I have two weddings coming up in the next three months.  Due to my fair skin type, I am unable to tan by sitting underneath the sun’s bright rays.  It’s actually a blessing in disguise since skin cancer runs in my family to begin with.  Due to the fact that my sunburn will never turn into a tan, I have to resort to other means of tanning.

The Tan Spray Stall – In preparation for a wedding in the past, I went to a tanning salon with a friend.  Talk about comical.  The spray tan booth is simply intimidating.  I entered the booth completely naked which is always an uncomfortable situation for me even if there isn’t really anyone watching (although I always find myself seeking out the exact location of the hidden camera…I have yet to find one but I know it is somewhere!).  Then a little voice comes out of a speaker telling me which way to face and how to put your arms.  The 16 year old working there who tells me the positions before I go into the room is a pro so she glides right through it and I’m thinking “Where do I put my hands? Which way do I turn my body?”.  I basically know I’m screwed from the start.  The spray session takes about 8 minutes, which included the application of the bronzer.  There was so much liquid covering my body that I had to take paper towels and even the application out.  When I emerged from the room, my friend was laughing.  I looked like a raccoon in the dark.  The whites of my eyes were glowing.  They said not to take a shower until the next morning but I decided to nix that and I took my shower about 4 hours later.  I managed to get a pretty good tan without look too unnatural but I must say I was freaking out the whole time.  I thought I was going to have to scrub myself with a Brillo pad to remove an orange streaky tan.  Luckily, I was able to pull it off but I never want to experience that again.  You can tell I have a nice healthy glow in the pic below.

St. Tropez Self-Tanner – My love of QVC comes in handy again.  Since I vowed never to go back to the spray tan booth, I decided I would have another go at the self-tanner.  I have tried Tarte’s version before but I don’t think it achieved the tan I was hoping for.  It just so happened that last week, one of the Today’s Special Values was St. Tropez Deluxe Self-Tanning Mousse.  I watched the presentation and saw instant results.  Needless to say it came yesterday and I made my first application this morning.  I made sure to exfoliate in the shower and then apply lotion to the areas I planned on applying the mousse.   I then applied the mousse evenly in a circular motion and saw instant results.  I am going to let it set for at least 8 hours before I take my next shower.  The results are amazing and I can’t wait to apply another round tomorrow to achieve an even darker richer color.  I don’t have any pics now, but I’ll be sure to post the wedding pics as soon as possible.  I can’t wait to go to this wedding in San Antonio with my beau (that’s for you, Karla).  Texas, here I come!