I needed one, badly. Unfortch, a real vaca wasn’t in the cards for me, but you wouldn’t know where you to look at me. I look rested, tanned, and pretty fab, if I do say so myself. Last night I headed to Sundara for an airbrush tan and I will definitely be heading back there before special events. Luckily, Marina had schooled me before I went: there’s a lot to know beforehand. Here’s her list of recommendations, all of which I took! Thanks, Marina!

1. Shave and exfoliate that morning. Removing any barriers to your freshest layer of skin will make for the most even tan.
2. You are going to be getting naked or very close to it (you can leave underwear on if you are more comfortable that way) and Natalie Cupid (the amazing tan technician) will be seeing you naked and using a small sprayer to lightly mist your naked self. However, she is a warm person and she does her best to help you overcome any awkwardness.
3. Wear dark baggy clothes that you do not care about, because they may get stained afterward.
4. Don’t plan on going anywhere where you might care what people think of you afterward. You shouldn’t wear a bra, socks or a watch afterwards because that may shift the color around in a manner that is not cute. Also, you can’t shower for 8 hours following application and you get gradually much darker and greasier during this time. so unless you like looking greasy and bra-less in front of others, plan to kick it at home post-tan.
5. Maintenance: Natalie recommends using the Sundara Coconut Body Butter in the days post-tan, because you need to use a natural lotion, but with no natural exfoliators in it.

Also, when you walk in, you fill out a form indicating your allergies, medications, etc., but you also indicate how tan you’d like to be. I chose a golden medium tan and walked out with a golden brown epidermus that closely mimics my real tans. I’m not channeling Charlize Theron’s Oscar Moment of 2004, as I’d feared. There is nothing orange about this tan, dolls. Check it out for sure. Sundara is located at 425 W. 46th Street, NY, NY. visit their website here. They offer full body, half body, and face only airbrush tans – for $75, $45, and $25, respectively.

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