Anyone here familiar with fake tans -- spray tans or booths?

[Claire]

My 17yo dd has seen some great fake tans on girls getting ready for prom. She always wants to get a deep tan (she was adopted from S. America and has olive skin), so I'm thinking this would be safer than the usual sun exposure she begs for all summer. She says, though, that some of the girls got bad tan jobs and look orange.

 

Anyway, I said I'd research fake tanning for her. I found one or two informative websites, but I always figure personal experience is worth a lot. What we are looking for, I think, is experience with spray tans or the booths that spray you. I don't think there is a home product that can duplicate that kind of tan, is there? Last year we tried some of the OTC self-tanners and they were uniformly awful -- especially the smell -- and streaked.

[Amy loves Bud]

A few years back I tried the spray on tan and it turned out pretty well. You want to use the blocking cream carefully where they say (fingernails, palms...)so those places don't get discolored, and then really use the towels afterwards to buff and blend the stuff.

 

I might do a couple of practice runs before getting the real prom tan, so she can be sure and get good coverage. Then, I would do it a day or two before any special event, that way it can fade and blend a bit.

 

It was fun to have a good tan, but I traded some business services for the tan sessions so I didn't have to pay. I wouldn't actually pay cash money for it. But then again, it's been a long time since I was 17! :D

[dalynnrmc]

I did some home tanners when I was dating my now-husband. (So, more than 5 but less than 10 years ago.)

 

I don't remember the brand name of the cream I finally found that did the best job, but it was pretty inexpensive, found it at Wal-Mart, and I followed a tip I'd read in some magazine or other about using a sponge to apply it. I had a big sponge - longer than my hand and probably 4" thick; it was oblong and flat on the top and bottom, rounded on the ends and sides.

 

Anyway. I tried sprays and creams of all sorts, but when I used this one with the sponge, I finally got the look I was after. I'm very fair skinned (read: WHITE, LOL!), and so almost anything turned me orange in a heartbeat. This did not. Sorry, I can't remember the exact brand or anything... but I do remember that it boasted of an even tan and guaranteed not to turn me orange. ;)

[Claire]

Do you remember if it had a strong smell? We tried one or two cream brands last year that smelled. I found this Safe Tan online this year, which claims not to have a smell, so I was thinking of ordering that to try. It's much more expensive than the stuff I can get in the store, but a lot less expensive than spray tans or a booth and it claims not to smell. It's applied with a sponge too. My dd wants her tan to be continuous. When I gave her an estimate of how much booth tanning would cost her per month, she realized she couldn't afford it! This Australian stuff sounds good, but I'd hate to pay that much for something that is available here that works the same way and costs half as much.

[tinag]

My dd did the spray tan for prom. It looked very natural. She went to a salon that used mystic tans. You can google it and find a salon near you.

I think the tan lasts 4-7 days and it was 30 dollars for session. It was well worth it.

[HollyDay]

I have a funny story on this one. A few years ago, my gf was moving and offered me some of her household things the packers wouldnt take and she no longer wanted - shampoo, lotions, kitchen things, etc. One was a tube of self tanning lotion from Estee Lauder. It must have fallen out of the bag because it was in my car passenger seat. Dh changed the oil in the car and needed a lotion for his dry hands. Well, he put a liberal amount on his hands and wrists! The next morning, I heard this shout "What is this!!" Poor guy had a great tan on his hands, wrists and part of his forearms! So, I do know Estee Lauder works!

[Amy loves Bud]

I have a funny story on this one. A few years ago, my gf was moving and offered me some of her household things the packers wouldnt take and she no longer wanted - shampoo, lotions, kitchen things, etc. One was a tube of self tanning lotion from Estee Lauder. It must have fallen out of the bag because it was in my car passenger seat. Dh changed the oil in the car and needed a lotion for his dry hands. Well, he put a liberal amount on his hands and wrists! The next morning, I heard this shout "What is this!!" Poor guy had a great tan on his hands, wrists and part of his forearms! So, I do know Estee Lauder works!

 

That is hilarious!:lol: