Should You Be Tanning Before Your Wedding...or Ever?

Okay, yes. Aside from being a makeup artist I am also an esthetician, and yes, I believe tanning is probably the worst thing you can do for your skin. That's only if you want to have smooth, even-toned, wrinkle-free skin for as long as possible.

I'm also aware that it's going to happen (soaking up sun, that is) especially if you live in Florida and I personally love going to the beach and getting some rays myself...safely, of course. 


With that being said, I have been a bit horrified when my beautiful, young and lovely brides have confessed they were going to tanning beds "only a few times" to get a nice color before the wedding. "All it takes is a few times" I try to tell them, but I can tell they look at me like the party-pooper esthetician/makeup artist that's raining on their golden skin parade. 

 I'm not trying to be a downer, I promise! I've just been doing my craft long enough where I've seen what happens. When it comes to tanning beds in particular, it's not a matter of IF you'll get skin cancer, but WHEN.


Did you know that in many states, the use of tanning beds to minors has been prohibited because of the health risks? 


When I was working in Los Angeles, a very young client of mine in her early twenties, had a couple of skin cancers removed from her leg because of the frequency she visited the tanning beds. SCA-RY.


Many people have been misled to believe it's safer than the sun, but it's not. To be honest, I'd rather you spend a day or two at the beach because at least you're getting a small health benefit with your vitamin D synthesis and of course endorphins. 

More than a day or two at the beach

To keep it simple, the main reason tanning beds are worse than the actual sun is because  tanning beds mostly emit large doses of UVA radiation (think UVA for Aging, and UVB for Burning). UVA radiation is also the more damaging of the two and the one that causes ALL the skin problems (breakdown of collagen and elastin or wrinkles, pigmentation problems otherwise known as brown spots, broken capillaries, sagging skin, skin cancer, you name it). 

The reason they use tanning beds? Because it doesn't burn you (the sun emits more UVB radiation than the tanning beds). But UVA radiation does cause the tan to occur, and a tan is simply your body's  defense mechanism.  Your skin becomes darker in an effort to protect your organs from further damage of the radiation it's receiving.

I know, I know. It's all doom and gloom.

I do have a solution though. It's taken many years of experimenting to find something that looks GOOD and REAL.

Trust me, in the 4th grade after using what must have been Coppertone's first self-tanner ever in the 80's, and looking like an oompa-loompa for a week, I was on a quest! I can tell you, that shade of orange just wasn't my color.

Many, many years later, and after a lot of trial and errors and strange smelling products, I have found Xen-Tan (cue clouds parting and angels singing). 

 My issue with having light brown hair and light eyes is that when I got the spray tan, the color was always too dark. Xen Tan products give total control on how dark you want to be, especially their Xen-Tan Perfect Blend. It has a dial which allows you to control the amount of self-tanner to lotion ratio for your perfect shade. 

Xen-Tan Perfect Blend

They're also products that are meant to be used once a week, which is fantastic! Of course, if you want to build more of a color, then just reapply it more often.


The line is complete with a scrub, back applicator for those hard-to-reach places, tanning mitt, Blending Balm (for around the ankles/feet, writs and knees) and a scent suppressant to minimize any self-tanner smell, called Xen-Tan Scent Secure. You apply it after your product and your self-tanning secret is safe!

Xen-Tan Blending Balm

They have so many self-tanners to choose from, it seriously took me an hour to decide which one I was going to buy. If you don't know this about me yet, I'm extremely indecisive and all these choice just about stressed me out!


The only product I do NOT recommend is the Tanning Mist. It's messy and sprays everywhere. After tanning the soles of my feet from stepping in it, I decided I needed to abort the spray idea (which I originally thought was brilliant. Not so much).


I also really liked the Xen-Tan Mousse Intense. It has a strange tint at first, but once you rub it in, it's fabulous!

Xen-Tan Mousse Intense

Which self-tanners have you tried that you've loved?


I want to try Kate Sommerville's tanning towlettes (one is supposed to work for the entire body and face), but haven't gotten around to it yet. If you've tried it, let me know!