tan fan

Judge me as you will...I like being tan.  I know to wear sunscreen, and not over do it in the sun.  I know that tanning beds are evil.  That being said though, I like how my skin looks when it has a tan.  So today I went to the tanning salon and got a spray tan.  (I'll be wearing some nude-beigey shoes tomorrow and I didn't want to be paler than the shoes).

As far as bronzers go, they all have a scent (although as far as scents go I do like the Hemp bronzer).  I worry about turning orange (or worse, being unevenly orange) with my at home pursuits of being tanned.

I went to one of those Mystic Tanning booths years ago...right before going to Hawaii.  Not thinking, I walked along the beach and up to my knees into the beautiful and warm (even at night) waters.  I walked back in to the lobby of my hotel and GASP! I was white from the knees down! Eek!! I scurried to the elevator and into my room and proceeded to try and scrub the rest of my tan off.  I didn't dare go through that again.

I opted to Yelp spray tans in my city, then called a shop in my area called Beach Bumz which got really good reviews.  The girl on the phone was super sweet and was able to fit me in within an hour.  She did a custom airbrush tan, which means I stood (topless...eep!) in front of her (she said that lots of people go nude, but for me I don't mind a bit of a tan line on me bum) then she sprayed a super fine mist over me.  The scent was super light and the spray itself was a natural formula. I've got to say she made me so comfortable, I didn't even worry about sucking in my tummy.   I've still got a few hours before I can shower, and am still a bit tacky...but overall I am super happy with the results.  (Knowing I have an event tomorrow afternoon, she even made sure to tell me to come back tomorrow morning if I need any areas touched up...I appreciate her looking out).  **mini update: I'm a little blotchy on my hands, but it'll be ok).

If this works out well, I may have found my tanning fix.

what I gave and got

For work we did the "Secret Santa" thing and I got a cozy little throw blanket and a Starbucks card, for my gift I picked up a little set Lush...unfortunately it went to the only male in our office...who opted to pass it on to his brother's girlfriend (I hope she liked it, I loved the scent of the soap and body wash and liked the idea of the scrub).  I thought it might go over better in a female centric office but perhaps next year I'll go for champagne or movie tickets. Oh well live and learn.    I think the simple fact that I'm planning on what I might do next year at the office party is a good sign, I really do enjoy my new job.

My mom got me the Sexy Little Stowaways set from Benefit, okay so I chose it but whatevs.  Minis of faves and new things to try! I like the Stay Don't Stray primer, Bad Gal Lash is always a good choice, and I've been using the It's Potent eye cream. Tried out the "Pore fessional" and Hoola (bronzer) this morning and got to say I'm a fan.  I realized just how much Benefit I've been using lately too, love their products and their cheeky packaging too.

I got my mom the Remington iLight Pro, an at home laser dealy.  We'll see how it goes.  There were super mixed reviews with this and the No-no (which was what she was originally looking at) and also the Tria.  This one seemed to have the most affordable replacement parts. 

How was your Christmas?  Best of, worst of?  Always love to hear from you!

pretty beachy and cheers for volunteers

I love the beach and oh so many things beachy...(note: the above pic is not me loving the beach...sadly, it's not me at all...oh well) :)

What I'm currently loving to help me achieve a beachy summertime look (never too early to start eh?):

Moist Hemp Bronzing Moisturizer (by Creative Lab) 
 I bought this based on some popular reviews.  Mainly I purchased it because the reviews assured me that it doesn't smell like self-tanner. Hallelujah! It's also moisturizing and doesn't stain your hands. At first I was not applying it everyday, but I would say that the last four days I have and am starting to see a very gradual tan developing (and it looks natural not orange).  This has me looking forward to summer everytime I put it on.  I just wish I could find a bronzer sunscreen combo. 
**I noticed there was a search on whether or not this stained clothes, I've been using it for a few weeks now and have not noticed that it has left any staining.  I do wait for it to be pretty dry though, which doesn't take too long.**

 

 

  Park Ave Princess Mineral Powder Bronzer (by Tarte)

Started with a sample of this a while ago. Now I'm on my second regular size purchase of it.  It gives my skin the right hint of "yes the beach was great today" and just a little shimmer.  I'm pretty fair skinned and wear this almost daily throughout the year.  I mainly just apply it to the apples of my cheeks (and tend to skip blushers because I feel my cheeks have enough pink in them) and if I ever feel that I may have gone a little overboard with it, a quick dusting of loose powder or translucent powder seems to do the trick nicely for toning it down.

Summer time is beach time and I can hardly wait...and this is the summer that I will get involved in Surfrider's beach clean ups. Beach cleanup is something I do while at the beach (I pickup after myself and my surrounding area), but every so often I remind myself that I need to get more involved in beach cleanups.  It's awful what gets left behind at the beach and how much of it.  Thanks to my weekly Surfrider newsletter for providing some info (see below) and cheers to the 598,076 volunteers who got out there and worked together on Coastal Cleanup Day.

Interesting facts on the clean up: Ocean Conservancy
Also check out: http://www.surfrider.org/