I'm Quite the Fair Lady



That is one fair little lady! Oh, wait.. that's ME! Look at that "red" hair. Even though I can't say it now, at least I can say I DID come into the world w/ 10 toes & 10 fingers! And I must say, I was quite precious!

 I was born a redhead so I was destined to always have fair skin. Even during my days of going to the tanning salon every other day, I never got super dark. I'd get a little bit of color & a whole lot of freckles. While I actually do miss my freckles, after my skin cancer scare back in 2008, it didn't take much for me to realize that I was doing some pretty bad stuff to my skin. Aside from the skin cancer ordeal, I started to notice that perhaps all of these dermatologists really did know what they were talking about... going tanning makes you get wrinkles!! I'll take fair skin over wrinkles any freakin' day, thank you very much! And I know so many of these tanning lotions you get at tanning salons now days all have "anti-agers" in them but trust me, those UV rays are much stronger than the tiny bit of anti-aging components they put in tanning lotions! (I have experience w/ this topic b/c I've worked at 2 tanning salons) Now, despite how popular vampires are right now, I realize during Summer even us fair skinned ladies want a bit of color. With my physical condition, I don't exactly go around exposing a ton of skin. My chest & my face are without a doubt the most exposed places on my body. Still, even though I don't have to worry about my legs looking tan during the months everyone else is wearing shorts, I like having some color on my face, neck & decollete' so that I don't look like a live in a cave. (although, during Summer in the South, I basically stay in my cave aka the house b/c it's so damn miserable outside) So, if like me, you want to avoid damaging UV rays but get some color, here are my personal picks:



The FAIREST of all fair ladies, Audrey Hepburn!


• Versa Spa~ I LOVE this! In my opinion, Versa Spa does a far better job than Mystic Tan! It looks more natural & the smell isn't awful like Mystic Tan. Versa Tan booths are also much nicer inside. One of my favorite things about the Versa booth is the heater inside. I remember when I used to do Mytic, I always froze the entire time. Another thing I like about Versa Spa is that it does a really good job of spraying you from every angle imaginable. Also, it blow drys you off after it's finished spraying. If you're interested in finding a salon that has a Versa Spa booth near you, go to their website: http://www.versaspa.com/ . You can watch a video demo on this page too!

The Versa Spa booth

• Xen Tan Deep Bronze Lux~ I find that this is one of the better self tanning lotions on the market. I know there are quite a few celebrities who have said they use it, so if you don't want to take my word on it being a good product, feel free to take one of the Olsen's (as in the twins) word instead! It has a light tint that immediately shows up when applied so you can make sure you get it on evenly. It says it develops within 3 hours but if I am planning on applying it, I wait until bedtime so that I can give it a full 7-8 hours to develop. Another nice thing about this stuff is the vanilla scent. Granted, if you leave it on for 8 hours, the smell usually doesn't last the entire time. It is one of the more pricey self tanning lotions. You won't find this stuff at CVS or Target. I know Sephora & Ulta carry it online but I've never actually seen it in the stores here in Memphis. If you're interested in ordering it just get on sephora.com or ulta.com & look up the brand name. They make several different lotions so look for the "Deep Bronze Lux". They make the Deep Lux for body & they also make a version just for faces. I always just use the one you can use all over so I don't know what the difference in the 2 are. The version I use contains aloe, green tea, vitamin E & coco butter, so it's got plenty of stuff in it that makes it good for the skin on your face.

Xen-Tan Deep Bronze Lux- $39

• L'Oreal Sublime Bronze 1 Day Gel~ Now, this stuff is cheap & it's fail proof! It's a tinted gel but if you don't like how it looks or you put too much on, wash it off. Can't get any easier than that! I don't use this on my face but I use it on my neck & decollete. I'm sure you could use it on your face if you wanted to but I use a liquid face bronzer w/ a thin layer of powder bronzer over it. The main reason I use this is so my neck & chest will match my face. I hate seeing women walking around w/ a tan face & a white neck. NOT cute, ladies!! I mix a squirt of this in w/ the moisturizer I put on my neck & chest & it does the trick. (I use the same moisturizer on my face as I do my neck & chest but like I said above, I don't put this stuff on my face) You can get this just about anywhere. Target & all the drugstores should carry it. It will only set you back $8- $11, depending on which store you get it from.

It's cheap & it does the job!

• Stila One Step Bronze~ This is the stuff I do use on my face. It's a serum that is a swirl of copper bronze, pink bronze & one of Stila's most iconic colors, Kitten. Each color in the swirl does something different and the result is so pretty. Aside from bronzing it illuminates & corrects any other problems you may be having with your face. One Step Bronze helps minimize pore size which is really my biggest skin problem. The pores on my nose & right around it are bigger than the pores on the rest of my face. This stuff also helps control oil (another skin issue I have w/ my T-zone) & it helps make fine lines & wrinkles a bit less noticeable. I know some people have issues w/ using serums b/c they don't like how they feel. I do understand that people think serums tend to feel a bit oily b/c most of them do. BUT, this one is oil free so no matter how it may feel to you, rest assured that there is NO, zip, zero, etc. oil in this. I know I've mentioned in a previous post that I take ridiculous care of my skin & that I was also just blessed w/ good skin for the most part, so, even though this is considered a primer, I don't put anything on over it. I actually don't even know if you can put liquid foundation on over this or not. I'd assume that you can but I don't want to say that I'm positive when I'm not. I do put powder bronzer over it so I CAN tell you that it's okay for you to put that on over it. One thing some people may not like about this product is that it does give your  face a bit of shimmer. I mean, you're not going to look like you're walking around w/ glitter on your face but it's not matte, at all! Once you put any kind of powder over it, it tones the shimmer down some. Stila makes some really great products & I've been using this brand for over 10 years. Of course, me w/ my "prestige" cosmetic brands... you know this one isn't cheap. A bottle of this will set you back $36 but b/c it's a big time multitasker, I think it's well worth it. It doesn't take a whole lot of product to do the job so a bottle will last a good 2 or 3 months, if not more. I bought mine in April or May & since I don't use it every single time I wear makeup, I still have about a half of a bottle. I like putting mine on w/ a foundation brush but feel free to use a sponge or your fingers. You can buy this at Sephora or Ulta or you can go to: http://www.stilacosmetics.com/ .

