17 January 2012

Pale can be pretty... BUT tan is hot!

Anyone who knows me knows I'm pretty pale.  A few years ago Cosmo dedicated a whole monthly issue of their magazine to skin cancer and it really affected me.  Every advertisement was for sunscreen, every article was about skin cancer... it was really eye opening.  I've been pretty religious about applying SPF 15+ on my face daily and SPF 30+ all over my body in the summer after reading that issue.

I tend to not care that I'm pale in the winter because most other people are only 1 or 2 shades darker than me.  In the summer I try to blend in a bit more with all the tan people by using sunless tanning solutions.  Although it isn't summer now, I thought that most of my readers might be interested in a winter solution for pale skin, so here you are...

It can be expensive to get a Mystic Tan at a salon (but they are no fuss and a nice deep tan will last ~4 days) so I've tried many at home tanning solutions.  The one I recommend is Neutrogena Micro-mist.  


I can easily apply this to myself all over.  The fine mist formula hits all the hard to reach places without needing someone's help.  That is a huge plus for any self tanner... it is supposed to be a SELF tanner.

Neutrogena is well known for having non-comedogenic products, and this one is included.  That means it won't clog your pores.  It is also oil free and dries faster than any other product I've tried.  The micro-mist formula can be found in any pharmacy type store and is around $10.  It does have an unpleasant smell, but all sunless tan products will have that.  I recommend applying at night, letting it dry, then going to sleep.  In the morning you can shower off and the smell will be eliminated.

My recommendations for getting a great sunless tan at home:

  • start by exfoliating your skin either in the shower with a scrub or loofa or just rub a face cloth that was air dried (so its kind of crispy not like fresh from the dryer) all over your skin
  • keep the can at least 6 inches from your skin for an even application  
  • stand on a large beach towel that you don't care about so that you don't stain your floor surface
  • keep your skin moisturized in the days after you apply the product

Happy safe tanning!

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