The Anti-Aging Sun Tan

Each morning after my shower I have been compulsive about putting on a 30 SPF sunscreen.  My reward?  A  dead white skin tone.   I can  brighten things up on my face with make-up, but my stick white legs are on their own.  I  know that this means I am successfully avoiding sundamage, but I’ve actually used up a big tub of bronzer  just this summer to try get some color.

I tried sunless tanning creams and the results were a splotchy mess.  I decided to go for the gold  and get a professionally applied spray tan.  Several friends recommended Portofino in New York where an individually applied tan is about $60. 

 Following their instructions, I shaved my legs and exfoliated my entire body with a Buff Puff. My skin felt very very clean. I was pretty nervous and asked my close friend Lisa to be my wing man.  When we got to  Portofino, Lisa went shopping next  door and  I stripped down  and put on a tiny black paper string bikini bottom and covered my hair with a big plastic shower cap.    The walls of the small spray room were covered with brown ceramic tiles.    I told  Sylvia, the tanning technician with a beautiful tan, that I wanted a very light color.  She nodded and went to work.  Rather than just standing there with my  arms  streched out, she started to call out  different positions– sort of like a x-rated hokey pokey; “arch your back  and stick out your butt, extend your hands  and bend  your fingers , turnside ways, put out your right foot and bend your knee”.  These bendy positions were important to get the color into body  creases.  The spray itself was a fine cold mist.

I loved it the minute I looked in the mirror.  I had really forgotten  how flattering a  golden, even tan could   be.  The spray tan hid  lines and disclorations and made my skin look firmer.  I  was  especially impressed how much better my  upper arms looked in a sleeveless dress.  After 15 minutes in a spray tan booth, I looked younger  AND thinner. As you can see from the photos, I look tanned, but not like  a new cast member of Jersey Shore. I went home  with a big  happy grin on my face.  But I had to  hurry. It was going to rain and if I got wet know,  my new tan would streak.  I was to avoid water for the next eight hours.

Spray-on tan is one of those not so secret tricks that  make celebs look so perfect  at red carpet events.  It is definitely something  I would do before a big event where you have to  look especially hot like a black tie dinner or high school reunion. I would also think about a spray tan before a trip to look beautiful  at the beach without the health problems of a real tan.  But before I start planning my next date with Sylvia, I want to see how the  tan looks over the next week as it fades away. 

Have you had a spray tan?  How long did it last?  Were you happy with the results?  I’d love to hear your experiences.

Read Full Post »