Stila One Step Bronze: This stuff even looks cool in the bottle. Love how it's swirled!

• Powder Bronzers~ I actually have 2 bronzers I go back & forth with. Of course, they're both Benefit products! Because I am so fair, I basically never go out w/out powder bronzer on. EVER! Even in Winter. I decide on which bronzer to use depending on if I want to look really bronze or slightly bronze. So, my 2 go to bronzers are: Hoola (yes, it's spelled w/ 2 Os) & Dallas. I've actually been using Hoola for close to 10 years now. This bronzer has won a ton of awards since it first debuted. I mean, just about every magazine or beauty website that does a "Best Bronzer" award has at some point given the award to Hoola. Hoola is the one that makes me look a couple of shades darker. The color is not orange & it is considered a "universally flattering" color so it will look good on just about anyone. For something less dramatic I use Dallas. It has some plum, rosy undertones so it's great for fair skin since those are basically our natural undertones. Benefit actually describes it as, "An outdoor glow for an indoor gal!". Like her big sister, Hoola, Dallas has also won several beauty awards since it's debut. A lot of people use it as a blush but I like to put it all over. I always dust bronzer not only on my face but of course down my neck b/c again, we don't want to walk around w/ those lovely makeup lines some women seem so oblivious to. Not pretty! Oh, & as with all of Benefit's box o' powders, these 2 bronzers come in really cute boxes. You can purchase both of them at Ulta & Sephora or, if you're lucky enough to live somewhere w/ a Benefit Boutique, they'll obviously have it as well. If you seriously do live near one & have been thinking about buying one of their products & have never been into one of their boutiques, I totally recommend it. Especially, if like me, you LOVE pink & you love basically anything cute & girly & fun! And of course, you can go to: http://www.beneficosmetics.com/ . They both cost $36. Also, they've improved the packaging a bit. Instead of taking the top off it not flips open & has a mirror inside of the lid. They still have the same cute design on them though.



You can definitely tell from the pictures of the 2 bronzers that this is the deeper bronze. I only use this for "special" occasions. This isn't my daily bronzer. 





Great bronzer for my fair skinned friends. This is definitely more of an "everyday bronzer" for me.



The inside of a Benefit Boutique. If given the opportunity, I'm quite sure I could live here! Actually, I'm POSITIVE I could live here! =)

• Finishing Touches ~ Of course, now that you have the glowing, bronzed skin, be sure to finish the look off w/ a great blush & lipstick. This Summer, my go to color has been coral. I am loving coral cheeks & lips. Best of all, I can use one product to get both: Benefit's Cha Cha Tint. I reviewed this product in a previous post but if you haven't read it & don't know about Cha Cha Tint, it's a liquid gel lip & cheek stain, so the stuff has staying power, especially on cheeks! I always brush a really light layer of either Benefit's Coralista or Benefit's Georgia over the tint I put on my cheeks just to make them pop a bit more. On my lips, after applying the Cha Cha Tint & allowing it to dry, I put a layer of coral lipgloss on over it. L'Oreal makes some really pretty coral glosses. I only do the coral look in Summer so for the rest of the year, if for some reason I'm really rocking the bronzed look, I use a pretty pink or rose colored blush. For Spring I love Cha Cha Tint's older sister, PosieTint. It's a lip & cheek stain as well & it too is a liquid gel. The color is a really pretty poppy colored pink. I always dust a layer of Benefit's Dandelion on over it to help the color pop & I just layer a clear gloss on over my lips once the stain has dried. For Fall & Winter I don't really do the bronze look at all. Like I said above, I do use the Dallas bronzer everyday but I'm only doing it to add a little color to my pale skin during Fall & Winter months. I'm not layering it over a liquid bronzer or anything like that. I'll have to review each of the products I mentioned in this section individually sometime soon. I'll probably do a couple of them this week so stay tuned for that. Aside from the L'Oreal gloss, all the products I just mentioned in this section can be bought at http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/ . Of course, L'Oreal can be found at Target, CVS, Walgreen's, & a ton of other places.

So, there ya have it. This is how I SAFELY give my fair skin a dose of color in the warmer months. If you try any of the products I mentioned, be sure to message me or comment on my blog & let me know if they worked out for you. I'm definitely not saying all of these products will work for every fair skinned female but they work for me. I guess a lot of the "getting it right" process is to just try out different things until you find something you like & that works for you! One more thing before I go, if you will be outside at anytime while the sun is up, be sure to put on sunscreen before doing any of the other steps from above! Believe me, you'll be much prettier & healthier looking in 5, 10 or more years w/out sunspots, crow's feet & wrinkles all over you b/c you get to much UV light... outdoors or in a tanning bed! Pale is much prettier than wrinkled! Never forget that, my fair skinned friends! (& not so fair skinned friends as well =))