How To: Airbrush Tanning

In 2012, I began noticing that one of my best friends, with no time in the sun, constantly was rocking perfectly sun-kissed skin. Her secret: Cat. She had started seeing Cat on the regular, for a custom airbrush session. She always looked immaculate, no streaking, no spots, no orange tones, and no weird fading. In 2013, I had a series of events that I wanted to feel confident for, including my own wedding, so I asked for Cat's info.

My first meeting with Cat was great- I was shy- she was not. She was smiley, funny and immediately made me feel comfortable with her as I stripped down and prepared to “get my glow on.” Since my first meeting with Cat, I've been hooked. I send her my brides, I send her my friends, my family, and I visit her before every special event. She is brilliant. She mixes colors tailored specifically to your undertones to mimic your natural tan, and has the ability to amp up the intensity to get exactly the effect you want, whether it's lightly sun-kissed or full on bronze goddess, and she can even do a little contouring.

I naturally can get a nice tan, but I lack the time, and I'm scared of too much sun exposure. I do love my fair, freckled skin, but when I need/want to wear a short dress, or I'm going to be prancing around in a swimsuit, I always feel more confident with an airbrush tan. For me, it's about hiding the little things that I am self conscious about, stretch marks here and there, cellulite, and other lovely little things I would like to just vanish. And for me, an airbrush tan really does boost my confidence, and to me, that is priceless.

I asked Cat to write a piece for me on airbrush tanning, and her advice on scheduling and care, and I'm so happy to share that with you.

The vivacious Cat!

“The order of your important appointments is vital – the process will prevent some of the worries or troubles you may encounter during the pre-wedding, or special event, process.

First, it is important to sort out what type of appointments you plan on scheduling before your big day. This can include various services, such as hair cutting or coloring, manicures, pedicures, waxing and tanning, specifically airbrush spray tanning. Early planning is ideal during this phase in order to ensure your needs can be met to fulfill your tight schedule in accordance to your wedding day.

All waxing appointments will need to be completed at least one day before any airbrush or spray tanning, simply because of the nature of each service (You wouldn’t want to have your spray tan waxed off!). It is highly recommended to have a full, exfoliating shower between waxing appointments and airbrush appointments!

The same process of waxing should be applied to any manicure and pedicure appointments you may have scheduled. Due to the oils, lotions and massaging of these luxury services, I recommend to shower and scrub also after manicures and pedicures to ensure your airbrush will be 100% successful.

As long as your waxing and nail appointments are not scheduled on the same day as your airbrush, you will be golden! (Pun intended!).

A custom airbrush spray tan is the ‘cherry on top’ of your wedding’s beauty process, with success rates that leave the entire bridal party happy. With a golden glow, a bride and her bridesmaids will look beautiful and feel comfortable – leaving the enjoyment of the event as their only worry! This service is best done two days before the wedding or special event, or the day BEFORE the rehearsal dinner. An airbrush needs to be scheduled at least 1-2 weeks in advance to guarantee this slot in your busy week. I, personally, believe an evening airbrush appointment is ideal, due to the ‘waiting period’ involved that is spent sleeping or relaxing with this option. This 6-hour-minimum ‘waiting period’ requires you to be in comfortable clothes, out of ‘harms way’, and relaxing indoors without doing dishes or messy tasks. To prepare for your airbrush, it is important to fully shower, exfoliate and shave your entire body, while using bar soap and loofa or washcloth – the goal is to remove the dead layers of skin and dry out your skin so it will fully absorb the airbrush. Try to avoid using a brand new razor! After your shower, do not use any lotions, oils, deodorant or perfume, and simply wear a loose dress or comfortable clothing to your appointment!

I worked with Courtney and her bridal party for her wedding, and many of her past brides, friends and family! For a custom airbrush spray tan, contact me at catsparling@gmail.com, or by phone (408) 710-4268.”

Airbrush for Vegas? A total Yes.

Cat and her ladies, tanned, confident, and poolside in Vegas.

To prepare for my airbrush appointments, I always take an exfoliating shower, and exfoliate with a rough washcloth, without any soap. I then shave, gently, without any shavegel. I do all this right before my appointment. I usually wear either a loose dress or loose sweats to my appointment, and schedule it as late as Cat has available. I make sure I don't have anything I have to do afterwords, and go to bed in pjs that can get a little bronzer (from the airbrush tan) on them. (It does wash out.) The process of airbrush tanning is actually quite interesting, unlike tanning lotions, airbrush actually permanently stains the top layer of your skin. Which is why you want to exfoliate as much dead skin off as possible, so you will have at least a week of a beautiful glow, before your tan begins to fade. To keep your tan bright, you basically want to be as gentle with you skin as possible, keeping it well moisturized. My tan typically lasts 7-9 days before I exfoliate it all off. I gently shave, and wash without scrubbing, and moisturize at a minimum of in the morning and before I go to bed. For me, the first to wear off is my face, but I can fake a facial tan with bronzer, no problem.

Thinking of getting a spray tan? Let me, or Cat know if you have questions. It can be a confidence booster, and save your skin from over exposure to cancer causing UVA and UVB rays.

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Share a Little Sparkle Everywhere You Go!

Ciao!

Courtney Angelina