Does a tan make you look fatter or skinnier?

tan vs pale

I've always joked that tanned fat looks better on me than pale fat. I'm sure I'll stick with the tanning. I don't go overboard, but I do like a little color to my skin.

It makes you look older. Temporarily, and then permanently.

it def. makes me look thinner

Hmmm,

Health issues aside I have to say slimmer for sure, I am lucky that I have olive skin ( though I do look kinda green if I haven't seen the sun for too long - nice!!LOL)

Why dont you just invest in some fake bake tanning creme? I have friends that have fake bake girly nights in and they all help each other put their tans on, that way you get the colour without the risk.

NIna x

i do notice once i finish burning (lol) that my pasty skin that has some glow on it looks a tad thinner but that is because in theory darker colors make an area appear smaller, just think of it as highlights or makeup, you put a light color under your brow bone to make the area appear larger, and a darker color in your crease to make that area appear smaller, same thing, its all about illusion...

Tan = THINNER!!

id say a person with a tan always looks better and more thin :biggrin:

At one of the spray-on tan places around here, they customize your spray so that it works as contouring. They put a bit darker on the bottom of the arms,. inner thigh area, and other spots, so that it tends to recede visually.

When I put on my fake tan lotion, I go over those same areas a second time so that they get a bit darker and I'll look more contoured. I do the same when I put on my facial makeup (mineral-type). I contour the cheek area in front of my ears so that my face looks thinner. I don't put it on very dark, but just touch.

I think tanned skin looks better than my regular pasty-white, but I don't do real tans since a tan is, by definition, skin damage. Tanning, even in a tanning bed, leads to wrinkles and possible melanoma.

Real tan = lobster

Fake tan = oompa loompa

Either way, I look the same size.

Older more like leather

I'm a dedicated fake tanner. I dont know that it makes me look thinner, but it makes me look WAY healthier.

If you keep it light, I reckon a dark tan is aging and looks pretty awful. But a light tan - in winter I still do my face, neck, chest and hands - blends in my dark undereye circles and means I need a bare minimum of makeup and dont frighten myself when I look in the mirror in the morning. I dont like a face full of make up personally, its not a look I like, so I'm happy to have an, ahem, "natural" glow and a bit of lipgloss.

I just dont look as healthy or nice when I go full on pale in the winter. But I stress, it has to be light - one coat. Orange is not a good look.

I think it depends a lot on your skin tone, I'm pale but olive if that makes sense. Fake tan on pink based skin, ugh.

In summer, I'm happy enough with the natural colour I get, I dont need to be dark, but I wouldnt bare my bod on the beach without the camouflage of a nice tan!

But fake is always best. Sunbeds are downright dangerous and there's not much point looking great with a tan at 28 if you look like a handbag at 40.

What kind of fake tanner do you use?

I think you have to find one that suits your skin colour. I like St Tropez, but there's 2 cheap ones that work really well on me too - Bronze Up is a great colour on my skin, and its non tinted and non sticky, and it doesnt have that development smell on me. So that's what I use mostly.

I just put a coat on at night twice a week.

For a special occasion you cant beat a Mystic Tan in the booth.

Being tanned always looks better. But don't go overboard, you don't want the leather look. Just a nice soft tan. Being here in Washington, I do the fake bake but just enough to keep some color.

I've always thought/heard that tanned skin has a slimming effect. To me it looks healthier, but my genes make me "un-tannable". If I ever did any tanning it was spray on. The techniques and formulas used these days are so much more advanced than they used to be. You can have someone personally airbrush tan you (which looks way better to me) or you can go in a spray booth. Either way, nothing is permanent and you have to keep re-doing it every few weeks which gets annoying. If you tan easily, just be careful...use some SPF lotion if you can and keep your skin checked by a dermatologist. Always keep an eye out for wonky looking moles too :biggrin: