Mandy Moore
Get Sunkissed Without the Sun
It wouldn’t hurt to start out summer right: with a glowing tan. But before you slather yourself in baby oil and cop a squat under the sun, consider that melanoma cases in the U.S. more than tripled among Caucasians between 1980 and 2003.
And even though you may be one of the 75% of Americans who think tan skin looks healthier than pale skin, or were dreamily inspired by the bronze-y smoothness of Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston, it’s just as easy to get sun kissed without the sun. (For those of you who must go out into the sun, see the sidebar on the very best in sunscreen).
Dr. Katie Rodan, co-creator of Pro-Active and the high-end Rodan + Fields, advocates a “fake tan.”A healthy tan is an oxymoron it doesn't work,” she says from her Bay Area offices. “Tanning, browning or burning of the kin is a sign of a significant UV injury that can only translate into wrinkles, brown spots and skin cancer down the road. If you want your face and body to look like last year's Gucci handbag keep tanning.”
These days, getting a sunless tan is about as easy as finding a Starbucks. There are primarily two main options: having it done at a spa or salon, or doing it yourself at home. Don’t worry too much about the Cheeto-look of old – today’s tanners can mimic the real thing very well (and more evenly and safely).
The Spa/Salon Tan
“A tanning application begins to fade after about a week, says Rita Ukiis, head aestetician at Avon Salon & Spa. “It’s almost always better to have a tanning application at a spa because the aesteticians have he right tools and materials. The most important step in a tanning application is exfoliation to prep the skin and an aestetician is well equipped to reach the hard to reach places on the body.”
At a spa or salon, options include spray booths, airbrush tanning, or tanner applied by a clinician.
Actress Mandy Moore is a fan of Magic Tan: in less than a minute, she gets a perfect sunless tan. There’s no “dancing around” (remember Ross’ tanning booth uneven mishap on “Friends”?). Magic Tan’s clear booth (said to be less claustrophobic) has 36 non-moving spray heads – the more heads, the more even the tan, say reps. Clients stand and are sprayed. Magic Tans last up to seven days, don’t streak and don’t emit a funky smell. Magic Tan fans include Pamela Anderson, Rachel Hunter, Sandra Bullock, and Jillian Barberie, who hand over about $33 for the treatments now offered throughout the country. www.magictancorp.com for locations.
Paris Hilton, in her pseudo autobiography, advocated the Mystic Tan. Generally less pricey ($20 to $30) than the Magic Tan, Mystic Tan applications are in a shower-sized booth. Fans include Tori Spelling and “Friends’” Lisa Kudrow. Skin is misted, client towels off. It lasts about five days. They’ve recently improved on the once "starchy" smell, and were a strong presence pre-Oscars, Mystic Tanning celebrities at the mediaplacement Luxury Lounge at the Peninsula Hotel, a must-stop Oscar suite. www.mystictan.com
Jessica Simpson has often lauded Mystic, equating it with a car wash that gives “an incredible glow.” She says she does it before all events because a tan “makes you look thinner.”
Liquid Sun hopes to be a spray-booth competitor and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Tara Reid and Sharon Stone have gotten the 30-second misting of erythrulose, a natural sugar, which when mixed with the standard DHA produces a subtle shade. Sunless Express is another booth-style tanner.
Spray-tan booth tips:
1. Wear flip-flops and loose, soft clothing
2. Shave that morning, rinse shaving cream well
3. Use non-oily body exfoliant or loofah. Be thorough.
4. Spray is freezing cold. Keep mouth closed.
5. No deodorant
6. Use clear tape to cover nails and cuticles
7. Use the cap they give you, pushed a little bit back from hairline.
8. Towel off. Clean belly button, nostrils and between fingers and toes with a cotton swab and use soap-free wet wipes to prevent unevenness.
9. Don’t shower or exercise for five hours to prolong tan. Keep moisturized. Avoid Jacuzzis and swimming pools (chlorine hastens fading).
California Tan’s CustomBronzing Treatment tans (air-brush style) in under 4 minutes, using the proprietary CustomBronzer 4000, which features a “soft-mist” spray gun for tailored coverage. It’s mobile and fans like Farrah Fawcett, have regular treatments in their homes. Depending on location (www.californiatansunless.com), it ranges in price from $35 to $85. Hilton has tried this one, too, as has Mandy Moore, Pamela Anderson, Gisele Bundchen, Kirsten Dunst, Mena Suvari, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Penelope Cruz and Ashley Olsen. Their California Tan Sunless Neutralizer neutralizes the odors associated with sunless tanning (Spears and Cruz use it, too).
Airbrushed tans enable aestheticians to enhance body contours and produce a flattering glow. J. Lo’s had the High Volume tan done at a salon which uses a turbine to cover more area in less time (two minutes), the pressurized solution shoots out from a wide nozzle.
Up-and-comer Sun FX offered airbrushed spray tans to celebs at recent pre-event “suites.” It can last up to 10 days, depending on skin type. It features all-natural sugar cane based coloring, no alcohol , no smell, purest form of DHEA. Sun FX also offers clients simple shadows for contouring (think cleavage, six-pack abs). www.sunfx.us. At Point de Vue Salon, celebs like Lance Bass and Nicolette Sheridan have done Sun FX. www.pointdevuesalon.com. Samantha Edrick of Felt Tan was at the heaven Oscar Suite offering Sun FX tans to celebs for their red-carpet walk.
Contouring is actually the focus of the Sculpted Tan. Cindy Barshop of NY’s completely bare spa, says it's an "an airbrush technique that enhances natural curves and contours, with the appearance of a slimmer, more defined body. [It] highlights and redefines areas. It lasts up to six days and costs $75 for women, $85 for men.
Layla Fayya of Westwood, Calif.’s Visage de Layla is popular with celebs (Adrian Brody came in for a spray-on tan the day he won his Oscar). She’s just added “The Twinkle Tan,” a sheer golden overlay sprayed on top of the tan.
Many salons have a technician apply tanner, for a more customized effect. Julianna Margulies has had the Safe-Tan applied with a foam brush (feels similar to massage). At the Los Angeles oasis Ona Spa (located above Prive Salon in West Hollywood), tanning expert Juliette Pernes “hand paints” clients. Pernes, who’s from Cannes, France, just did Elle Macpherson, after the supermodel had a body polish.
Posh Spice, Kelly Ripa, and Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett are fans of the $130 St. Tropez Body Bronzing Treatment, which lasts up to seven days. There are also three formulations of at-home products, dries in two minutes. This is the tanning treatment used at the toniest of spas: Four Seasons Beverly Hills, Canyon Ranch Spas and Equinox, among others.
