6 gradual tans The Glow team are using daily this summer.

Image: Supplied.

Summer holidays may almost be a distant memory but that relaxed aesthetic doesn’t have to be.

More subtle than your regular ol’ tan, they’re like a tinted moisturiser for your body, giving you buildable colour that makes you feel like you’re still lazing on a beach. Simply apply before bed, hit the sheets and wake up to your chosen level of bronze. Here are the gradual tans The Glow team loves.

1. Bondi Sands.

When she needs a quick hit, Glow Guide Producer Brittany swears by Bondi Sands.

“It was actually my younger sister that introduced me to Bondi Sands Everyday Gradual Tan Tanning Milk, $17.99 and I am so glad she did. I’m the kind of person who actually gets paler over summer thanks to my religious slathering of SPF 50+, so I wanted a little bit of colour before I returned to the office,” she says.

"One coat of the delicious cocoa butter chocolate-y scented deliciousness and a few hours later I had a subtle but believable glow. Because it is a slightly darker colour than normal gradual tans you do have to pay extra attention to application (big circular motions) but that said it's pretty foolproof!" (Watch: Take a look at our mascara faces at their best. Post continues after video.)

2. Dove

The product that always makes its way into Editor Edwina's shopping trolley? Trusty Dove Summer Glow Gradual Self Tan Body Lotion, $7.36. 

"Don’t you love it when beauty products work and they don’t cost exorbitant amounts? That's a rhetorical question, of course you do. This gradual tan fits into that rare and exciting category. It's nourishing (it's latest formula has 50 per cent more active moisturiser) and doesn't give you that yellowy colour that some other graduals can. A couple of applications is all you need to glow and is buildable from there," she says.

3. JBronze

One thing Site Coordinator Lizzie Marton and supermodel Jennifer Hawkins have in common? They both use JBronze.

"My go-to is JBronze Dark Tanning Cream, $29.95. Although not strictly a gradual tan, I mix it with a little bit of moisturiser and it always provides an even coverage with a really subtle glow. It is really easy to apply too, so you don't need to stress about applying it really quickly - and it washes of my hands easily," she says.

The brand are also bringing out a specific gradual tan, so keep an eye out if you're also a fan. (Post continues after gallery.)

4. Palmers

5. Model Co.

If remnants of your summer tan are still going strong, Brittany recommends reaching for this.

"If you've already got a bit of a tan, the MODELCO Gradual Tan Self-Tan Enhancer & Everyday Body Moisturiser, $16.00, is great at making it last even longer while lightly topping it up. Super easy to apply, it's seriously moisturising for the skin too," she says.

 6. St Tropez.

One of the biggest beauty launches of last year, Edwina is still in love with her St Tropez’s Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion, $39.95.