This has GOT to have been the longest winter of my entire life. I mean, really! Is it EVER going to get warm? It's April already and here in the South we should have had several 90 degree days by now. We've barely had any days in the 80's.
I'm a summer girl, through and through. I do NOT like the cold - not one little bit. It makes me hurt and aggravates my Fibromyalgia, which makes me a very grumpy girl, indeed. But the summer... Ah, the summer. The heat from the summer sun is like a massage of tiny little fingers all over my skin and my muscles just melt with the warmth going through them. And the beautiful tan the sun gives me makes me feel and look healthier, younger, alive!
I can hear you now: "But wait! A SUN-tan?!?! Seriously?! Of course you know that can literally KILL you, right?!" Yes, yes, I know. And because of that fact, I am a serial sunscreen junkie. I mean, out of the shower, head to toe sunscreen ALL OVER MY BODY. Every. Day. I'm so much of a sunscreen addict that my doctor told me stop using it so much because it was preventing me from getting enough sun to keep my vitamin D levels up where they should be. Really.
So where do I get my beautiful, healthy, youth-giving tan? From a bottle. Yes, I said it. 'Tan in a can.' For years I went to a spray tan booth and paid a ridiculous amount of money for that sticky, smelly procedure so that I could have the all over, even tan with a beautiful golden color without the tell-tale orange nastiness. Before that I'd strip down to my skivvies and let a woman "custom spray" my body with a freezing cold mist of bronze tanner to get the "natural look". That, too, cost a fortune.
Recently I began experimenting with over-the-counter self-tanners to save some moo-lah. And I'm here to tell ya: drugstore stuff just don't cut it. There are a few I've found that give a pretty color and go on smooth and not streaky or sticky. And, for a one-day event like a wedding or pictures, they are fine. But when they start fading, they don't just fade. My skin looks like I've got a bad case of dermatitis or eczema as patches of pale white skin start to show all over me.. Just my opinion, but that's a dead giveaway I'm self-tanning.
Now I think I have found the brass ring of self-tanners (Million Dollar Tan - Tan Icon Extreme). The color is fantastic. It's that olive-y golden dark color that screams Tropicana. It has a bronzer so I can instantly see where it's going on my body without worrying whether I missed a spot. It lasts for almost TWO weeks, and when it fades, it really fades gradually. Just lightens up all over until it's gone. Now, I have to admit the first few times I used it, it was a pain in the backside. It is a liquid formula that sprays, then I have to blend it in with, basically, a foam craft brush. Yeah, that's right. It did not streak at all; it just seemed like it was soaking into the brush and wouldn't blend out. I thought maybe I just needed some more practice to get down the whole "brushing and blending" process. But after a few weeks, I still couldn't get it right.
Then, I discovered the tanning applicator MITT. I had seen a few YouTube videos talking about them, and read some mixed reviews, but decided to give it a try. I just went down to Ulta a got one of their store brand mitts for $5.99. I thought that was a little steep for thin piece of foam stuck to a plastic mitt, but then I used it. Tada! And my life was complete! Just kidding. But seriously, how did I ever self-tan without one of these things?! I can't even explain how amazing this thing is. Together with the new tanner, this is the easiest, prettiest, most fantabulous self-tanning experience I have ever had. It's that good.
I admit, I was skeptical. I mean, if a foam craft brush didn't work, how was this thin little foam mitt going to work. But I showered and did my usual pre-tanning exfoliation (with a $1 for 2 Walmart exfoliating glove that I swear will beat any scrub out there), dried off and began my tanning adventure. I sprayed the mitt, and with that very first stroke across my arm, I was sold! It was like a magic wand of color spread over my arm. It felt like smooth, expensive velvet gliding across my skin and not one single streak - NOT ONE. The tanner blended out into a disappearing fade of color instead of the straight line dead stop with the foam brush. I couldn't believe it! After coloring my entire body, I was thrilled to notice I had only used HALF the product I had been using before with each application. Saving more money! Oh yeah, I'm all about that!
So here I am. Tan in the spring, if we can actually call it spring. And not one UV ray has harmed my skin!
