Go With Your Own Glow or Mystic?

So now we all know how harmful and aging the sun's rays are. We know that using sunscreen with an SPF of 15 is the least we should use. We know the sun is most harmful between 10 am and 4 pm. We also know that no sunscreen is totally waterproof.

SkinCancer.org is promoting a campaign called Go With Your Own Glow. The campaign was developed to encourage women to love and protect their skin whatever its natural hue. "A healthy glow is your skin tone glowing. You -- looking luminous." - Sarah Brown/Vogue

With that being said, why is it when we look down at our legs shooting out from underneath our mini dress we wish our legs didn't look so pale. I am guilty of this very thought. I want the best of both worlds, perfect, healthy skin and a golden glow. I am guilty of going to the beach and loading up on sunscreen on every inch of my body, except my legs.

Finally, after all these years I decided it is time to get out of the tanning bed and try the Mystic tan. I think I might be one of the last people on earth who has not tried it. I have always been afraid the Mystic would leave me with streaks and orange knees and hands and I didn't know if I could go around all day without showering and smelling a little funky. I did  a little research on local tanning spas that have Mystic and chose BareTan in Irvine because they open at 6 am. I vowed to myself that I would follow all rules and guidelines to achieve the best results which included applying lotion heavily to my hands and feet, wearing a shower cap over my hair, and doing the Mystic 2-3 times in the first week. I also wore a shower cap over my face because I am  very particular about what goes on my face. I also put a shower cap over each foot for extra protection against orange foot.

The night before my first Mystic I showered, shaved my legs and exfoliated my entire body with La Compagnie de Provence Olive body scrub. I arrived at the tanning spa and followed tanning procedures with the lotion and shower caps. I have to admit I was totally startled when the spraying started then began laughing at the thought of what this must look like. I jumped out of the machine as soon as it stopped spraying and started wiping the product off to prevent drip marks. I thought, that wasn't so bad and it was very quick. I waited until the next morning to shower ( I know, gross) and looked over my new tan. Hmm, not bad.

I did this exactly as the first time, two more times. I did the Mystic 3 times in a 6 day period. Each time I thought the color looked pretty good. I never was streaky and the color was believable, not orange. One problem,  I don't think the color lasts long enough. Today is 6 days since my last Mystic and I don't feel like I have much color left at all. I would do a Mystic tan again. I think it is very temporary so I would do it twice within four days of an important event. Check out these before and after pictures of my legs. The pictures don't do the Mystic justice. I think my camera flash made the tan seem lighter than it really was. Overall, a good safe alternative to tanning.