These days it is pretty P.C. to do fake tans. All the celebs are doing it so I am not embarrassed to say I do fake tans too, on occasion.
I have semi-olive skin and frankly I look green without some color. While I usually find a way to get some healthy sun over the winter months, this year I have been working so hard I have barely been outside.
So, I have been experimenting with fake tans. I have tried "Magic Tans" in the salons where you strip down, step into a booth and hold your breath while a cold spray of god-knows-what blasts your body. These work just fine but they cost a bit ($25) and fade after a few days. Additionally, I hate the cold blast and I hate holding my breath as I am certain that breathing in that stuff is toxic.
I have also tried a plethora of off-the- shelf products... which I now realize I prefer to the Magic Tans.
Here is what I have tried so far:
I tried "Jergen's Natural Glow,Daily Moisturizer" which slowly gives you color over a week or so. Not fast enough for me.
I also tried "Neutrogena MicroMist Tanning" which Claudia Ross swears by. I used the medium shade and didn't find that much of a difference. Claudia said she uses the Miami Beach shade.. (I need to track that one down) The nice thing about this product is that it is a witch hazel based mist and it dries fast. In other words, you don't need to wait to put your clothes on. I find this product is great to fill in missed areas from another tanning product.
The product I love the most; one that gives a nice color instantly is "Coppertone's Endless Summer Sunless Tanning Lotion". They warn you not to get dressed for 30 minutes after putting the product on but I tend to use this product on exposed areas that will not hit fabric: My legs, sometimes my chest and face if desperate.
The bummer thing about all of these products is the smell. Apparently, there is there is no way around this. The smell is a result of the way the product interacts with the proteins in your skin that create the tan. I will be overjoyed the day that they come out with a product that doesn't smell. Don't you agree?
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