Spray Tan Party

I used to be a big fan of tanning. Not in a tanning salon, though I've done that too, but just plain, good old fashioned, laying out in the sun. I used to spread baby oil on myself when I was 12.

Even in my 20's, I would lay out on my lunch break, or come home from work and lay out. But then I hit 30. I started to notice little fine lines, and a lot more moles. And a friend of mine convinced me that white skin could be creamy, milky and sexy. I decided I had better start taking care of my skin. I started wearing spf 30 or higher, staying out of the sun, and wearing hats. I figured white was the new tan.

But then I saw an old picture of me with a tan...and DAMN if I didn't look good enough to eat!

My friend Heidi told me that her sister-in-law does home spray tan parties!

That's not me, but I WISH I looked that good in a bikini!

I thought that sounded pretty fun, so I contacted her sister in law, Sara. Sara owns Glow Skin and Beauty, where she offers a wide variety of services, such as waxing, facials, and nails. She usually charges $35.00 for a spray tan, but for guests of the party it's only $25.00. My friends in the know say, that's a really good deal. Plus, if I had 5 guests or more, I got my spray tan FREE!!! (Ladies, you know you totally want to host a spray tan party now, so call Sara!)

First Sara set up something sort of like a one-man tent in my basement, to prevent getting the color all over my house. Gina was excited to get some color, just in time to go on vacation to California.

My mom and Gina had already been sprayed, so we compared their legs to Amy's pre-sprayed leg. Amy was kind brave enough to be the tent model, provided I made her look skinny in the picture. Can't mess with perfection.

Sara sprays Amy
"I'm sexy and I know it."

One friend (that couldn't come to the party) said, when she had gotten spray-tanned at a salon, it turned out splotchy. In a salon, the spouts randomly squirt at you, while you slowly turn. But as you can see from the photo, Sara has complete control of the gun and the color, to ensure an even glow.

Another friend who couldn't come, said her experience in a salon was that there wasn't enough air pressure to completely dry. This was not a problem for Sara. Her color gun was hooked up to a mini air-compressor, so you dried instantly!

As hostess, I provided cheesecake and drinks. Heidi was super sweet to offer to bring something, so I had her bring a vegi-tray. Everyone had a really great time, and we LOVED our tans!



Pre-tan Heidi, Spray tanned sister Skinny, Pre-tan Me with Sunshine



You get the best results if you exfoliate, shave, and moisturize 24 hours before. Then, you should come with clean, dry, make-up free skin. And you're not supposed to be wearing any lotion, perfume, or deoderant. The color should last about 3-4 weeks, particularly if you moisturize well. I'm planning on doing it again soon, it was a blast!

Here is what I looked like the day after:



Does this tan make me look skinny?



It's hard to see a difference in the photo, but in person you can really tell! No Jersey-Shore orange tan for me! Maybe I'll even have her go a shade darker next time.