Here's to summer - and being healthy - and tan! :)
Kisses, Kayla
I'm a summer girl, through and through. I do NOT like the cold - not one little bit. It makes me hurt and aggravates my Fibromyalgia, which makes me a very grumpy girl, indeed. But the summer... Ah, the summer. The heat from the summer sun is like a massage of tiny little fingers all over my skin and my muscles just melt with the warmth going through them. And the beautiful tan the sun gives me makes me feel and look healthier, younger, alive!
I can hear you now: "But wait! A SUN-tan?!?! Seriously?! Of course you know that can literally KILL you, right?!" Yes, yes, I know. And because of that fact, I am a serial sunscreen junkie. I mean, out of the shower, head to toe sunscreen ALL OVER MY BODY. Every. Day. I'm so much of a sunscreen addict that my doctor told me stop using it so much because it was preventing me from getting enough sun to keep my vitamin D levels up where they should be. Really.
So where do I get my beautiful, healthy, youth-giving tan? From a bottle. Yes, I said it. 'Tan in a can.' For years I went to a spray tan booth and paid a ridiculous amount of money for that sticky, smelly procedure so that I could have the all over, even tan with a beautiful golden color without the tell-tale orange nastiness. Before that I'd strip down to my skivvies and let a woman "custom spray" my body with a freezing cold mist of bronze tanner to get the "natural look". That, too, cost a fortune.
Recently I began experimenting with over-the-counter self-tanners to save some moo-lah. And I'm here to tell ya: drugstore stuff just don't cut it. There are a few I've found that give a pretty color and go on smooth and not streaky or sticky. And, for a one-day event like a wedding or pictures, they are fine. But when they start fading, they don't just fade. My skin looks like I've got a bad case of dermatitis or eczema as patches of pale white skin start to show all over me.. Just my opinion, but that's a dead giveaway I'm self-tanning.
Now I think I have found the brass ring of self-tanners (Million Dollar Tan - Tan Icon Extreme). The color is fantastic. It's that olive-y golden dark color that screams Tropicana. It has a bronzer so I can instantly see where it's going on my body without worrying whether I missed a spot. It lasts for almost TWO weeks, and when it fades, it really fades gradually. Just lightens up all over until it's gone. Now, I have to admit the first few times I used it, it was a pain in the backside. It is a liquid formula that sprays, then I have to blend it in with, basically, a foam craft brush. Yeah, that's right. It did not streak at all; it just seemed like it was soaking into the brush and wouldn't blend out. I thought maybe I just needed some more practice to get down the whole "brushing and blending" process. But after a few weeks, I still couldn't get it right.
Then, I discovered the tanning applicator MITT. I had seen a few YouTube videos talking about them, and read some mixed reviews, but decided to give it a try. I just went down to Ulta a got one of their store brand mitts for $5.99. I thought that was a little steep for thin piece of foam stuck to a plastic mitt, but then I used it. Tada! And my life was complete! Just kidding. But seriously, how did I ever self-tan without one of these things?! I can't even explain how amazing this thing is. Together with the new tanner, this is the easiest, prettiest, most fantabulous self-tanning experience I have ever had. It's that good.
I admit, I was skeptical. I mean, if a foam craft brush didn't work, how was this thin little foam mitt going to work. But I showered and did my usual pre-tanning exfoliation (with a $1 for 2 Walmart exfoliating glove that I swear will beat any scrub out there), dried off and began my tanning adventure. I sprayed the mitt, and with that very first stroke across my arm, I was sold! It was like a magic wand of color spread over my arm. It felt like smooth, expensive velvet gliding across my skin and not one single streak - NOT ONE. The tanner blended out into a disappearing fade of color instead of the straight line dead stop with the foam brush. I couldn't believe it! After coloring my entire body, I was thrilled to notice I had only used HALF the product I had been using before with each application. Saving more money! Oh yeah, I'm all about that!
So here I am. Tan in the spring, if we can actually call it spring. And not one UV ray has harmed my skin!
Here's to summer - and being healthy - and tan! :)
Kisses, Kayla
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