Practice Safe Sun: Faux Tanning

I just got home from the fabulous Cosmos Beauty Bar, the home of  -you guessed it- Cosmopolitans (and wine, and coffee, and martinis!) AND simultaneous high-quality beauty treatments by amazing professionals. This cutie pie place is located conveniently in my neighborhood in the suburbs of Chicago, and offers spray tans, waxing, and all kinds of fabulous nail services. Although I did not happen to imbibe today, I did indulge in a pedi and a spray tan… which got me thinking about spray tans, how they work, and why they rock.

It seems that the first 'fake tan' was available around 1960, when Coppertone® came out with the first sunless-tanning product -- QT® or Quick Tanning Lotion. I understand that this was an orange-nightmare of sorts. Yikes.

Anyway, things have come a long way since then, and there are all kinds of formulations and application methods to suit your fancy. The ones that I have the most experience with are DHA self-tanners. DHA is actually a type of sugar. Who knew?

According to the FDA’s website: “One commonly used ingredient in these products is dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a color additive that darkens the skin by reacting with amino acids in the skin's surface”

If you are having a spray tan, or spraying yourself (with a tan in a can), a fine mist of product containing DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) blankets the skin lightly. Lotion products also contain DHA. It turns out that DHA does not produce the same melanin as a "real tan" (by stimulating melanin levels), but it does create the look of a tan appearance by turning the upper layers of the skin brown. DHA activity only takes place in the upper layer of the skin (epidermis) as amino acid proteins and epidermis skin cells mingle and party.

Typically, color develops somewhere between 2 - 24 hours from the application and the intensity is depends on how much DHA in the product. More DHA=More Brown.

If you’re having an “airbrush” tan, or a spray tan applied by an individual, it usually means that you’ll be in your undies in front of a stranger… but really, there’s nothing they haven’t seen… so try not to worry about it. It’s less than 10 minutes, and the result is AWESOME, custom, and usually really dang perfect.

If you go to an LA Tan, or similar tanning boutique, they will also offer a spray tan or UV-Free tan via a booth. This is more private, usually a bit cheaper, but not as flawless as the airbrush. Oh, and it feels fumy! I try to hold my breath as much as I can, but I’m sure the poor employee on staff does not want to find me passed out in there... so I do feel like I end up breathing some of it in- just a bit worrisome for me, but it’s still GOTTA be safer than UV tanning, so I’m still doing it. Take that, tanning beds!

If you’re a DIY-type, here are a few of my favorite at home self-tan products:

Playboy (yes, they have tanners!) Glitz Celebrity Sunless Spray …AMAZING. Love the lotion too, but you might want to try applying it with one of those disposable sponge brushes that painters use for corners… it’s pretty dark (scary) when it comes out of the bottle…

Victoria’s Secret Beach Sexy Instant Bronzing Shimmer Lotion

Fake Bake Airbrush Self Tanning Spray

Jergens Natural Glow+ Firming (I generally don’t bother with the fair to medium levels… go for the gold! Err, GOLDEN with medium/tan!) This is also awesome for maintaining a spray tan! Caution, this one has a bit more scent than the others in the line.

For Face: Clarins Face Self Tanning Mouse SPF 15… extra points for SPF, Clarins!

The take-away from today: It may take some trial and error (though we are much better off these days than in 1960!) but it's important to find a bronzer, a spray tan, or a self-tanner that works for you.

...because always remember, kids: we all need to practice SAFE SUN...  your skin will thank you!

You've got 700 hairsprays... continued

Last week, with the house up for sale, I began to address a question that plagues many product junkies: How will I ever hide/display all my products, makeup, and endless beauty paraphernalia so it doesn't look as though a mad scientist lives here? Here are a few more ideas that make my product obsession live-able, some in the big-bucks range, some in the budget-friendly department:

Elfa Closets:

Elfa Closets from the Container Store made the bigger closets in the house look clean and organized. Are you familiar? These customized organizers are TOTAL game-changers. The high quality drawers and shelving make you WANT to arrange everything neatly …and then stand back to admire your work like, “Dang, I’m good.” (by the way, check out my re-purposed Nordstrom boxes to hide yes, -products- and less display-worthy clothing items. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, people!)

