Last night I attended a yelp elite event where I got my eyebrows waxed and a spray tan. I like being tan but I don’t spray often. As a kid I tanned easily, and as a pre teen I lived in Florida, so yeah. But as a teen living in Memphis and with family beach trips less frequent I learned that I’m actually naturally fair skinned. When I had a job and car I tried to fix that my senior year of high school and went to tanning salons, yeah go ahead and cringe. I tanned on and off through college and into my adult life. As I got older I realized not only it was a ridiculous thing to spend money on but it’s also dangerous.
Earlier this year my Dad discovered a skin cancer spot and I’ve got to admit it freaked me out. My dad always wore the most sunscreen, always sat under the umbrella and never tried to tan. My Dad obviously has given me 1/2 of my genes and of my parents is the one I physically favor. Sh*t got real y’all and I knew that I would never climb into a tanning bed again.
But oh how I love that golden glow of my youth. So enter the spray tan. I’ve done the mystic machine plenty and they’ve come a long way from Ross on Friends turning orange. But until last night I never tried a custom spray tan – I.E. had a actual person perform the task.
So one pro to a machine is you can hop in 100% au natural, but that pushes the limits for me in front of someone. It was awkward enough being topless! I will say my spray tech was really nice and not awkward at all, she’s been doing it for 6 years so to her I’m just one more set of boobs. I must say, her no big dealness made me feel comfortable.
To start, I entered a closet size space covered in tiles with a shower stall covered in cloths. I took clothes off, put on a hairnet and climbed into the stall. The tech used a device that looks a lot like a hair dryer to spray me down. One nice thing about this vs the machine is that she can get everywhere and go over the areas that are needed. Plus I was instructed on how to reposition myself instead of trying to figure out the best way to stand to get the most coverage. When she was done she moved a fan to blow on me and left me to spend a few minutes rotating in front of the fan.
Our yelp community manager asked for volunteers to get photographed getting tanned, I’m not that brave so this is the best you get.
Spray tan selfie at the salon
Yeah, that hairnet is totally sexy!
I was told to not shower for 10 to 12 hours avoid wearing a bra. I was also warned not to freak out the next morning as it would be more bronze than intended. Good thing I was warned because I looked “dirty” when I woke up. But post shower I was very pleased.
Pre shower oompah loompah color and post shower with a more natural glow
In the end it’s certainly noticeable to those who saw me pale yesterday but certainly not fake looking. I went with a general “medium” tone but this type of tan offers more options than a machine – 30 total.
Here’s the final results
Before (last night) and after ( today at work)
The tan can last up to two weeks depending upon showering, swimming, shaving, and workout. I anticipate it slowly fading over the next week. It’s been a while since I’ve had any kind of tan and I must admit I rather like it. Today I didn’t wear foundation and I just felt more confident in my own skin. My tan was complementary this go around thanks to yelp but the confidence boost alone is totally worth the price ($30 per session and discounts for purchasing multiple sessions, this is not much higher than the cost for a mystic tan). I spent all day feeling great about myself – even my coworkers complimented me today which never happens. Shaun liked my look and more so my attitude. Also, when my car overheated right as I pulled into my parking lot the nice man who helped me fill my cooling tank told me how nice I looked multiple times. The truth of the matter is when I feel better about myself I treat myself better too. So yay spray tan, I have a feeling I’ll be getting more soon.
My spray tan is courtesy from the team at Esthetiques on Brookhaven Circle in Memphis. Local ladies check them out! Oh, there’s also a 20% discount offer if you check in on Yelp.