150ml £6.99

Very easy to apply - you can see what you've done. Colour took a long time to develop - nearly a day - but was very natural. Dries quickly, no staining of clothes and very easy for a beginner.

AMBRE SOLAIRE NO STREAKS BRONZER SELF TAN WIPE,

2 wipes 99p

Very effective and easy to use. Gave a very natural and even colour on my face - people kept telling me I looked good!

SUPERDRUG SOLAIT LOTION,

200ml £3.32

Easy to apply and quick to dry. Colour developed over a couple of hours to a natural looking shade.

WORTH TRYING

L'OREAL SUBLIME BRONZE TINTED GEL, 150ml £9.99

"Sun-kissed shimmer for face and body." Tinted so you can see exactly where you're applying it. BUT be careful and make sure it's dry before you put clothes on. Lasts a long time but does have slight orange tinge.

ESTEE LAUDER GO BRONZE

TINTED SELF TANNER, £17

Being tinted should make it easier to apply, but the tint faded, so it was tricky to get even coverage. Nice colour though a bit light.

TANTOWEL EVOLUTION

TOWELETTE, £2.49

Went on easily, but not always easy to see which bits you'd done so wasn't terribly even. But it was a very nice natural colour.

WE'D PREFER TO BE PALE THAN USE

MALIBU MOISTURISING SELF-TANNING LOTION, 150ml £2.66

Easy to apply but takes at least 30 minutes to dry, meaning you have to stand stark naked and virtually not moving for that length of time. And after all that, the colour was virtually undetectable.

SOLAIT WIPES, 2 wipes 99p

Difficult to apply as you can't see where you've been. Plus, the wipes kept scrunching up in my hand so I couldn't get a large surface and ended up using the same bit. Colour wasn't bad but very streaky.

NOT VERY HELPFUL GADGET

VELVOTAN SELF TAN LOTION

APPLICATOR, £3.25

In theory, this is a very good idea - a foam mitt with a waterproof lining which you can use to apply self tan lotion without ending up with bright orange hands. Each pack contains two washable, re-usable mitts - one big one and a tiny one for doing your face.

Unfortunately, they don't work very well as it's hard to judge, through the thickness of the mitt, how much lotion you're applying, especially with the untinted lotions. So, nice idea, but we'll stick to the risk of orange hands, thank you.

Pushing patriotism

JUST when you thought the footie season was over, it all starts again next weekend with Euro 2004 in Portugal. Experts are predicting a mini consumer boom as fans stock up on flags, banners, baseball caps and just about anything with the cross of St George on - even though you might be going no further than your own front room.

The oddest England souvenir we've seen is a buggy from My Child, £29.99, for proud patriotic dads. But if England don't get past the first round, does that mean that the buggy - and the baby - will never go out again?