another deep topic - self- tanner --

[musette_sf]

So, ladies, how do you handle self-tanner? I am a complete newbie to this. I am as white as a fish belly, by design, since I believe in SPF almost as much as I believe that John K won the election :-) My dear husband thinks I look unhealthy, and I have to admit that I sort of miss having a bit of a golden glow, after eschewing it for many years.

I'm now trying the Olay Quench body lotion that has a small amount of self-tanner in it. All I can say is, P-U. From what I hear, the smell of self-tanner is rather vile. If this Quench stuff is any indication, it's pretty yucky. I can't tell if it's the smell, or whatever god-awful scent it's masked with, but yuck.

Any success stories? Any failure stories? I'm not looking to get beach bunny brown, just a slight hint of color.

And for those who may think this is just the most ridiculous topic to even get in a twist about... well, some of us femme DUers love our beauty products very much!

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

1. if you scroll down,

way down, I tried to start a discussion about this a while ago. Maybe we're the only two interested in it. :) I too am white as a ghost. I'm always telling people not to throw a sheet over me, I might just have passed out & am not dead yet.

I'm now hooked on Mystic Tan. Actually, when I was out of town, I needed a quick fix & found one near my parents house. I made my husband run me out. This was different than Mystic Tan. The spray went off 4 times instead of 2 & I stood in four positions instead of 2. I still have remnants, where as Mystic Tan only lasted for maybe 5 to 7 days, this has lasted at least 10.

I've never really had good luck with the self-tanners, though according to the site I link in my original post, the stuff you can buy at the drugstore doesn't have as much as the active ingredient as what you can buy at the department store beauty counters.

As an aside, I bought a package at mystic tan since it was such a better deal, but a friend of mine but one of the spray guns (I guess you would call it) on the HSN. She said it was tough to do on yourself. As soon as my package runs out, I'm going to see if I can borrow hers & get my hubby to shoot me down. I'm sure he'll have no problem with spraying me from head to foot.

Check out that link in my original post for sunlesstan.com. They give lots of great tips to do it yourself & keep the color as long as possible. They also have forums & reviews of the new products. I've found some of their reviews wildly contradictory, but I guess it's better than nothing.

best

[Phentex]

2. I wanted to try mystic tan....

but have been too chicken so far.

I've had decent result with some lotions at home. I only do my legs when I must go to the pool before I have any real sun. I hate to get ANY tan from the sun though, so I wish there was something a little more lasting as far as fake tans.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

3. I was a little nervous the first time too.

I don't know why; I guess just trying something new. It's really, really fast. It takes me longer to strip & mask off the areas I don't want tanned, than the actual spray process. If something goes horribly wrong, like you forget to turn, or fall on your tush or something, it's nice to know that it will come off within a week & you can even help it along by exfolliating extra.

I wish I could remember the name of the place I went to on my vacation. It was a different process than Mystic Tan & I thought gave nicer results. I'll have to do a little more research. I can't believe how many compliments I got on what a nice tan I had. Everyone was pretty amazed when I told them how it was done.

best

[Phentex]

4. What about your face?

does it get sprayed?

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

5. yep.

They give you a little hair net. You put it on & leave your hair line & ears exposed. The one I went to near my folks house also gave you cotton balls to stick up your nose. Don't inhale through your mouth. I've heard there's some controversy about inhaling the chemicals but I'm not worried about it. That's just me, someone else may think this is dangerous stuff to mess around with, especially if they had asthma or other health issues. There are self-tanning places where someone actually shoots you with a gun (like I wrote about above) rather than standing in a booth so that the stuff doesn't get near your face. I find with a little color on my face I don't need anywhere near as much foundation & my face is where I want it most.

[Phentex]

6. Hmmmm....

it sounds tempting. Maybe I'll get up the nerve to try it!

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

8. Your first time it's best to do

two, one each day. Say go in on Thursday & then go Friday or whatever days you pick. Call around because they all have deals, promos, etc. Once you get used to masking off your nails, palms, feet, etc. it just takes maybe 10 minutes from stipped to dressed & out the door.

Like I said, I'm addicted. I love having a little color & not risking wrinkles, sun damage, etc. (guess I might be risking my lungs but they're used to it :))

[Beaverhausen]

7. I've used a few. Coppertone "Endless Summer" worked OK

I only used it on my legs. I got the light/medium and the results were subtle. You have to use it a few days in a row until you get to the color you want. Just be sure to follow the directions especially being sure to wash your hands after you are done applying. Let it dry all the way or you will dye your clothes, too.