"Thankfully, I've since learned about the dangers of sun exposure and now rely entirely on bronzer to fake the glow I crave." -Bobbi Brown

Back in September my dermatologist recommended I get a mole removed on my stomach that was worrying her. I complied and had the mole (that was once small and round- turned big and not so round) removed. The process does not hurt and only takes like 5 minutes, but the scar that was left will last forever.

I used to be a tan-a-holic. In fact I have pictures where I look like an oompa loompa from tanning bed overdose- scary! I was young and had the whole "that will never happen to me" mentality about skin cancer. The mole I had removed was NOT skin cancer, but it still scared me out of the tanning bed- that and my dermatologist told me, "You can still go to the tanning bed, but chances are you WILL get skin cancer," with a completely straight face.

I know, being pasty doesn't feel too appealing- but it's better than suffering from skin cancer later in life! Plus, look at Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Dita Von Teese and Amanda Seyfried- they do not tan and they are still gorgeous!

What I do now is before an event or party that I am dressing up for, I go spray tanning. You can get a Mystic Tan done now at almost any tanning salon and some will even offer bundle packages- buy 2 get 1 free sort of thing.

A few tips on spray tanning:
*Shower before you go spray tanning and do not wear any makeup.
*Wear dark clothing to get it done- sometimes the spray can stain lighter clothes orange! I always wear black yoga pants, a black tank top and a dark zip-up hoodie- aka workout clothes.
*To take full advantage of the color- Wait as long as you can before taking a shower. I usually get it done at night, sleep and then run errands the next day before showering. This way the tan has completely soaked in and you will look much more tan than if you washed it off after 4 hours.
*There are two options- regular or bronze. Do the bronze in the highest level it offers. The regular does not work as well.


For some bronzing tips from the fabulous Bobbi Brown, go to:
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/learn/faking_a_tan.tmpl

XOXO