Fashion & Style: Get a Natural-looking Faux Tan

Get a Natural-looking Faux Tan
Hope Schmid

Get a Natural-looking Faux Tan
Faux Tans

Planning a winter escape or a spring break trip? Looking great on a beach getaway takes more than just a cute bikini; a glowing tan makes everybody look healthier, thinner and sexier.

The safest way to get color is to apply a self-tanner before you embark on your vacation and layer on the SPF once you get in the sun.

Salons with tanning applications and spray-tanning booths give the easiest, fastest and most realistic results, but you can try it yourself for less.

Cindy Barshop, owner of the Completely Bare salon in New York City and the newest member of "Real Housewives New York," shares how to get the best faux tan this winter:

Prep for Tanning

Start by exfoliating in the shower with a scrub that contains microbeads. This sloughs off any dead or flaky skin that can make your tan uneven. When you step out of the shower, dry off well and skip the moisturizer for now -- it can interfere with your tanning lotion. Do apply a small dab of lotion to your nails, ankles and between your fingers and toes, as these areas are especially dry and absorb more tanning cream, which can discolor your skin.

Get the Right Color

For a more natural look, Barshop recommends selecting a lightly toned self-tanner and applying a second coat if you want more color -- a second layer also helps to keep the tan from fading too quickly. After applying your tanner, Barshop suggests blow-drying your skin on a cool setting to dry and set the product.

Keep Your Tan

Use moisturizer -- especially if you're out in the sun, which can dry out your skin -- and skip the body scrubs. To boost your color, moisturize daily with a gradual at-home tanning cream or lotion. It adds small amounts of color as your tanner fades.

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/iconogenic

Hope Schmid has written for DailyMakeover.com, Sephora's Beauty and the Blog, Glamour's Beauty Blog and the DC Ladies blog. She is the co-founder of the popular travel website TheJetSetGirls.com.

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