Tan in a Bottle?

One of my gayest dreams is to be so rich that I can afford one of NYC's premium spray tanning professionals to spray me every few days, and to be able to afford to take them on the road with me when I travel. I look a lot better tan but my mother has had some minor skin cancer issues and I don't want to take any health chances. I also don't want to look like a frog when I am 37.

It depends on your complexion. If you're yellow to olive skinned, but just pale, you can you the light stuff and not look overly orange. It works a bit better if you've already got some color (2 days at the beach sort of look). If you're pink/white then it'll look super orange.

She's right about the tanning thing. I think your best bet, as a beginner, would be a gradual tanning lotion. They're really easy to apply (just like a body moisturiser) and they gradually build up colour with daily use - just as a natural tan would build up. After about 7 to 10 days of use your skin picks up a nice tanned colour and then you just need to reapply once or twice a week to keep it that way.

It may not be instant but you get great control over the colour, it looks natural and it's easy to apply and maintain.

Jergen's and Johnson's both do great ones, go for the formula that says 'For Fair Skin' on it. I think I might write another post about them soon. St Tropez Mousse is also an easy one to use but only when you're a bit more confident with self tanners.

You can read my post about self tanning here, I cover most of the basics you need to know.

I think the best tip I can give you is to always apply less than you think you need. It's easy to add more product later but a bitch to take any off.

My dermatologist told me tanning is fine, burning is bad. Just do whatever it takes not to get burned. If the sun were really that dangerous the human race would have died off a long time ago. Moderate sun exposure if OK for most people. Just take it in small doses.

Just make sure everything is even or else...

Wow, can this be the most helpful commercial poster ever? I think so.


Logic fail.

Try Clarins Auto-Bronzant Visage Self Tanning Gel for 2-3 days. Any more than that and you will be looking pretty stupid. You know, like an extra from Jersey Shore. (it is just for the face, neck area)

You only turn orange if you severely overboard. I fake tan my face, neck, and upper arms every Sunday night since I'm the most social early in the week. I do it again the morning if I have to speak publicly, or have an interview. If you ever happen to over do it, just exfoliate. I would be sheet white otherwise. I stay inside all the time and am pretty nocturnal.

Wow, it happened to me when I was a kid tons of times, even I look as that guy. funny, but risky

Won´t this product age your skin ? I look 7 years younger thanks to not seeing the sun in months for ages. I am a nightly person. Which one is better L'Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturiser or the Biotherm one? I am of the most caucasian white possible, so much that I was called snowwhite ,milky white and similars on my childood.

What is this obsession with tanning? You Americans are fucked up. Quit trying to be blatino and embrace your pasty European roots.

What do you think of all the parabens in these sunless tanning products?

Firstly I think it would take a LOT of parabens to cause any ill effect to the body, even then it's highly unlikely - there are no studies that show parabens to actively cause any physical damage. In addition to that, we ingest far more parabens in our food than we could absorb through skincare in a lifetime. Relatively speaking, parabens in skincare are a drop in the ocean. It's a personal preference thing but from a purely scientific viewpoint? No harm at all.

Cosmetics companies and alarmist websites have jumped on the 'paraben free' thing as a marketing strategy, i'm more inclined to believe hard evidence.