As summer approaches, quite a few of us scramble to gain a little color so as not to blind passers by at the beach.
A little background on me. My Father is of Hispanic and Native American decent and my mother is of European decent. As a kid (up to my teen years) I had a great skin tone and bronzed so beautifully from the sun. Now I just burn and go pale again. I also used to burn frequently and be physically ill from a day in the heat. My grandmother would spray antiseptic spray on me and fan me until I felt better. As a teen I also used to bake for long periods in the tanning beds praying to look like the models in the posters. Terrible I know now. During that time we never had sufficient knowledge of the damages of the tanning beds or the sun and or I just wasn’t listening. (Probably the latter) It wasn’t until I saw my first dermatologist at age 23 that I realized what I had done. In my hair line they found a mole that did have cancerous properties. Thankfully they caught it and lopped it off. I now have a patch where hair will never grown and a deep gash from the skin taken away but it could have been so much worse! I now carry sun screen religiously, always wear hats and have to find alternate ways of bronzing. I used to think fake tanners would just turn you orange but in this day in age you can be tan year round for a relatively small cost!
When I need a deep and professional looking tan for a low cost, I like to use Mystic Tan . This can be found at most tanning salons and is a great alternative to the bed. You simply go into a booth. Hold your breath and let the machine spray you down. 6 hours later you have a deep and great looking tan. The con to this is dripping, streaking and the fact that it doesn’t dry very fast so putting your clothes back on, even loose fitting, can cause some uneven spots. It also wears off in odd patches making you look like a lepper between tans.
St. Tropez self tanner is one of my favorite products!!! It gives me great color in the comfort of my own home and lasts up to 7 days. It’s not as dark as Mystic Tan but it’s way more convenient, you can shower sooner and it doesn’t smell as bad. Plus a whole bottle (lasts me at least 3 months if not loner) cost about $45. The con is that it’s really hard to reach your back on your own so acquire some help!
Million Dollar Tan is what I usually use on my face as it is specially formulated as a skin care product with “FaceFirm Age Defense Super Pack, clinically proven to dramatically lift, firm and tone skin. This fabulously light feel.” Because I wash my face so often this formula only lasts around 3 days but gives great even color. And the bottle lasts a very long time. They could work on the smell a little but great bang for your buck at $34.
If you’re looking to get really fancy, you can always get a personalized spray tan. This is the direction I take when I have an event such as a wedding or other special party. It’s a little more pricey but you can pick your color and the tan comes out evenly and in point. Personal spray tans are nice because you can have someone come to your home to perform the service. The downfall is that it’s around $50+ and only lasts around 7 days. On the plus side there are usually a good amount of discounts that can be found through Groupon.
There are so many different ways to tan now without risking your skin. I’ve listed just a few but there are so many more including some from the drug store that I haven’t listed only because I have yet to try them. If you would like a blog post on drug store only please let me know. I hope you take good care of your skin so that you may age beautiful and without danger.
Pretty Poor Thing 