Although today is not the official “Last Day of Summer,” the last day of August is kind of the last day of summer anyway. I’ve even heard that school started this week for some children. For others, it started last week, which is totally NOT FAIR! (Tough shit, kids. Life isn’t fair.) The official last day of summer is September 23rd this year, but most of us have been conditioned that the last day of summer is either Labor Day or when school starts. Really, school shouldn’t start until after Labor Day, but no one asked me. Sorry, kids! But again, tough shit.
During these last days of summer, I’m torn between wanting to hold on to every last bit of it and wanting to start getting into fall stuff. The weather has been so nice lately (aside from the whole giant hurricane situation) that it would be pretty easy to start sneaking in the fall trends, especially at night. But it will be so long before we’re back to tan legs, tropical-colored nail polish, sandals and sundresses! I feel like I should wear all of that as much as I can for these last few days. I feel the same way about summer fruit. Before long we’re gonna be stuck with just apples, pears, and oranges, which are great! But, you know, strawberries! And what about tomatoes? We should all eat a tomato a day while they are still good. I consider summer to be over on Labor Day, and intend to spend all the time I can between now and then sucking up as much summer as I can and storing it up for winter. Probably on my thighs.
I recently received a request for tips on self-tanning, and while we’ll be showing less skin in the coming months, the need for tanner is possibly even greater in the winter. Depending, of course, on how much you care or don’t care about being pale and/or if you have the means to take a tropical vacation and don’t want to blind everyone on the beach. So here are some tips on getting one more fake tan before sweater season, or for just staying tan all winter, because you can.
I will start out by saying I may not be the best authority on tanner, because I don’t go after a savage tan, I just like to look summery/vacationy. I feel like it’s a lot like dying your hair yourself. When applying self-tanner, you’ll have more natural-looking results if you only try to go a few shades deeper than your actual skin color.
I usually go with a real tanner or an “accelerated gradual tanner” first, because I am extremely impatient. Then I maintain with the regular gradual stuff every single day. Using real tanner can be scary, so if you can’t get the hang of it, or are too nervous to risk it, you should try an accelerated gradual tanner. It isn’t as intense as real tanner, but isn’t as slow and subtle as regular gradual moisturizers. The one I use is Jergens Natural Glow Express, which works over three days. It ROCKS. The trick is to treat it as carefully as you would full-strength tanner; then it’s practically foolproof.
To start out, as everyone knows, you need to exfoliate. I usually exfoliate intensely and moisturize heavily for a couple days before, then exfoliate lightly on the day of and don’t moisturize at all because it will mess with the tanner. I always shave my legs day of, but if I need to epilate or wax anything (which I do) I take care of that the day before. Obviously, after the shower, dry off really well.
I usually apply tanner on my legs first, because they start to feel dry first. I start on my thighs, rubbing up and down and in circles before moving down to my calves. I skim over knees and ankles until I almost have nothing left on my hands, then rub what’s left into them. The rest of the body in no particular order, up and down and round and round. Watch the elbows. If you can’t reach all the parts of your back, I’ve had good results with the sprays, though the one I bought this year didn’t work out so great. There are also all kinds of crazy mitts and applicators you can get, but I haven’t tried any of those. I honestly just reaaaaach. Remember: act fast, so you can wash your hands before they get tan.
I’ve heard you can use hydrogen peroxide to remove bad stains, but it’s not completely guaranteed to work. Better to prevent the stains in the first place. I always wash my hands with soap, then blot my palms on a towel and carefully dry between my fingers, so I don’t rub the tanner off the tops of my hands. Alternately, I’ve heard you can keep a wet, dark colored washcloth at the ready to wipe off the palms of your hands, so you don’t have to worry about washing the tanner off. (Personally, I feel like I need soap though.) Make sure to get in between your fingers, and you should check in between your toes too.
Then! Be naked for awhile. Allow the tanner to absorb and skin to dry completely before getting dressed. Brush your teeth, use a Dr. Dennis Gross Glow Pad (which I love) on your face, check facebook etc. Don’t sit down or do anything that causes creases, and don’t let anyone see you checking facebook naked.
I think it’s a good idea to apply tanner the night before, so it has time to develop overnight and then if there are any issues, you can fix them in the morning. If I end up with a dark splotch or streak, I usually just scrub that area with a pouf (or a nailbrush, depending how dark it is) in the shower the next day. Then I apply a layer of gradual tanning moisturizer after the shower, and any little inconsistencies blend in. I try to get the gradual tanning moisturizers that have firming benefits too, because: YES PLEASE. This year I have been using Nivea Sun-Kissed Firming Moisturizer and Jergens Natural Glow Firming Moisturizer, both are great. I apply this stuff every day, all summer, to maintain an even fake tan. I’ve noticed if I skip a few days, the tan starts to fade unevenly and can look splotchy; maintenance is important. If I feel like a I want to be a little be fake-tan-er than I am, I do the Natural Glow Express again for a day or two.
So that’s it! Fake a tan, paint your toes, throw on a sundress and then eat an entire watermelon. It’s still summer!
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