Isn't it surprising what a whiff of sunshine can do for the soul, not to mention your complexion. The problem is, we're caught in a vortex of sudden lunch-hour sun when our skin still looks positively vampiric from the biblical storms and floods of, oh yeah, last week. You've got to love the British weather.

Like the hankering to shed your dark winter wools and slip on a pastel duster coat that always kicks in around this time of year, so facial tanners offer a similar quick spring fix, just for your face. Especially now that they come with all sorts of other skincare-y bells and whistles.

Because not only do we want our skin to look healthy and glowing, we want it to actually be healthy and glowing too - enter the new style tanners with added hyaluronic acid to plump, antioxidants to protect you from free radical damage and some that you can even add to your existing moisturiser, like a sort of serum booster (see Clarins, below).

So it's goodbye to scary brown jawline tidemarks and hello to naturally glowing, and healthier, skin all in less than eight hours.

Here's how the team got on testing the best of the new breed facial tanners.

Elin, junior fashion editor, tried James Read Tan Sleep Mask, £25 at Harvey Nichols

'I tested James Read Sleep Mask Tan, a facial tanner that you use at night. The product was great, but I came a little unstuck with the instructions. To my mind, a sleep mask means a thick layer of product (so I applied a thick layer), what I should have done was to treat the product as a facial tanner, which it is (a good one at that). Issues with instructions aside the colour was good, and the coverage even. It’s a great product, ignore the name, use it as you would any other facial tanner and enjoy the good results.'

Joanna, beauty director, tried Lancaster A Week in Ibiza Self-Tanning Concentrate Instant Golden Glow, £22 at Selfridges

'As someone who usually sprints in the opposite direction when it comes to self-tan, it’s all too easy to forget just how much a surge of warm, sun-kissed colour can do for the overall health and vitality of your face. You wouldn’t have known it but I’ve actually just come back from a holiday to Jamaica and Miami, but with skin that burns as easily as mine, SPF50 is the only way to go. So, inevitably, I totally miss out on that post-holiday glow that makes you feel slightly better about being back in chilly, grey Britain. This little make-up sized wonder is the first face tanner I’ve tried that hasn’t petrified me. It smells like the sun cream my Mum would slather me in as a child (not of digestive biscuits) and feels like a whipped-up version of my daily serum on the skin. Within eight hours, my otherwise pale and blotchy skin was imbued with a golden (but not even nearly orange) soupcon of colour. The only slightly challenging aspect being, my usual foundation and concealer are now rendered totally redundant.' 

Alice, beauty intern, tried Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster, £18, (available April)

'At uni, I went on a bit of a fake tan splurge – to the point that for about a year, I wouldn’t go out without a couple of coatings on. There are plenty of embarrassingly orange pictures to prove it and these, along with the potent smell of DHA, have scarred me somewhat. I’m now very hesitant to go near any form of tan unless it’s subtle and heavily mixed with skincare. If I’m honest, the idea of face tan kind of terrifies me. If it goes wrong, there’s NO way to hide it. Your streaky face is there for all to see.  But this little pot from Clarins is a complete game changer. Its texture is more akin to a serum and instead of applying straight to the face, you simply mix a few drops into your daily moisturiser. The colour was understated, but it gave me a boost in sun-kissed radiance and a healthy glow. The best part? It smells amazing. No potent fake tan linger in any shape or form. I’ll definitely be using it though summer.' 

Grace, fashion intern, tried Nuxe Fondant Self-Tanning Emulsion for face, £13.50 (available April)

'Upon opening the Nuxe facial tanner I was surprised to smell the sweet biscuity scent of fake tanners of old. Whilst it fondly reminded me of the first time I tried, and failed, to apply fake tan to my legs when I was 13, it was also bordering on unpleasant. The cream was thick and didn’t spread evenly and thus I was left toying with the idea of adding another layer or leaving it to see what happened. I had lost all trust in the product by this point and I was convinced I’d wake up with a ‘You’ve been tango’d’ exterior. But this is where the product excelled, I woke up with a good glow and a subtle sun-kissed colour. I was relieved and impressed. Final word -  be prepared to smell like a bakery in return for a sizzling tan.'