One of the questions I most commonly get asked is about my tan. “Do you tan or is that a spray tan? You look brown. What do you use?” I’ll be the first to admit that I tanned (in a tanning bed) my way through high school and college. I even remember the girls I cheered with in college referring to themselves as “tanorexic.” Whaaat is that?! Well, it’s the insatiable need to be tan– all the time. You think I’m crazy, but it’s a thing– such a thing that it’s in Merriam Webster’s dictionary. No joke. But honestly, you try having to wear a little skirt 3-5 times a week in the dead of winter; it’s a real confidence-killer when you’re pale.
So, I did. I tanned a few times a week here or there to maintain a nice glow. I tanned sporadically all the way up until my wedding day— in 2015. Of course, I wanted to be beautiful in my white dress– a rich, dark tan. I wanted to be ready to head to the Bahamas with no risk of getting burnt and spend my days snorkeling, jet skiing, and floating in the Caribbean without a care in the world.
I haven’t gone tanning since. I’m “clean” now. Tanning beds are a thing of the past. The only UV rays I’m soaking up come with vitamin D and SPF 30 (at least). I’ve seen the negative effects of tanning. I’ve seen the wrinkles it causes–and even worse than that– the melanoma. I’m all for a good tan, but I’m not going to risk my health and give up the quality of the one and only skin I’ve been given.
Enter, spray tans. My last year of college, my friend Kelly and I invested in this spray tan airbrush machine. Pretty sure we saw it on QVC one night and decided to go halfsies. It gave us some really good tans for about a year until the airbrush part started malfunctioning and dripping (probably from overuse) and we had to give it up. But it taught me something. A good tan can be achieved without harming my skin.
So, there are 3 different ways I currently achieve a nice glow throughout the year and I’m going to describe all 3 in detail. You can decide which is right for you, but I can tell you I’ve tried a lot of products over the last 4 years and these are the ones that are going to give you that nice, golden brown tan, no streaks (if applied correctly), and no orange (yuck!). ‘Tis the season to be tan, so what better time to share my tanning secrets when you’re going to be rocking your favorite dresses and shorts for the next 3 months?!
Fake Bake Flawless
This is my tried and true. I’ve been using it for 4 years now. I get it from Amazon. It’s a spray and I apply it by spraying it directly on this mitt then working on each part of my body in sections. I use about 8-10 pumps per section. It’s gone up in price through the years; it used to be like $12 a bottle when I first started using it. It’s also available at Ulta. I use Fake Bake Flawless Darker, but they make regular Fake Bake Flawless (Amazon link). It works just as well, but is a little less intense color.
I apply it on the weekends (usually Sunday before heading back to work) and I keep a good tan until about Thursday or so. By Friday, you can tell I’m definitely ready for more color. You are supposed to let it sit for 4-6 hours, but I leave it on overnight usually and rinse off in the morning to develop the deepest, darkest tan. Just be sure to wear something dark (I recommend long pants or it will get on your sheets). It might get on your clothes a little, but it washes out easily. The good thing about this one is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Someone may have to help you with your back, but the rest is a piece of cake.
Brown Sugar Spray Tan
If you’re local, the salon Erin works at (Mirror, Mirror) has an amazing brown sugar spray tan. We both got them before our recent trip to Florida. It’s a nice soft, brown tan that develops for another 12 hours even after you wash it off. I typically leave the tanning solution on my body for 10-12 hours too. Someone else does have to spray you though, as it is a brown sugar mix purchased by a licensed cosmetologist and applied with a professional spray tanning gun. Oh, and we recommend wearing loose clothing when you go (this means no bras or undies).
This tan will last up to 10 days if you moisturize daily and stay away from heavily chlorinated pools and hot tubs. I use the other two methods of self-tan to touch up after a brown sugar tan and it blends flawlessly.
Tan Wise Sunless Self-Spray Tan
I have to give credit to my mom for finding out about this one. It’s available at Sally’s Beauty and Amazon. I just tried it for the first time this week and I already love it. It’s such a nice brown color and I can apply it easily with my favorite mitt. You can either spray it on the mitt or directly on the body and then massage in with the mitt. It says it only needs 2-3 hours to develop, but I left it on overnight. I ended up wanting another coat the next day because after my shower, the color wasn’t exactly as dark as I wanted it. After a second coat, I was feeling bronzed and beautiful. If you’re looking for more subtle color, stick with one coat. They also make this solution in a mousse and lotion, but I haven’t tried either of those.
Winners & Losers
Time: When it comes to time spent tanning, getting a brown sugar spray tan done professionally is going to be the quickest. You don’t have to pump, rub, blend, etc. But it also requires you to leave your house, which is why I usually opt for the other 2 options. On a Saturday or evening spent in cleaning my house, I can throw on a spray tan and let it develop while I work.
When it comes to time spent developing, Fake Bake takes the longest. Tan Wise is quicker, but the color isn’t as deep. Brown Sugar Spray Tan develops even after you rinse, so it’s probably the most time-effective overall.
Money: The TanWise brand is the most inexpensive (Currently $10.99/ BOGO at Sally’s). You will need a mitt for it, but those last a while.
Longevity: I think the brown sugar tan lasts the longest, but maybe that’s because I moisturize more after getting one and during vacations.
Smell: Fake Bake has the strongest smell, but it goes away for the most part after you rinse off the first time. The scent of the other two are mild in comparison.
Face: All 3 work well on the face for me! Even though the bottled tans say to buy the special “face tanning serum,” don’t. They work perfectly fine on the face. Just use sparingly.
Tips & Tricks
- Do not apply any of the spray tan options with bare hands. Always use a mitt.
- Always shower and exfoliate before a spray tan.
- Always shave 12-24 hours before spray tanning.
- Moisturize consistently after spray tan has been rinsed off.
- Use tanning solutions sparingly on hands and face.
You don’t have to be “tanorexic” to realize that a good tan makes most of us look and feel better in our own skin. I hope all of my trials have led you to the right tan for you. Stay out of the tanning beds! It’s not worth risking your health when there are plenty of other good options for maintaining great color.
Any questions I didn’t cover? Reach out!
xo,
Ash
Leave a Reply