Best tanning mitts for achieving a streak-free golden glow

When it comes to applying face tanner, having a mitt on hand is imperative – take it from us, we’ve learned this the hard way. This miniature mitt works well at buffing the product into the face and prevents any orange line in the hairline, or patchiness – something we tend to see happen when we apply face tanners with our hands.

As for the body mitt, it’s been designed to fit your hand, with a place for your thumb. As you’d expect, it helps to achieve a patchy-free, even tan. Having the two mitts together is a real bonus, and at less than £5, it’s very good value. It’s safe to say, it’s quickly become our firm favourite.

St Moriz is known for its affordable instant fake tans, with its luxe hydra-glow clear tanning mousse (£18.99, Boots.com) landing the top spot in our review of the best. Its budget-friendly tanning mitt didn’t disappoint either.

Owing to the fact it’s a little thin, we did notice that by the end of applying tan to our entire body, our hands felt a little damp. However, we didn’t notice any streaks on the palms of our hands. So if you’re looking for a cheap option, this will serve you well.

Hands up, we were a bit sceptical when we heard that this tanning mitt had been infused with hyaluronic acid – aka the holy grail skincare ingredient that moistures and softens the skin. However, it delivered on its promise of making our skin feel particularly hydrated.

The mitt itself is thick and soft, and owing to the fact it’s double-lined, our palms didn’t get stained or damp from the tan. We’ve had this mitt in our beauty bounty for a while now and it’s delivered a flawless finish every single time. We’re similarly obsessed with the brand’s blending brush, which makes faking a glow even easier.

As one of the most well-known professional tans, our expectations were high when we tried Sienna X’s mitt, and it didn’t disappoint. As you’d expect, the velvet material is particularly soft against the skin, and the fact it’s double-sided means that you can buff over areas once you’re finished.

Our one small gripe is that the product did seep through the lining and it took quite a long time to dry between tanning sessions, so our hands did get a little damp. That said, we didn’t notice our hands getting stained, and the application was seamless.

Seamless tans can come as a result of a great tanning mitt, but having a blending brush in your tanning collection is just as important. These nifty handheld applicators work particularly well on problem areas – notably hands, feet, elbow and knees – as they work the product in evenly and don’t leave any patches.

This one is particularly impressive, having a curved brush head that makes it easy to use, buffing the product seamlessly into our hands and feet. Owing to the smaller surface area, it’s a little more time-consuming to cover the whole body, but we did find it produced a flawless-looking finish. The brush isn’t machine washable, of course, but it can be cleaned with warm, soapy water, so you’ll be able to use it over and over again.

Unless you live with someone you feel comfortable enough to ask to apply your fake tan to your back, you’re going to need a nifty applicator that can do it for you. Coco & Eve has nailed it with this design. It has a soft, velvety texture, so it feels like a dream on the skin.

All you need to do is apply the product onto the centre of the applicator and take the handles (one in each hand) and move it from side to side. Unlike other back tan applicators that have mitts on each end, the handles here offer greater flexibility. We’ve washed this one a few times now, and it certainly hasn’t lost its quality.

Founded by presenter, podcast host, model and DJ Vogue Williams, this is one of the newer brands to join the world of tanning products, but it clearly knows what it’s doing.

With a velvety touch, we found that this tanning mitt worked extremely well at blending in our fake tan, and felt lovely and soft against the skin. Despite applying the product quite liberally across our body, we didn’t notice any of the tan seeping through, which is, of course, what we like. The brand also does an exfoliating mitt, which received rave reviews in our test of the best.

We’ve been religiously using this Bondi Sands fake tan mitt for years. Among its many benefits, the double-sided design helps with easy blending and buffing, while the rounded shape helps apply the product more evenly and gives you better control, compared to some mitts with thumb holes.

As for the finish, it’s super soft and velvety, with just the right amount of thickness that prevents the product from transferring onto your hands. Cleaning is easy, simply rinse it under warm water and hang to dry after each use. It dries quickly and the softness remains. At less than £5, you can’t go wrong.