Rate it: best tan for pale skin

Consider this.  There were 25 hours of sunshine in Dublin in January.  Yes that's right.  TWENTY FIVE HOURS in thirty one days.  It doesn't take a mathematical genius to work out that we saw less than an hour of light a day last month.

Unsurprisingly many Irish girls have more than a little touch of the milk bottle about them.  We're so fair we're actually blue in some lights and we need special treatment.  Thankfully after years of struggling to get foundation that actually complements our skintone, cosmetic companies seem to be getting with the programme.

At last it's totally up to you whether you choose to look like Testy Broader or embrace your actual skin colour, with companies like Mac using Ireland as their testing ground and launch pad for fair skinned foundation. (Read some of our pale foundation picks).

But fake tan is proving more problematic.  The active ingredient in self tan, DHA, actually produces an orange colour and it's very difficult to find tan that doesn't turn us into a nation of satusmas. (Read some of our tan reviews here).

The IFTAS (the Irish Film and Television Awards), one of the most glam nights in the Irish social calender, are also known as the Irish Fake Tan Awards, because it's radioactively obvious when we're sporting fake tan.  It's a national joke.

So what have you found to be the best tan for your pale skin?  Do you go gradual, opt for a spray tan, or like to go as dark as possible and to hell with the consequences?

To the comments!