A Journey into Sunless Tanning

My breakup with fake-baking was easy at first, but then as November came and went, so did the remainder of my summer glow. I came very close to driving myself to the nearest tanning salon and buying a package, thinking, “Three tans is not going to kill me,” but then I remembered, it could.

So I figured my only options were to either accept my new paler complexion, or I could give self-tanning a try. My previous experiences with self-tanning were bad. Once at an old internship I was a “guinea pig” and was asked to strip down and get sprayed – this was one of the weirdest and most embarrassing moment of my life; my newly orange skin leaked off on all of my bags and books on the slow subway ride back to Queens.  Needless to say when I started this self-tanning journey I was a tad apprehensive — and then I met Infinity Sun.

Based in Beverly Hills, California, Infinity Sun has a great reputation and is a celebrity choice when it comes to spray tan. While it’s more known for its salon spray tan, I’m still not over my last bad experience, so I opted for an at-home spray, Infinity Sun Glow on the Go^TM. I started by exfoliating and shaving my legs to get a smooth canvas for the color. I then stood in my shower just in case it was messy; to my surprise, it was not messy at all. I followed the directions on the can, held it about six inches away from my legs, and sprayed a long, even mist on my legs. I rubbed it all in, though it didn’t say to do that anywhere but I felt like it was necessary, and followed up with the Infinity Extend moisturizer and immediately washed my hands twice. After waiting the rest of the day, the color turned out beautifully, without the streaks I was worried about. The best part, outside of the tan, is the smell. These products smell amazing, like fruity cocktails in the Caribbean! I’m incredibly excited to have Infinity Sun products in my arsenal this winter.

Interested in taking your own first steps into self-tanning? Here are some great tips from Veronique Munro, founder and CEO of Infinity Sun:

“To ensure you receive the best in salon glow,  follow the simple steps below. You also need to remember that during the cooler months, the bronze goddess look should be downplayed to a simple touch of radiance.”

No 1 – EXFOLIATE- The best way to keep a tan is to exfoliate beforehand to make sure you start with an even canvas. Infinity Sun’s exfoliant was made to even out skin tone with natural, non-abrasive pineapple fruit enzyme, which smoothes the surface of the skin, leaving only young and healthy skin cells that prime skin to be tanned. Exfoliating once a week is recommended whether tanning or not.

No 2 – Spraying in a salon or with the Infinity Sun Glow on the Go^TM Sunless aerosol: Once you have decided on the color you would like to achieve, go slow. Make sure you wait at least 12 hours for the color to fully develop so you do not end up darker than you would like to appear. You can always layer a second application the next day if you would like to be a little darker. A salon application should be done every one to two weeks, while home applications can be done as needed.

The great thing about Infinity Sun is that you can customize the results. You may want to increase the color if you plan on wearing that seasonally festive dress, then go one to two shades lighter the rest of the time. For example, Adrien Grenier’s skin tone is normally brown but not overly dark. When shooting an episode of Entourage, he needed a tan that was super dark, as the script required him to look as if he was on the beach taking time off. When I saw him, he had not tanned in months, so we had to adjust the intensity to create that darker effect. Then he went back to his natural-looking self. That is control!

No 3 – Take five minutes to dry and stay away from anything tight the day you spray, as not to smudge the color.

No 4 – Do not shower for at least 12 hours, as this gives the tan time to fully develop.

No 5 – HYDRATION is key to keeping the skin cells on the body longer, as well as the tan.  Infinity Sun Extend keeps the skin hydrated between sprays and deposits sunless tanner back into the skin. This should be applied every day after you spray, just not on the day itself.

No 6 – Touch Up. Infinity Sun Glow on the Go^TM can be used on the face, hands and feet to keep the color even in between spray sessions. Infinity Sun Glow on the Go^TM is an alcohol and propellant-free sunless tanner, infused with seven essential oils, and vitamin A, E and vanilla aromatherapy.

Infinity Sun products have been keeping Hollywood’s celebrities healthy and radiant year round such as Jessica Alba, Brooke Burke, Denise Richards, Mandy Moore, Giselle Bundchen, in addition to being used on the Britney Spears Circus tour.”