Wow hard to believe its January 2012...time flies I mean really! I've been so busy and have not been able to keep up with my normal routine, so I'm getting back on track!

With winter in full swing here in the PNW  its really a wonderful time to treat yourself to a little color. This time of year is hard on our skin and what we see in the mirror...ruddy complexions, dark circles under our eyes not to mention helping us look a little trimmer from all the comfort food we have indulged in so far!

Its actually my favorite time of year to have a little color...perks me up and makes me not look so tired. Don't ya hate when people ask if your sick or did you not get any sleep last night...NOT!

When getting a winter sunless tan you want to make sure you keep it to a glow or a medium light if  you have a little darker skin tone. You never want to look to tan in Seattle...your color should be appropriate for the time of year always. My motto is "Less is more" it has not led me wrong in my 10yrs of being in this industry.

Remember to keep up with your exfoliation and hydrating your skin with nourishing high quality lotions and drink your H2o its good for you and your sunless tan.

Cheers Lovelies!

When it comes to beauty Hollywood has its secrets and has for years. One that has and still continues to be a starlet secret is airbrush tanning or spray tanning. When awards season rolls around you can bet that many of those actress's and musicians are sporting a sunless tan. The key is keeping it subtle and not the obvious "spray tan" look. Keeping your color no more than two shades darker than your natural skin tone is a must for a natural beautiful look.

Airbrush tanning has been done in the TV, Movie industry for many years as well as full body makeup or airbrushed makeup.  Its what makes actress's and musicians look flawless on camera.

I recently had the very fun and lovely opportunity to meet and tan Ms. Paula Abdul when she was in town for the X-Factor at the end of June. It was so great to meet her she is such a sweet and down to earth person.

During our consultation I found out that she loves a pretty golden brown color so I wanted to make sure we had the right tone for her skin. I choose a really lush solution that is full of all kinds of Organic ingredients as well as amazing hydration properties, Eco-Cert DHA and Organic essential oils.  Paula loves natural and Organic products and I knew the color would be perfect for her.

Needless to say Paula loved it...she said it was the most thorough tan she had ever had and loved the tone. She let me know as well as the concierge know at the hotel she was staying how much she loved it. She booked another tan with me before she left and wanted a stack of my cards to give all her Seattle Girlfriends...Told you she was a Sweetie!

So the next time you schedule your sunless session keep it glowing and gorgeous and NOT Barbie orange.
Cheers lovelies!

I have many curious clients ask me whats in my solutions and how it benefits their skin, so I thought I would divulge a few of my wonderful ingredients so you can see what sets apart my solutions from my other sunless business's!

First off all of my solutions use Eco-Certified DHA which the European form for Organic DHA. Its more gentle and free of  impurities and produces a more realistic color as well. It may not last as long as regular DHA but I think its important to be aware and knowledgeable about what we put on our skin.

Some of the key ingredients found in my solutions that hold wonderful properties for your skin are; Organic Aloe vera, Organic Coffee bean extract (to tighten skin!) Oregon Grape extract, Hyaluronic acid, Organic Green tea, Organic Red Roobios tea, Organic Bergamot oil, Organic Chinese Jojoba see oil, Evening primrose oil and Squaline oil to name a few.

When looking for the most healthy sunless tan remember what goes into the bottle makes as much difference as the person applying it and their experience. I recently found out about an ingredient that is used in quite a few sunless solutions and many booth solutions that is a form of Formaldehyde! (not one of mine contain this ingredient!)   So ask questions and be in the know about your sunless sessions.

Cheers!

With the travel season happening right now I get this question alot especially those who are going to a warm destination.

When it comes to products to care for and make your tan last longer its best to read ingredients first. When using a body wash make sure its SLS's free, most body washes that are highly commercialized will have SLS's in them. Its a cheap detergent and it can strip or make a sunless tan appear streaky NOT good. Use the best quality you can afford, I usually recommend either one that I carry or a more natural one from the health food section in your grocery store or drug store.

When it comes to lotions same thing applies...go for the best you can afford and stay away from Petrochemicals; mineral oil and petroleum which can break down a sunless tan faster. Also remember your skin absorbes at least 60% of what you put on it!! Take care of you skin and choose "Green" products you biggest organ will thank you! (smile!)

I always have specific lotions and body washes and tan extenders to care for your tan when I arrive for your appointment so feel free to ask. Remember to get best and longest lasting results...EXFOLIATE well before your apptointment and keep your skin well HYDRATED with lotion at least once a day.

Cheers Lovelies!

Awww spring is finally close enough to touch and I'm so very happy about that! I love to see the spring flowers and warmer temps coming back slowly and people are starting to uncover a little now.

As every spring I like to post a reminder of spring tips to get the most out of your sunless tan. For the most part we have been covered up thru another Seattle winter. Now its time to start up with our beauty routine for the upcoming summer season.

One very important habit to get into is exfoliating and make it a habit...period. Its the only beauty secret that is practically free... ok so a puff is a couple bucks.  BUT the rewards are glowing skin that is softer and less dull and flaky...so much prettier than flakes. Yikes!

When prepping for your tan make sure to do it as much as you can before your session as possible, gently but thoroughly. Use a good quality hydrating lotion everynight up till your appt. Remember to use oil based exfoliants 48hr or more ahead of time to make sure the residue is off your skin. Get those mani/Pedi's day before and waxing 2days before your session as well. When doing sugaring you have no worries I can actually tan you right after with ease.

Keep the day of your session simple..nothing on your skin. Please do not exfoliate right before  your appt. as opening up pores right before is not the best idea.
One more little tip...Stop spraying perfume directly on your chest, it leads to splotchy skin and so not attractive. (Wink!)

