A healthy glow

Those of you who know me well are familiar with my milky white skin, a hue so light if I was any paler I might actually go transparent.  Thank you, Dad, for the great genes that make me look younger than I am, but could you have at least let Mom give me her Mexican-American olive tones that instantly brown in the smallest amount of sunlight?  Seriously, I tell people I'm Latina and they probably think I meant to say "I'm studying Latin".  If you'd dust me in ultra-fine glitter I'd sparkle like one of the Twilight vamps. Well, no more, folks!  I've found the answer to the problem, the solution to me blinding Jaime when I pull my shirt off and it is awesome! 

Yes, the picture above says it all, airbrush is in, tanning beds are out.  Super friendly Laurie, the owner of Healthy Glow Mobile Airbrush Tanning Service stopped by my house one recent Saturday afternoon and worked a small miracle.  Carefully airbrushing me, Laurie turned this anemic-toned chica into a lightly bronzed woman.  The effect was natural and flattering.  In fact, it was so natural looking that when I visited with a friend later that day she remarked that my half marathon training was leaving me looking sun-kissed.  Little did she know, it was a faux tan. 

Laurie's set up is a simple one, fitting into one medium sized case. Handy, because she will come to your home with her equipment.  Even better, you can claim the hostess with the mostest title and throw an airbrush tan party.  You supply the friends and beverages and she'll come in, pop open the airbrush tent and get to work.

Please, no comments about the cardboard in the background. It's hard to indulge in picking out window treatments when you are on a fixed income. Besides, that window overlooks a brick wall, so unless you are a really, really good Peeping Tom, we're not worried about drapes.  Ahem, back to the subject.  Most women will wear their bathing suit, but I wanted more of an all over tan.  Laurie was okay with me going au naturel, but I opted to wear small undies and a strapless bra.  The spray will show up on light fabric, but washes out easily.

Laurie had me stand in the tent while she explained the process, starting off with blowing air on me so I could feel how cool it was (colder than I expected). Then she began airbrushing me, methodically and smoothly.  I leaned this way and that, held my arms up then down, inclined my head to each side...you get the picture.  When she was done, Laurie explained that the bronzer would darken slightly over the next hours but asked me to make sure I was happy with the color.  I could've asked to go darker but the shade she chose for me was perfect.  Laurie blended my farmer's tan from my running shirts so that I was one even shade from the top of my shoulders down to my hands.  The entire process took less than twenty minutes.

I'm so satisfied with my tan that I've already asked Laurie to airbrush me before my wedding next month.  I followed her instructions on body care pre-tan: exfoliate paying close attention to problem areas like elbows, knees and feet, shave the day of or before and moisturize well in the days prior to the airbrush session.  You want as smooth a canvas as possible.  You can't wear deoderant or makeup for your session or have freshly lotioned skin.  After-care is easy, too.  You want to wait about 8 hours before bathing (plan ahead!), moisturize, moisturize, moisturize, take warm, not hot baths and avoid shaving your legs as long as possible.  The tan lasts between 7-10 days, dependant upon how much your skin naturally exfoliates. 

I'm thrilled with my Healthy Glow airbrush tan, and want you to experience it, too.  If you book an airbrush tan party with Laurie and three friends get tanned, your's is free.  Laurie charges only $35 (remember, she's coming to you, that's a steal!) for a full body tan.  If you live outside of Austin, she charges a nominal $10 fee for mileage.  You can contact Laurie through her Facebook site for Healthy Glow or call her at (512) 573-1106.  Now go get your own healthy glow!

In keeping with FTC regulations, I am disclosing that Laurie was generous enough to tan me for free, something that was greatly appreciated and resulted in this happy blog post. Satisfied, Big Brother?