At-home self-tanners have come a long way since the days of those smelly, greasy lotions that were notorious for turning skin blotchy and the color of Cheetos. And don’t even get me started on the risky tanning beds that were a standard beauty practice in the ’80s and ’90s.

Fortunately, the current self-tanning market boasts a number of different money-saving formulations and shade ranges that allow for customizable and buildable tans, and many options provide realistic results that look healthy and golden, rather than unnatural.

So how can you pick a shade that’s right for you that will look even and streak-free?

Sophie Evans, a celebrity self-tanner and skin finishing expert with St. Tropez, the buzzy self-tanning brand known for its star-studded following, told HuffPost that conducting a patch test on your skin prior to a full-body application can be a great way to avoid looking unnatural. But the patch test shouldn’t be too small, either.

“Applying a tiny spot of self-tan, versus applying a bigger patch, will not be a very good representation of color as the self-tan is concentrated to a small area and it will develop looking a little too dark and muddy. Always patch test with a minimum area of about 2 by 2 [inches], and look at the color four to eight hours later,” Evans advised.

She explained that correctly prepping the skin makes all the difference between a blotchy finish with product bunching into crevices and dry patches, and a tan that looks smooth and seamless.

“Always apply to clean and product-free skin, ideally freshly exfoliated skin. Only moisturize elbows, knees, hands, back of the wrists, whole of the foot and the crease of the heel and any other severe dry areas, like eczema, only. Never moisturize the whole body as the tan itself should be conditioning enough and moisturizer dilutes or can block self-tan color,” Evans said.

She said that the moisturizer you use should be non-oil based and that working with a tanning mitt, or tanning applicator of some kind, can prevent those dreaded mis-colored palms (a dead giveaway that your tan may have come from a bottle).

You should apply the product using a light stroke with a flat hand, Evans said. “You want to smooth the product over the skin, never over rub or massage in a self-tan. This will actually cause a tan to develop patchy as massaging will interfere with the self-tan agent absorbing naturally into the skin.”

Whether you’re just after a subtle shade of golden so you no longer look like a member of the Cullen family, or you’re interested in a more beefed-up bronze for the summer, you can shop some highly reviewed self-tanners below. You can even find Evan’s top pick for achieving a fool-proof glow that works great for facial contouring.

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