There's one colour that's definitely not in fashion this winter...

There’s only one more week until winter hits, yet with the unseasonably warm weather in some parts of the country, you can be forgiven for wearing denim cutoffs and thongs LIKE IT’S THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER.

Sorry. I’m just mad because I bought two high-neck woollen jumpers in the anticipation that it was going to be cold enough to actually wear them.

Right, back to fake tans. Here are the best not-too-orange ones (and how best to apply them) for the cooler months, if they ever happen to arrive.

1. The gradual one.

Eco Winter Skin, $29.95, as the name suggests, is a great product to use at this time of year as it’s a beautiful honey shade that isn’t a dead (deep-brown) giveaway. It’s the one both Mia and I use year-round.

If you have fair or pale skin and have never found the right fake tan shade, chances are you’ll love this one. It’s a gradual tanning moisturiser that dries instantly, it doesn’t go on streaky and gives your skin a lovely glow without any of that orangey business.

Eco Tan founder Sonya Driver created the organic range after her sister’s melanoma scare. She has also developed a fully certified and organic tanning spray tanning product for salons.

ModelCo Bronze Dry Touch, $29.95, is four-hour water and perspiration resistant bronzing sunscreen. It’s non-permanent so it won’t get all over your sheets and clothes.

It washes off easily with soap and water and you won’t believe how easy it is to get an instant bronzed look with such minimal effort. It’s quick drying, fast-absorbing (what you want on chilly mornings) and best of all has an amazing scent, so you can say good-bye to that stinky fake tan stench that sometimes follows you around all day.

ModelCo founder Shelley Barrett says, “I wanted to create a lightweight, truly matte sunscreen for everyday use – one that not only protects the skin but leaves you looking radiant, with skin that glows.”

St Tropez also have a killer product in their Instant Glow Mousse, it’s just like their cult Bronzing Mousse but like the ModelCo product washes off immediately with soap and water.

3. The not-too-orange one.

At this time of year you want a subtle hint of a glow and nothing too brown (unless you’re heading off to a tropical island – in which case I hate you).

Trilogy Instant Bronzing Gel, $27.95, is easily buildable, you can apply it once for just enough colour to take the pale edge off your legs or you can apply daily for a deeper bronze which lasts 2-3 days. 

Tip: If you already have a favourite tanner but it’s a little too dark to use now, you can thin it down with moisturiser.

4. The just-for-face one.

Applying fake tan to your face can be scary. It requires a different product to the one you’re using on your legs, particularly if that product has shimmer or is a dark shade. So a nifty winter skin trick is to sub out your blush for a bronzer instead.

Instead of concentrating on the apples of your cheeks as you would with a blush, focus on creating a contoured look on the outer parts of your face. I like bareMinerals mineral powder in warmth for this.

To do this: use a large brush and starting at your temples and trace around your cheekbones and bring it out again along your jawline – imagine drawing a large 3 on each side of your face. It takes a couple of goes to nail the look but once you do, it’s a quick trick to match your face to the rest of your body if you’ve tanned or just want to feel a little less pasty.

If you did want to try a specific fake-tan face product, St Tropez have this one, Model Co have Face Tan and Daily Face Mattifying Sunscreen (with inbuilt lipbalm!), which is like a tinted-milk that doubles as a primer – think a BB Cream with a SPF50+.

Do you wear fake tan outside of summer? What are your favourite products?