I have very pale skin. One could almost verge on 'blue' in the description. I used to lament this fact all the time as a teenager when the beautiful people would sit in the sun at lunchtime with their skirts around their hips, turning a smooth, golden colour. All I would have was a very sore red line where my skirt had been, humph.
As an adult, with more money and freedom, I have tried a variety of ways to improve my colour. I have tried sunbeds (not much good for skin with very little melanin, dangerous, and can be expensive), fake tanning lotion (can be streaky and stinks to high heaven) and, shock, horror, the sun itself, (not much of it around in the UK and, again, not much good if you don't tan naturally).
I came to the conclusion that I would have to wait until I am about 50 and my skin is so weathered that it finally gives in and tans!
That was until God
Himself sent down to Earth a new invention. One that would change the lives of sickly-looking people everywhere. He Himself sent down...the Airbrush Tanning System!!! (Cue dramatic orchestral piece a la the film about Moses with Charlton Heston)
Through discussion with many friends I had heard about the St Tropez tan but, being someone who finds massages rather 'intrusive' (if you get my meaning), I felt that that sort of treatment was not for me. I tried the tanning machine, (where you stand in a tardis and get sprayed with a fine mist of self tanning spray), but wasn't overly impressed with the results. I felt it was a little 'speckly' and felt more like a hen than a stunningly bronzed sex goddess. Then I saw an episode of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' where Kyan (YUMMY! I'm sure I could turn him and all that rubbish...) stood in his little briefs with a big butch fireman and they were both sprayed with what could only be described as brown paint! I couldn't believe what a fab invention this was. But surely the UK, being in the health and beauty dark ages, couldn't have this invention?
Oh yes it does...allow me to share my experiences. I live in Cardiff and a new salon called L'Esthetique (very posh) has opened in Llandaff. It does everything: sunbeds, manicures, massages, makeup and...airbrush tanning. I booked an appointment for a tan with one of the very lovely joint owners, Jayne, who said the tan would take about 10 minutes to apply and that I should shower and exfoliate before I arrive but NOT moisturise or wear any makeup or deoderant etc. I followed her instructions, removed all jewellery, and, with paper bag over head, in case I met anyone I knew, I went to the salon. We went into a small room and I removed all my clothes, put on a very small paper thong (there was an option of slightly smaller briefs but, hey, I wanted an ALL over tan) and a deliciousshower cap. I then stood on a mat between some plastic sheeting which protected the rest of the room from the spray and adopted the robot-esque pose required to ensure full coverage. Jayne then took out a paint gun and proceeded to spray extremely cold brown paint at my skin. Beware, if you are ticklish, it is a nightmare because the cold spray really sets your nerves a jangling! The whole procedure took about ten minutes. You move around whilst the spray is applied and then, when all your body (including face) is covered, you allow it to dry for a few moments before putting your clothes back on. I was a superb brown colour, all of me! The tan itself was as even as you can possibly get without tanning naturally. It was very brown, even on my pale skin, but certainly not unnaturally so.This cost me £25 with a free top up the next week.
But what about the aftermath? Well, one the main problems is that it really stains your clothes. Unlike other tans that are self-tanning, the airbrush paint (Its brand name was Sol Glo, yes, just like in 'Coming to America'! Ha Ha) is a vegetable based dye; therefore as well as staining your skin, it also stains everything else it touches. I really wished I had worn old clothes to the salon because I have wrecked a pair of white knickers! Another important consideration is that really you shouldn't do exercise or shower until the next morning, (I did Taekwondo that night and the colour seeped through my suit and I ended up with a multicolour suit by the end of the lesson...horror! But it did wash out.)
When you shower at first, lots of tan seems to come off into the water and I was really worried that I had ruined it but, in fact, that first wash cleans off a lot of the residue and leaves you with a more even and natural look. Never mind all this rubbish about tans working with your natural skin tones, I have no natural skin tones and I was brown and gorgeous for the first time ever!
Everyone was impressed with the colour and it lasted for a good week, obviously becoming lighter the more I showered. You have to be careful about sweating because I wore trainer socks to garden in the sun, and when I removed the socks I was left with white feet! Another very important point is that, because you are brown, it is very easy to think that your skin is now somehow impervious to the sun. Oops, I gardened with no sun cream on and really burnt my back. I'm sure noone else would be that stupid!
I would thoroughly recommend this treatment. If you are going somewhere special I would suggest that you had it done about two days before so that it has time to 'settle' down. I'm not the sort of person who could be bothered having it topped up every one to two weeks but, if you are, you could have a danger-free tan all year round, no problem.
HOORAY!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: An extremely convincing natural looking tan, lasts for ages!! Very quick to apply! Disadvantages: Can be expensive, also needs care and daily moisturising, some may be wary of standing half naked in front of a stranger!
elvyelvy 19.05.2004 (20.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Boots Airbrush Tan
Advantages: An extremely convincing natural looking tan, lasts for ages!! Very quick to apply! Disadvantages: Can be expensive, also needs care and daily moisturising, some may be wary of standing half naked in front of a stranger!
elvyelvy 19.05.2004 (20.05.2004)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Boots Airbrush Tan
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Aug 3rd, 2004
very helpful by (100%):
