Okay, I am every dermatologist and plastic surgeon's nightmare. I love be tan and work very hard at it. I am also very vain about my skin and most people would be hard pressed to put my age at 37, let alone 38 in July.
It's all about the products.
After spending years and thousands of dollars in tanning salons, my husband and I purschased a tanning bed. The given reason was that Martin has very bad psorarisis and tanning helps. Well, guess who is in the tanning bed twice as much as the person who should be? That would be me.
There are three types of tanning. I'll give you my view on all three of them.
OUTDOORS IN THE SUN
This method is not for the faint of heart. Free radicals, toxic breeze and ominious "hole in the ozone" are the watchwords of the outdoor tanner. Many outdoor tanners are unwilling participants, thrust into the sun through occupation or avocation. The guys I work with fall in this category. Farmer's tans abound. Then, there are those of us who relish the feel of the real sun upon our skin.
The best way to tan outdoors is to make yourself as comfortable as possible. For me, this involved a well cushioned chaise lounge deck chair, a cold drink, such as fresh brewed iced tea with lots of lemon and sugar and ice, and a portable CD player with appropriate music. Some of my outdoor favorites: Cesaria Evora, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Petty, Liz Phair.
A nice fat issue of your favorite magazine helps. Vanity Fair and Food & Wine are favorite tanning reading aids. Lurid true crime books are also fun.
My all time favorite outdoor tanning lotion is Bain de Soleil. I love the original Orange Creme formula, but it is difficult to find these days. The smell is just wonderful. I have lately been using the Bain de Soleil Luminessence, which has an SPF of 8 and provides just a bit of shimmer upon application. It also gives you a fabulous tan while moisturizing your skin.
The ultimate best way to tan outdoors is to send the kids somewhere with Gran for the day and invite a sun-worshipping friend over and ditch the iced tea for some greyhounds while gossiping like crazy.
IN THE TANNING BED
I use the tanning bed about three times a week in the winter. It is very drying to my skin, no matter how much lotion I use and how careful I am with my skin. MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE! Moist skin tans best. Use a body exfoiliator at least once a week. Always put on lotion after a bath or shower. If you take baths, don't get the water too hot and soak, no matter how good it feels. Terribly drying.
I am enamoured of the Supre line of indoor tanning lotions. I find the Smoke line achieves the results I am looking for. I use the Smoke Black Bronzer, the Smoke Tingle and Jam tanning accelerator in rotation. I use the Colour Tan Maximizer Shimmering on my face. It is designed for use on your face and neck. All of these products are available online for a fraction of the price you pay at a tanning salon. I got them from a Lewie's Tan Store site. If I find the link, I will post it.
To achieve the best tan possible in a bed, use products wisely. General tips:
Tan an hour before or two hours after bathing. You skin continues to tan outside the bed but if you shower or take a bath, it stops.
Apply slightly more tanning lotion than you would moisturizer. When rubbing it in, use up and down then back and forth motions so it is distributed evenly. If you are using a lotion with a bronzer in it, take a baby wipe into the bed with you and rub vigorously between your fingers so you don't have stains. Use bronzer very lightly on knees and your face. Stripes are not a good thing.
Alterate lotions every time. I don't know why this works, but it does.
THE TAN IN A BOTTLE
I've tried every sunless tanning potion under the sun. (Heh!) The two most effective I have found are Clinque Self-Sun body, self tanning lotion dark and Bain de Soleil Streakguarde. The Clinique tans much darker and evenly, but it unfortunately smells just like QT from the olden days.
The Bain de Soleil Streakguarde has the wonderful Bain de Soleil smell but takes at least 3 applications to achieve the darkness of the Clinique in one application.
With sunless tanning, it's all in the application, so be prudent and careful. The best method is to execute your sunless tanning when it is feasible to lock yourself naked in the bathroom for 20 minutes. Put on the lotion and read a magazine or admire your eyebrows for a while. Only when the lotion is completely dry and you can no longer feel it on your skin should you dress, unless you like orange edges on your clothes. Wash your hands after like you are going to do surgery. Especially between the fingers.
Maybe it is the Mediterranean in me, but I feel better and think I look best tan.