Months ago, after returning from a 10 day beach vacation I stumbled upon a dress that needed to be mine.  The reddish/coral color of the dress looked so good against my bronzed skin that even though I had absolutely nowhere to wear this dress, I could not bear to leave it behind.

Wedding season is here  and now said dress has a purpose.  I have a wedding this weekend but sadly, my bronzed body is m.i.a. I assumed that by the end of May the sun would have had plenty of opportunity to kiss my face (…and arms and legs) but not a chance.  By last weekend I was panicking and had to take matters into my own hands.

I have never, nor will I ever lie on a tanning bed so that was never an option.  I’ve watched way too many episodes of Dancing with the Stars to know that orange is not my color, so the spray tan was out. Drastic measures had to be taken and I succumbed to the “fake bake” creams/gels that every cosmetic company seems to offer nowadays.  What I did not expect however was the awesome results they provided.

Up until this point I’d been a sunless tanning virgin, so I thought it best to go with a skin care line that had been around awhile.  Clarins was that company.  I went with their Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for my face and their Self Tanning Instant Gel for my body.  My concerns were that my face would break out and that my body would turn orange.  Both concerns were moot, I’m zit free and golden hued, and couldn’t be happier.

I am going to share with you however important information about how to use these products so that you can “fake it til you make it” too.

#1.  Exfoliate before applying them, you want your skin to be as smooth as possible so that it goes on evenly.  I mean if you’re gonna fake it, you may as well fake perfection and not a blotchy tan.

#2.  Moisturize before applying sunless tanner, let your skin dry and then apply it evenly all over.

#3. Don’t forget the back of your hands and feet (if you do you’ll look ridiculous, not that I would know anything about that).

#4.  Apply the Liquid Bronze Self Tanning (face product) with a cotton pad.  The more you apply the deeper the shade.

#5.  Don’t expect instant results.  If you too have a wedding this weekend and are feeling pasty it’s probably too late.  I started one week in advance and I know by Sunday I’ll look like I just came back from St Barth’s (don’t I wish).

#6.  Don’t put clothes on immediately after applying the stuff, let it sink in for a few minutes.  I have not noticed any stains on my clothes, but I have been waiting before dressing.

#7.  Wash your hands well after applying!!!

So there you have it!  That’s my recipe for showing Mother Nature that she’s not the boss of my tan!!!

Happy Wedding Season Y’all…xo Elisa