28 June 2011

The Self-Tanning Incident

While I know this sounds like the title of a How I Met your Mother episode, wherein Ted wakes up and doesn't remember how he ended up in a spray tanning booth with a hickey, it is not. It is, in fact, a very real event that happened to yours truly, and I am just finally getting over it.

It was the weekend of my friend S's wedding, and I realized that my legs were almost transparent, so long had it been since they last saw the sun. I had just a few hours before I needed to be at the rehearsal, and ran to the store to find some lotion that may give my legs a hint of color and perhaps a little shimmer.

When that search came up empty, I grabbed what I thought would be the next best thing -- spray tanner. Now...I don't know that I have ever used this stuff, so I am not quite sure what possessed me to purchase this product, L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Properfect Airbrush. But it looked fancy so I thought I would give it a go.

Problem #1...there is no tint to show where you have sprayed. So, you just have to hope you are getting all the good spots and not accidentally skipping over parts. Problem #2...the button is a bit tough to hold down, so, if you are trying to hold your leg up and spray (oh, yeah, and trying to keep balance), things could get a little tough. Problem #3...it smells.

So I went ahead and sprayed, let it dry, and headed out to the rehearsal. I was in a dress, but it was in the evening, so I didn't give what my legs may be looking like a second thought. Luckily, we were either at a table or in a dark establishment most of the evening.

Because the next morning, when I woke up, I took one look at my legs and wondered who the heck beat me up the night before. I had huge, terrible streaks all over my legs. Spotty coverage, some running...it was horrible. I started panicking...there was nothing I could do to hide this; even trying to spray to even it out did nothing. I had to do something I hadn't done in years -- wear nylons. Yes, it was that bad.

My point? Well, there are a few....1. Don't self-tan on your own...it is worth the 25$ to have someone else spray you. 2. If you do self-tan on your own, don't be stupid like me; test it out a week or two ahead and then give yourself a day or two to even things out. 3. Rubbing alcohol doesn't work on stains that have set on your legs. 3. Don't buy this particular product. There are way better ones out there (according to friends and family that use them).

And, also, to have a pair of nylons on hand in case of mishaps (tanning, shaving, falling, etc.). They come in handy.

I will say, however, that the actual color that showed was a nice, medium color, pretty akin to my natural tan, and not at all orange. Oh, and it lasted a while. It was about 2 weeks before all the color had gone away.

3 comments:

Nicole said...

*chuckle* there is a skill to it and the first step is always shave and exfoliate then moisturise well. Once legs are dry then you apply a gentle spray - always best to get someone else to cause it's easier than doing it yourself *grin* I tried for a while there but have now decided I'm making glow-in-the-dark hot dammit! ;p

David Salinas said...

Hilarious!

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