{beauty} gimme that summer glow...now.

it's about this time of year that i realize how pale i am. seriously- it's scary. apparently the 50% greek in me hibernates all winter long, leaving only the german/scottish/irish/french portion in it's place. and holy heysus- it's bad. just like everyone else i start craving that vitamin d and the aftereffects. ya know, the glow you have after laying out all day long or working in the garden for a few hours. heck, you can even get it while skiing the slopes in the winter! haha.

while i love a day spent at the beach or the pool, it's not the healthiest way to get your tan on. there's a fine line between getting the essential nutrients your body needs from the sun and looking like a lobster. so to give into myself and get my pre-pool summer tan on, i look to those faux products.

now trust- i have done it all. the worst story i have is reminiscent of the friends episode where ross gets it done. you all know what i'm talking about. but instead of the nation laughing right along with me, i spent the first day of my california vaca holed up in our hotel room scrubbing the reminents of the fake tan off. i was not trying to look like an oompa loompa.

so here are a few options that i've had pretty good results from. keep in mind everyone's skin reacts differently to each product, so do a test first!!! there, i warned you. ;-)

versaspa
you've spent a ton of money on your upcoming vacation and you don't want to scare the locals away with your casper the ghost complexion. this is by far my FAVE for vacations and events. it's quick, not expensive,  looks natural (i swear), and lasts for days. you can find it at your local tanning salon, but make sure you ask for this one. the other 'ethereal' system (yes, i busted out the thesaurus for that one) is what oompa loompa-fied me. enough said. and while it may not be super de duper all natural, their website claims they do limit the amount of DHA in their mixture to prevent too much from being ingested. there you have it.
$25-35 per session, depending on location

josie maran self-tanner
any of my blog readers know my love for josie maran products. in fact, my entire beauty routine is now josie maran. so it's not a shocker that i'd give her sunless tanner a try. and it's amazeballs. yup- i just used that word. i have been using it every few days for about 2 weeks now and it's perfect. it doesn't smell, doesn't streak, and gives me just enough color that it doesn't look fake. looks like california-girl josie got something right again! it's great for when you just need a little sheen of color. and, p.s., it also hasn't rubbed off on my white 400-count. seriously the best.
$32, josiemarancosmetics.com

josie maran argan bronzing oil + josie maran brightening bronzer sun spot corrector
i like to limit the bronzing on my face to what i can easily adjust according to the rest of my makeup. so these two products are awesome to giving that sunkissed look to my cheeks, forehead, and nose. afterall, these are the spots that the sun hits first, so when applying, keep that in mind. it's called contouring people. get with the program. the bronzing oil is awesome for moisturizing and the sun spot corrector helps to even out those pesky freckles i tend to get after some actual sun. they're a match made in heaven. all-natural, organic, argan heaven. ha.
$52 + $32, josiemarancosmetics.com

get your sun on in a healthy way. you'll thank me in 30 years. ;-)

xoxo Lauren