Anyway, with the closets I chose ranging from $500-$800-ish per closet, I had to forgo installing everywhere... So I had to get creative with product storage in the linen closets:

Here is my master bath linen closet. Products that are higher up are reachable with lazy-susans from the kitchen section at Bed Bath and Beyond. I have a 2-tiered LS on the top shelf, and also a small one under the sink.:

Also notice the cute white BISLEY drawers at the bottom.

http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10000342&N=&Ntt=bisley

This is my new favorite organizer. The drawers open and close smoothly and products don’t roll around inside. I bought 3 of these originally, one in file cabinet size, this one, and a small one- originally meant for the office. Remember- its all about thinking outside the box! Can’t figure out how to store something in your bathroom or office? Check the kitchen section, and vice versa.

Here are some small organizer drawers from the container store in the garage section. Really though, these tiny drawers are cramping my style a bit... just a touch small for as many products as I'm trying to store- but maybe good if you sew, or I dunno... collect buttons or something???

Good luck to your VISA, by the way, if you get excited about Elfa or Bisley. These solutions are not the cheapest options, but you can make it up by spending less somewhere else, like here:

This is a shot from my hallway linen closet. These baskets are from the dollar store! Yes, the dollar store! Ok, not loving the color as much, but the varying sizes and super cheap price-point make me like them a little more... I guess they can't ALL be Elfa. (yet!)

So keep your eyes open in unlikely departments and happy shopping:  Product Organization can be had with an $800 closet or an $8 closet!

Product Storage: You've got 700 Hairsprays. Now What?

This last week has been a whirlwind. Not only did we list our house for sale, but we had 3 showings AND an open house within 30 hours of listing. As a product junkie, its an understatement to say that a few things had to be tidied up. But I wondered: How will I ever hide/display all of my endless beauty paraphernalia so people don’t walk out of the house wondering if a mad scientist lives here?

In my next few entries, I’ll share some cheap, cute, and/or creative solutions I came up with to make being a product junkie live-able AND conducive to selling a home:

To start, here is my home spa room on the lower level of the house, home to a zillion skin care products:

Baskets? Sure, they're cute... but not so creative OR cheap (typically). I needed lots of them in this case, and these little guys came CHEAP in packs of 4 or 5 from Ikea. If I did it again though, I might go with THESE which my mom loves for her office storage. I love how clean they look and IKEA has the best prices for the quality (2-packs in varying sizes for $6.99).

The silver metal case on the shelf is really the AWESOME find in this post. It's from a store called Harbor Freight Tools. 

Baskets from Ikea, and one of the Aluminum cases I got at Harbor Freight

Those who know me may think it’s weird for me to be randomly shopping in this dollar-store-version of a Home Depot, but I resent spending big bucks on utilitarian items. I look at it this way: the more I save here, the more I can spend on skincare and handbags. Right??

Anyway, this aluminum case is perfect to store and travel with makeup, paint/paintbrushes, skincare, and tools too -if you’re into that kind of thing!-  and comes with adjustable dividers and a shoulder strap. Style-wise, it could be a cousin of my expensive Sephora Brand Aluminum makeup kit. It doesn’t feel as high quality as others, but you just can’t beat the price- I actually bought 4! Harbor Freight also offers ‘20% off one item’ coupons, so if you’re stocking up, sign up for their mailing list.

This brings up a good point (if I do say so myself): when you’re looking for a solution, try to think outside the box, or at least try not to default to the most convenient solution.

Here's what I mean: in a casual google search just now, a metal 36" ruler at Dick Blick is $11.25. Then there's our friend Ace, who carries one for $4.49.

Of course, sometimes you get what you pay for, and there are always exceptions.

Many times, makeup and skin care supply/storage can often be found where you're not looking for it: in the kitchen section of a store or maybe the Dollar Spot at Target. You could even re-purpose that collection of fabulous boxes you accumulated when you were on that Louis Vuitton kick (oh, maybe that was just me) but you get the idea...

So the next time you're looking for a storage solution or a new supply, look around and see what you can re-purpose, and keep your eyes open for the less-likely solution. Getting creative may just make your life easier without spending all of your shopping money!