Every summer, I can count on two things happening without fail: That a margarita-filled night on a patio will leave me swearing off sugary drinks forever, and that I’ll spend at least three weeks of the season with streaky, fluorescent colored legs. You see, I’m Irish and Dutch, which means that, au naturel, I’m basically the same shade of white as printer paper. I have strawberry blonde hair and come from a long line of redheads. Put simply? My people do not get along with the sun. Which hasn’t stopped me from trying. My first encounter with self-tanner occurred when I was in high school. My friend Lara (who also had red hair) suggested we duck out during lunch to
turn ourselves into bronze goddesses. Little did I know that the Coppertone Endless Summer tanner I had pilfered from my mom had expired the year before. As I sat in English class that afternoon, I watched with horror as I my legs went from white, to bronze, to toxic goo orange. You think I would have learned my lesson then, right? Nope. Every year, I try something different. The professional Saint Tropez spray tan treatment? It was a Lindsay Lohan situation. The super luxe M.A.C body foundation that associate editor Ally Dean swears by? You could have seen my legs from space.
What sunless tanner finally did the trick? Find out on the next page…
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