Yeah...exactly. For those of you that know me the title alone to this post is laugh worthy. I have 2 sisters ..and I am the only one who is the lightest person in the United States. I want to be tan NOT orange.
I have probably tried EVERY product on the market (or close). Since I work for plastic surgeon tanning in a tanning bed is an absolute no-no. Even more so that it would be anyway, since you really shouldn't expose yourself to that!
Enough with the backstory, I decided I would try a product I had heard quite a bit about.... Tan Towels. Why not do a spray tan you ask? Because, I am claustrophobic and I don't want a bunch of crap spraying in my face. Not to mention the fact that if I truly turn orange, I'm going to look like a real life oompa loompa. So...after much thought and looking at a few different options, I did some research online, looking at the tan towel website and watching some reviews and tutorials on Youtube. My sister Kara has also used them and had nothing but good feedback, so I decided to try them out.
Go around #1 with the tan towels actually went pretty great.
Step #1: I took a shower and made sure to exfoliate. I used Skinmedia Skin Polisher (a product I absolutely swear by! I get it at my office Oasis Medical Spa & Wellness ) and made sure to really exfoliate well on my face, neck, hands, elbows and ankles.
Step #2: I got out of the shower and made sure to completely dry off. Then I made sure to use my Renew body lotion from Melaleuca (thanks Kara!) really focusing on my hands/fingers, elbows and ankles.
Step #3: Now comes the good part....the actual Tan-Towel-ing. I personally purchased 2 different boxes of the Tan Towels. I purchased the Full body Application (which are larger) and come in a 5 pack for $23.98 at Beauty Brands. I also bought the Half body Application (which are smaller) and come in 10 pack for $26.98. There is a regular and a plus option for both. I purchased the plus after reading a lot of online reviews and watching a few youtube videos. The Plus towels are raelly for medium to dark skin tones, but I didn't want to have to do multiple applications to get a glow. :)
Step #4: Wash hands and pat with a towel.
Step #5: Let rest of body/areas dry. I attempted to speed up the "process" by blowdrying my arms & legs and neck. I watched 1 episode of Vampire Diaries to help pass the time(thanks for getting me hooked, Krista!!) and voila! I was dry.
**If you read the directions on the back of the boxes it states "Each tantowel plus towelette is concentrated with a self-tan formula to give you a quick and even application with no streaking, mess or fuss. Tantowel plus will produce a uniform, natural looking glow within 2 to 4 hours. To maintain your tan, reapply as needed or 2 to 3 times a week. For a darker result apply more frequently. Results may vary" **
I did this last Wednesday, January 16th for the first time and I STILL have a glow. I must admit that the very next day I was not orange except for one area on my hand that I must not have washed very well after my application. Tonight I repeated steps 1 through 5 and will hopefully maintain my natural looking glow.
My personal opinion/review is this: I LOVE tan towels. I get excited about products all the time. I am an admitted product junkie. If there were a rehab for this addiction, I'd belong there. I cannot say enough how much I actually like the "tan" I have or how easy it really is to use them!
I use Jane Iredale pressed powder for my everyday make up and did have to go up 2 shades just from one application. If that isn't tan for a super-duper white girl, I don't know what would be!
Anyway, enough of my rambling. For Tan Towels... I give it a 9/10.
Next time I slip up and forget to do it for longer than a week, I'll take before and afters. :)
{Love}
kate
Links to the above mentioned products:
http://www.skinmedica.com
http://www.tantowel.com
http://www.janeiredale.com
http://www.oasismedicalspaandwellness.com
