Mystic Tan Results

I haven't taken any pictures of my results yet, but I still wanted to blog about it. I am actually pretty excited about the way it turned out. I was really nervous to try it (especially with the wedding trip only 8 days away!). So, you might ask, why do it at all? I have these annoying tan lines from when we went to the flea market months ago. Despite some trys at sunless tanning here at home, the tan lines persist. One reason for doing a salon tan is to try to even out my tan lines. My dress is, after all, strapless!

Another reason is just that a tan can cover up all number of flaws in a person's skin. Pale white skin shows every blemish and spot, while a slight bronzed tan diminishes the look of red spots. Now, I don't normally have any real tan at all, opting to just let the blemishes show on my naturally pale skin. However, for my wedding and this trip to Vegas where there are going to be a lot of photographs taken, I wanted something a little different.

Now you know why, let's talk about how. I went to a place here in Raleigh on Creedmore Road called "Vivid Tan". I chose this place, because one of my voice students recommended it, and I think when it comes to tanning or any kind of salon, word of mouth is the best place to find a good place to go. When I got there, the owner, Carla, greeted me and answered every question I threw at her with enthusiasm and honesty. Her own tan is a Mystic Tan and she looked great. She explained how the booth works and what kind of results to expect, then she recommended that for my dark hair and eyes, I should try the medium tan. She also said that the tan lasts for a little over a week before it starts to really fade, but that they were running a special of buy two, get one free on the Mystic Tan. I decided to buy two sessions so that I could try it out for a week, then head back for another session before we leave next week. Then, I'll still have a free session that I can use anytime after this.

She showed me exactly how to use the booth and what I needed to do before I got in. I put my hair up in a ponytail, then used makeup wipes to get all of my makeup off (I was careful not to put anything with sunscreen on that morning). I put "barrier cream" on my fingernails and toenails. I thought I put it on my palms and the bottom of my feet, too, but those areas still ended up getting tan, which looks a little strange. Anyway, I put a little cap on my head, just barely showing my hairline so that all of my skin was covered with the mist. Then, I stripped down to nothing, stepped into the booth and got started.

The recorded voice told me where to place my feet as the spray covered my body. It was a little bit cold, but otherwise not too bad. I could breathe fine despite reports online that you have to hold your breath for a long time. THe spray comes up from the bottom slowly, so you can see and feel when it is getting close to your face. As it moved up, I only closed my eyes and held my breath when the spray was near my face. There were numbers on the floor of the booth and the voice told me which numbers to place my feet on as she had me turn, spray, turn, spray, etc. It was over in just a few seconds.

At first, I didn't see too much of a tan, but as the hours went by, it got darker and darker. Now, the morning after, I can definitely tell that I am tan! There's no orange tint to this tan like some other at-home sprays I have tried. It's very bronze and looks like I was really just at the beach. The only problems I had with it, honestly, are the fact that my palms and the bottom of my feet are also tan. I must not have put the barrier cream on thick enough! Lesson learned there and I will put more on next time. My tan lines that I was trying to even out are definitely better, but not totally gone. The only other con is that despite some nice smelling oil she put in the tan to help it smell better, I did feel like I smelled like a tanning oil all day. A small price to pay for such an even looking tan, though! I have not had any streaking or missed spots, no buildup on any one place or anything like that. I did not even really have a base tan when I went in, so I amazed at the results. Overall, I'm glad I went and will be going back on Tuesday of next week to do it again so my tan is fresh before we leave.