Real sun. Fake bake. Do it yourselfer’s that make you orange. What do you prefer?!
I know we just had a QOD not long ago about whether you sunbath or fake bake, but this is more about the self tanners of the world! How many of you have tried them? And they turned out ok?!!
Anyone who has seen me has made fun of me for how white I am. I’ve got blonde hair and fair skin so a deep dark tan and I don’t really go together. How I wish we did, but we don’t. I’ve been teased for as long as I can remember about being so white. In fact, my FIL STILL teases me about it! I’m almost 30, he’s known me for over 10 years and he still insists on giving me hell. (Which I find odd since he’s the one that has dealt with skin cancer.)
The last couple of years has found me buying all types of self tanners. I’ve tried a lot of them. Tan towels were first. They were ok, but caused streaks if the towel got too dry and they were always too dark around my ankles. Next was the lotion that gives you results in like 4 hours. WHOA! Too dark in one spot, not enough in another, to fakey looking. Then it was Aveeno’s dial up self tanner. The one were you pick your level of darkness. That was ok, I thought, until one day at work one of the ladies said I looked a little orange. OMG!!!!!! Wanted to crawl in a hole, but I’m sooooo glad she told me. She’s also the type of person that will tell you if you stink or have bad breath. I love her!
Next I tried the gradual tanners, spray on and lotions. The spray on was a disaster! I ended up with orange on the bottom of my feet! The lotions were better, but I’ve never gotten over the smell! I feel like I stink for days even after showering! It stains your clothes, your undergarments, and your sheets. Yuck! My husband just rolls his eyes and opens all the windows when he sees me get the bottle out.
Nikki is one that has used self tanners and she always seems to get good results so I usually ask her what she’s been using if I want to try something new. She suggested one from B&B. I checked it out (e.i. I smelled it!) and thought, oh that doesn’t smell very good! After a week of debate, I went back and bought a tube. I did the exfoliating ritual and the light lotion around the joints and the whole nine yards! I thought, this better work. Surprisingly, the smell wasn’t bad at all, it dried fairly quickly, and when I got up in the morning, I wasn’t streaky, didn’t stink and had a faint glow. YIPPY!
Who am I kidding?! I’ll never have a deep dark natural looking tan from a bottle or otherwise!
Us Girls..Our Views 
I’ve never needed to use self tanners or fake bake or anything. I tan very easily. But years ago my grandmother pushed me to try some avon self tanner.. (she sells the stuff) .. I didnt like it.. It wasnt horrid but it wasnt great either. It didnt leave me all orange it just didnt look natural on me..
i do tanning beds now using zero to sexy shimmer…. but before i used oil of olay gradual tanner its awesome.. a little bit of a smell but not bad and no streaks!
That’s funny when you said “woke up and wasn’t streaky, didn’t stink and had a faint glow. “LOL What more could a girl want. I have heard that the new self tanners are pretty good , not at all like they use to be. I do not use them I seem to get some sun I have a darker olive complexion so I tan pretty easily. I don’t look for a tan but being out and about I seem to get a little sun. I’m sorry I don’t have much advice. As far as skin cancer goes my father had skin cancer melanoma and survived thankfully.
I leave it up to God. I could not care less what others think of my skin color. I naturally tan a little but I do not make an effort.
Farmers tan it is!! I tan very easily.. As a kid I looked like chocolate. My mom used to think I was dirty and tried scrubbing me more in the bath.. didn’t work 🙂 I was about as dark as Ross in the Friends-episode where he gets too much of the spray on tan. I’m not kidding 🙂
Since I dress quite modestly nowadays I never get anything but farmers tan.. but really I don’t care. I would never use anything artificial to look more tanned than I am, or to even out.
Congratulations, you have a tan! Always wanted one but I’ll just get burned up like a red lobster.
I tan easily so I don’t use any tanning stuff. I think now days the fair skin is actually “IN.” Here in my neck of the woods, I hear the girls talking more about how much SPF they have on than I do about them wanting a tan.
I’m white-white-white, pale as… a very pale thing. I love it that I’m so pale my skin is see-through, and I hate it when I tan by accident! Also, because my skin is so paper-light, I don’t really tan – I burn. Badly.
I’m envious of my friends who are naturally darker and look all honey-gold or bronzed and beautiful, but since I’m doomed to have vampiric skin, I’ve come to embrace it!
I love having some color and usually by this time of year I would ,thanks to the tanning bed we have at work.Ive been off for the last year , so no bed for me and I am WHITE as can be and dont like it!I have used all kinds of tanning lotions with and with out self tanners in them.Being in that industry we received tons of samples.They are all pretty good now adays but I remember the days of orange streaks..yuck!
I like the ones that are not stricktly a self tanning lotion but are a tanning lotion with a hint of tint added.Though Coppertone makes a really good self tanner..but yes,it smells!
I must say I enjoy the REAL sun in summer.I just liked the bed to maintain through the winter.I think I personally look ill when I have no color.
You make me laugh Sue. You have some good humor. I have never used self tanning lotion but I do like a hint of color. I got blessed with good and easy tanning genes. I have my dad’s nice skin color and I tan very, very easily. I used to go to tanning beds once in a while. It felt good in the winter to just lay there and listen to the radio. Kind of like a mimi visit to the tropics. But, I’ve learned to much about skin cancer and I won’t ever go in another one. IF, IF I’m going to hurt my skin, I want it to be from the real sun. I do have to say, I love laying in the sun and soaking in the rays. It feels so good to me.
Paul would find one thing to tease you about so this is an easy thing.
Your right Joy about the tanning beds.I never used it to excess,I think everything in moderation but do you know we would have clients come in who were told by their DOCTOR to use a tanning bed for their skin problems!Go figure.
YAY!! I’m SO glad that one worked. I love it! It’s a tad more expensive but worth it. I used to bake in the sun and after Paul went through that I simply don’t anymore. I used to bake in the bed too. Not anymore. I get sun, a healthy amount. I asked myself, do I want to look good now and in my 30’s with a nice tan and look horrible when I get older? No thank you! Plus run the risk of skin cancer, that was horrible watching Paul go through that! I have tried many tanners from WalMart but they all streak or smell. The one from B&B isn’t GREAT smelling but it’s not bad either.
I’m really glad that one worked. I think too most tanners do work with my skin because I’m not fair like you. Good luck I hope it continues to work!
I have to admit, that after 2 days, I haven’t used it since!!!! I did like it though. I just feel better when I have some color. I feel like I don’t look all sickly and icky…there’s a fine line between a healthly “glow” and baked on to the max! I do try to get a daily dose of sun for my vitamin D production, but otherwise wear sunscreen if I’m out for prolonged periods. Nothing feels better than warm sunshine on your face!
My wife goes to a tanning bed and uses the products that help with tanning. I am, well, a pasty colour but I have never had any trouble tanning during the summer.
I didn’t read the other comments but do you guys have those tanning salons where you can go in and basically get spray painted. I just work around the yard and sit around the pool and beach without sunscreen mostly and tan pretty easily.
The best thing about not using sunscreen is when you get that little sun burn and your skin starts to peal… we like to see how big a piece we can peal off before it breaks.