Trendsday: Tanning

To tan, or not to tan? That is the question. Leading into the summer months, it's the question on everyone's lips. When it comes to tanning naturally, the health-smart answer is NO! So that leaves us with artificial tanning products, or staying pasty-pale.

I've done both. I will admit that in my very early 20's, when I got married, I spent a great deal of time in a solarium baking myself, which I realize now has put me at an increased risk of skin cancer. All because I was getting married in Queensland and "you can't go to Queensland paler than a ghost!".

Faking it at my brother's wedding

For my brother's wedding, it was a different story. I went the spray tan route. Although it came out ok, and was very even and nicely done, it's really not quite a natural human-looking colour and so I generally now just opt for the pale look. These days, it's definitely not frowned upon to be pale in Australia, because everyone knows the harmful effect of the sun's rays, and it's almost a 50/50 split between people who fake it and people who don't want to.

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So...for those of you who want to fake it, the best way to do it is to fork over the money and have a professional spray you. You need to do an all over exfoliation before your tan and moisturize well in the couple of days before you have it done. Invest in a really nice body scrub, like Puretopia glowingly smooth body polish (I LOVE this product, and I don't even tan), available at Priceline, Big W and a whole bunch of different pharmacies to keep your tan  even as it wears off.

Pale and natural, enjoying a...
lemonade in the pool

And for those of us who prefer to stay on the pale side, all you need to invest in is some great sunscreen!

Either way, it's important to keep your skin well hydrated and nourished during the summer months to keep your skin healthy and looking its best. I got an awesome product in the September bellabox from You, me and every body, which was a body mousse, kind of a foamy, light moisturiser that goes a long way and soaks into the skin so easily. It's really lovely and really affordable. Definitely one to try out.


So... tell me, do you tan or stay pale?