Cheers Lovelies and Looking forward to bringing your glow to your front door!

In sunless tanning almost everyplace you go you have to have a bronzer included in your tan when a technician is applying it. Mostly it lets the tech see the solution go on the skin as not to miss areas of the body and instant color for the client.

Up till now mostly you had to go to a booth to get clear if they even offered it. I used to use a clear formula years ago but it was just not that popular, now there has been a new market for a clear formula. Now I offer it again but with a much improved formula from years ago. 

The clear is wonderful on several levels, for those who have to go back to work right after their session and don't want to get their bronzer on their clothes. For those who may have had a bad experience with sunless tanning in the past. With a clear formula it creates a very natural looking tan, as the bronzer does add some depth to the tan in the initial first day or two after you shower. With the clear you can actually watch your color develop and decide when you want to shower. When you have the bronzer on your skin your actually darker than you appear and just trust that the end result will be what your looking for in your session. Its also great for men who want to be less obvious and want a more subtle look.  

So next time your booking your session ask about the 
a clear formula and see if its right for you! 

I was thinking today on this beautiful sunny day here in Seattle about how much I love what I do. I think I'm pretty lucky as I run into people that really don't like what they do for a living or are just doing it because it pays good... Don't get me wrong making a good living is a very sweet thing. But at the end of the day if your miserable or complain about your job why not at least start working on something that makes you happy?

What would you do that love so much you would even do it for free? (well almost!) I love airbrushing women becuase when I have the power to help another woman feel better about how she looks...to me thats a pretty sweet deal. When I used to be a hairstylist my favorite part was meeting new clients and doing haircolor. So maybe thats why this works for me so well not far off from what I used to do but I'm much happier doing the sunless than hair. ..switch it up!

I hope you are finding happiness in what you do for a living, because really life is flying by quicker than I care to admit. So go and rock your world, do something that you think you can't do or are afraid to do! You have sooo much more potential than you give yourself credit for and have much to offer in this lifetime.

Cheers Lovelies!

Hard to believe that January is almost over and were on to February already...Well that means summer is all that much closer her in the NW right!

I wanted to chat about sunless tanning or spray tanning which ever you prefer to call it. One thing that can happen alot to women who have larger pores or inexperienced tech's is...Breakouts!

When a person has larger pores you need to adjust your amount and depth that is being sprayed, to much to close leads to dirty pores and will look like blackheads once the tan develops. The second thing that will happen is the skin will breakout as well mostly from the topical bronzer. Most spray tan business's use a bronzer in their solutions, it gives instant color and acts a a guide for the person spraying on the solution.

I offer both types of solutions for my clients as I have select clients who don't like the bronzer for various reasons. Many of my professional working clients don't want to go back to work looking different or risk getting bronzer on their clothes... so clear is the way to go!

The clear I believe produces a softer pretty tan in comparison to the bronzer as it has contact with your skin for at least 10hrs or more it will actually stain the skin somewhat. For many people they love this but if you have oilier skin, sensitive skin or prefer not to have the first "darker day" then clear would be a great option for you to try when you schedule your next session.

Hope this helps with your skin and being

What many of you don't know about the sunless industry is there are many solutions for a business to use on clients. From very cheap to high end solutions which offer a 2 for 1 skin treatment while you process. I do weekly research to know whats new on the market so that I'm using the best products I can for your tan. One amazing ingredient is Hyaluronic Acid....read on to find out about this Anti-Aging powerhouse.

A spotlight on ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid  and what it does for the skin is really amazing. It something your body produces naturally but decreases as we get older. Here are just a few of the benefits of this magic Anti-Aging ingredient; It attracts and binds water within the cells in the tissue under the skin. Literally acting like a sponge to retain supple firm skintone and youthful appearance. It actually can absorb 1,000 x's its weight in water with in the skins tissue. Very few products use the amazing ingredient due to its significant cost in comparison to inferior ingredients.  Not only does it deliver results it supplies the skin with superior hydration and other important elements to fight lines and wrinkles on a regular basis.

In my sunless Prep its actually the 4th ingredient which is why I call it my insurance especially dealing with winter skin in the NW. My Organic based solutions also contain Hyaluronic acid in high quantities as well as other Organic elements like Organic aloe, Organic Chinese Jojoba sees oil, Organic Caffeine seed and Organic essential oils.

So now you have an idea of why prices for a sunless tan range from 20.00 up to 75.00 or more. You do get what you pay for when looking for a sunless tan, so be a client in the know and ask your tech about the ingredients in their solutions.

Cheers!

Now that the Christmas holiday is over next up on the Calendar is NYE 2011! I wanted to give a few tips on looking amazing...whether or not your going to the hottest party in town or staying home with your sweetie.

As always first up is sloughing off that dead skin, I really can't say enough of this beauty ritual that is soooo good for your skin on many levels. Besides doing it for your sunless tan it can help with breakouts, dry skin and even lessen unevenness in the skin tone.

To give your skin more TLC  and ease dry skin would be to add some essential oils to your bath, keeping the water warm not HOT which is even more drying to the epidermis. After your bath make sure to pat dry with your towel as you would when you have your sunless glow to help seal in the oils from your bath. Follow up with a high quality lotion to seal in even more moisture...your skin will feel amazing.

One easy and free thing you can do for your skin is to make sure you drink enough water. Keeping hydrated from the inside out is very important for glowing skin, it will also help your sunless tan last longer as well. My clients that use a good lotion and drink adequate amounts of H2O notice a difference in their tan lasting longer, taking more evenly (less dry patchy areas) So drink up gals!

Finally when you have made these tips part of your beauty regimen the difference in how you will feel about the biggest organ on you will be amazing. Confidence in how you feel about yourself is sexy...period!

Cheers Lovelies!