TV Fashion: 'Sunset Tan'

By Michael Korb, Zap2it, Zap2It.com | June 17, 2007

'Sunset Tan'

Grab the remote and some SPF 30

To quote Ulla from "The Producers," "Clothes may make the man, but all a girl needs is a tan!" Truer words were never spoken. And with E! Entertainment Television's new reality series "Sunset Tan", airing Sundays, a little color has never been sexier.

Southern California has a reputation to maintain, and if you live there, you know there are some prerequisites – namely that you be blond, buxom and tan. And thanks to today's technology, you can be all of those things in no time whatsoever. Seriously, one 15-minute visit to Sunset Tan and you'll have a glow Brian Wilson could write about. At these upscale Los Angeles tanning salons, where brown, buxom – but brunette – actress-model Brooke Burke is an investor, tanning is an obsession.

Of course, the American public understands that suntans are like cigarettes: There is no such thing as a healthy one – at least not a real one. And yet, millions of us bake in the sun or under tanning lamps in posh salons trying to create that "fresh from the oven" look that is so alluring. Clearly, the risk of tanning comes down to a little something we like to call "dying." So salons like Sunset Tan are now offering alternative options to tanning beds – spray-on tans. Professional spray-on tans come in a variety of styles. The most common is a booth spray where you stand for a very brief period of time while jets spray you with tinting lotion. After a quick wipe-down you walk out with an even tan. In fact, that is the best reason to chose spray-on tans over home application self-tanners – the jets cover even those hard-to-reach areas, avoiding the streaks and missed spots that are a dead giveaway for a fake tan.

In the "money is no object" category, spray-on tans can be taken to the next level with professionally applied tan air-brushing. It's like having an auto body paint specialist work his or her magic on your fenders, bumpers and headlights. And they're capable of reaching all the nooks and crannies that even Mother Nature forgot existed. And if you have a steady hand and are remarkably flexible, you can look into purchasing the GlowFusion AirGlow, the only at-home and fully rechargeable airbrush tanning gun.

But for most of us, we're going to choose the cheap route and buy a sunless tanner that we can apply at home. Since there is an endless array of choices for sunless tanners, we'll just mention a few and suggest you pay attention to the instructions on how to apply the lotions. Trust us, it would be better to be pale than to be streaky and fake-looking. Lotions by Fake Bake, Au Courant and Bain de Soleil all earn high marks from reviewers. But remember, the best part of all is that if you constantly use these products you'll still look great in 20 years, whereas your tanning-bed friends will look like leather sofas.