I've stayed away from the sun since my father died of skin cancer nearly 20 years ago, and I'm not going under a sunlamp either. But my natural skin color is close to baby blue, and now that summer is here I don't like strutting around like a pale-legged plucked chicken.

I bought a bottle of Coppertone light/medium self-tanning lotion and tried it on my legs this morning. The fake tan is uneven, and almost as orange as the QT version (remember that stuff from 30 years ago, anyone?). While I'm not wearing shorts anytime soon, I think the world could handle a glimpse of my ankles now that it's 90 degrees. Have any other pale (not just Caucasian, but library-paste-complected) LBTers had success with tan-in-a-bottle lotions or creams? All recommendations welcome. Thanks!

Hey Zoe!

Have you thought about getting the spray on tan? I got my mother a gift certificate for Mother's Day last year and she loved it. Although it didn't last as long as results from a tanning bed, it suited her well for the vacation she took. I hear that the spray self-tanner is better than the lotion kind... I don't know for sure, though. My employer just took the whole company to Cozumel last month and I know a lot of the girls in the office that don't tan in the beds used the spray kind that you do yourself at home and they were pleased. I, personally, go to the tanning bed. It completely relaxes me and helps to ease some joint pain that I have. You could look up some articles in Cosmo or something... maybe they can tell you which self-tanners are the best to use!

Good Luck!

Hope

I am paste-y white. My legs are Neon. It's pitiful but I really don't care for the sun-damaged look on me. I'm already fighting the small wrinkles. My sister has always said that tan fat looks better, and I agree, but I can't seem to do the sun-worshipping rituals required, not do I care to pay for the tanning beds, and lie in there all fat and naked an sweaty. Yuk.

Last summer I bought banana Boat sunless tanner at the grocery store and it was fine. This year I got the Coppertone for light/med skin tones. It's fine. I suppose it's a little orange-y but not bad. All I'm interested in is reducing the glare. I don't intend to looked tanned. So I apply it each time I shave my legs, and spend plenty of time carefully rubbing it in evenly. It really is a hit or miss thing. Watch out for the ankles, you can get dark spots easily there.

Lower your expectaions and use just a tad less lotion, that might help it be less uneven.

I heard that Clinique makes a great sunless tanner, but 6.99 at Wal-Mart compared to at least 38 buckaroos at the department store counter made my decision

Zoe have you thought about going to a tanning salon and having the spray on tan done? I have seen the results of it andit looks great( mystic tan) I think is what it is called..I go to the tanning salons but I use the tanning beds , have for years. I stay tan all year round.

I recently read a magazine review of sunless tanning products. Can't remember which magazine I was reading. Anyway, it compared the expensive department store brands to drug store brands. And surprise, surprise, the "best" was determined to be a spray-on mist put out by Neutragena. I plan on getting some to try out myself, as I am as white as a ghost and have never been much of a sunbather.

I get mystic tans all the time. They don't last that long but you look really tan for a few days!! I have never been able to turn tan, just red and my freakels multiply, but I look really tan with a mystic tan.

I've heard good things about the tanning lotion that Jergen's makes--hard to find in some places--some of my friends are selling in on Ebay and doubling their money. it's that popular.

Hey Zoe! I Mistic Tan @ Xport Fitness & Tan.. it works really good!

They have 3 levels you can try.... my room mate works at the Spa desk at the Xport in Arlington Heights and I've seen very pale girls use the spray tan level 1 and they don't look orange. I'm sort of medium-complected and have done levels 2 and 3 and haven't noticed that I turn orange either. You don't need to be a member of that gym to use their tanning services. It's about $15 a session but it works good and lasts pretty long! I've found it to work a lot better than at-home lotions.

There are a lot of Xport locations... I go to North & Wells, and there is also Fullerton & Naraganset, 2 in Arlington Heights, and I believe one in Lombard.

Another awesome product is Nivea Body Silky Shimmer Lotion. It's not a self-tanner... It leaves a light bronze shimmer on your skin and makes it appear a tiny bit darker and really healthy. My mom hates wearing makeup, but she LOVES this stuff! It's a great lotion for arms, legs, & chest. I always use it when I'm feeling a bit pasty or when I want to make my flabby arms look nicer... lol.

BTW... Wasn't the weather in the city insane today? I felt so drained =(

Thanks, everyone! I may give Mistic Tan a try. Lisa, the North & Wells branch is probably the closest; unfortunately there's a Coldstone ice cream parlor right there! Tanning beds are not an option for me. I will spare you my melanoma lecture, but everyone who uses one, please be careful.

Nivea, Jergens, and Clinique sound worth trying. But since I just spent $15 on the Coppertone stuff, maybe I'll just lower my expectations first, as Kathy suggested. I loved "All I'm interested in is reducing the glare." Ditto! Our legs could have a snow-blindness contest.

You must live pretty close to me! What neighborhood are you in? I live in Old Town

I haven't tried it yet, but I went to Walmart and scoped all of the sunless tanners out and I'll be getting the Coppertone gradual tan lotion. I hope to get it this week.

Since I'm so fair, the medium ones won't work well on me. I know they'd look really fake. That's why I figured I could get the gradual one, and go as dark as I wanted to, just to make it look natural.

Good luck to you!

P.S. You can use this one on your face too! Mega selling point for me! Only $6.99 at Walmart too!

Go to www.epinions.com and put in a search for "sunless tanning". This site will give you reviews posted by people like you and me. I love this site.

The best one I have found is the foam tanning by neutrogena. It works great and you can see it while you put it on. Make sure not to get any water on you for the rest of the day though, it will run or leave dots. If you use every other day for 3x, it will last for weeks--clorine and all. Be careful with spray on tans. I had one the day before I went on a cruise. Needless to say, I had to come home and wash it off immediately. I looked beyond black and splotchy. Make sure the person you go to has a lot of experience. Ask for a reference or two.

Thanks, everyone! I may give Mistic Tan a try.

Has anyone seen the Friends episode where Ross gets the spray tan? =)

Some things to remember when using these products or getting it applied to you.

1. Do not moisturize for at least a day before-including using a moisturizing soap. The moisturizing lotion blocks the tanning action of the active ingredients and can lead to un-evenness or blotchy appearance.

2. Wash well 1 or 2 hours before the application. Be sure to exfoliate well. This helps remove any body oils and will allow the product to penetrate well. The exfoliation will remove any large amounts of dead skin cells and reduce the possibility of darker/lighter areas. The dead skin layers are what get "colored" and that is why the tan only last a week or so as your body is constantly removing and renewing its skin.

3. Do not wash for at least 12 hours after application. This gives the product time to penetrate and activate.

4. If you are blotchy the best way to remove or even out the "tan" is to try an aggressive exfoliating product. You have to basically "wear" the skin off to lighten it again.

5. An intensifier product can help lengthen the time the tan looks good.

Hope this helps,

T

I spray on tan and its greeeat-you should mystic tan