Let's Re-Visit the Tan - Fashionista - Fashion Designers, Models, Shopping, Style

ST TROPEZ everyday legs.jpg After last week’s fake tan furor, I learned that while most of you don’t mind the idea of a fake tan, you really can’t stand the smell.

That would be DHA, the chemical that interacts with the skin’s proteins to make you brown, or orange. When the DHA reacts with your skin, the distinct, slightly nauseating odor increases in power as the tan develops.

But if you insist on acquiring a fake tan pre-summer, here’s some good news for you: St. Tropez, a prestige self-tanning company, has revamped their line of self-tanners to include something called Aromaguard. The new technology neutralizes the smell caused by the DHA reaction by at least 70%, replacing it with a fruitier floral scent.

As a freckly Irish girl, I’ve embraced my paleness and managed to avoid the world of fake tanning. I had one ill-advised detour into it a few years ago, stained my sheets, dyed my palms orange, gagged at the smell and rocked streaky legs for two weeks before vowing to avoid all things orange forever. But in the name of research, I gave St. Tropez’s Everyday Perfect Legs a whirl to see if it really delivered on its sweet-smelling promise.

It’s a dual pump deal - one side’s gradual self-tanner, the other tinted bronzer. I applied a small amount of the tanner on my shins and smelled like flowers instead of chemicals. And my legs actually looked healthy and more gold than orange, which means it’s a definite pass in my book.

Am I about to slather it over my whole body? No way - I’m not high maintenance enough - but if I ever can’t stand my pasty legs, this is what I’ll reach for.

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

posted by guest

Apr 07, 2009 5:46PM

I don't understand why you would want your legs to be "sunkissed" golden while the rest of your body is not. Won't that look more odd than just being completely pale?

posted by darcykins

Apr 08, 2009 10:05AM

first of all: guest 1, being one of these people i know that it is quite common for pale people to have especially pale legs.
secondly: this stuff still has DHA, right?
as well as other chemicals to mask the odour. seems like a lot of chemicals and hassle; i think i'll stay pale.

Apr 08, 2009 10:17AM

Megan: you said that it smells fine. Was that only on application, or did it still smell ok a few hours later?

posted by Megs252

Apr 08, 2009 10:44AM

Initially it smelled REALLY flowery when I first applied it. A little overpowering actually. That scent lingered and then finally died down after about two hours to a fresh and light floral scent. After about 4 hours it was gone altogether and there was no scent at all.

I never once got a whiff of that telltale tanner smell though which I thought was admirable. It smelled like a flowery lotion from start to finish.

Apr 08, 2009 1:43PM

Hi, I am guest #1...I, too have Irish German naturally pale skin...I, of course then, would know that pale skin means pale legs...but still, why have golden legs when you are not making the rest of your body golden as well. I am all for tan sprays, lotions, etc....especially since I live in Southern California!

Apr 08, 2009 2:03PM

I think she was just saying that she wasn't going to be apply it all over any time soon but if she couldn't stand her pasty legs then she would use this and do so. Slightly bad phrasing but I got that impression from it.
I agree that fake tans are so over rated. I think you look so much more natural pale and it really makes your features stand out. I'm pale and I love it. It means I can wear red lipstick well.

Apr 08, 2009 2:21PM

I think if you want to use fake tan, do so..if you want to stay pale, do so...its all beautiful if it makes you more confident in your own skin. Bottom line, who cares if you use fake tan or go au natural...to each her own!!

posted by neenersh

Apr 09, 2009 3:45PM

Where do we buy this?

Apr 11, 2009 4:47PM

As a very pale person, I have occasionally used a faint self tanner on my legs only, because they are so much lighter than the rest of me. I'll get a little color on my face and arms just from walking around the city, but my legs stay white / blue. A little tanner actually helps me to "match".

Apr 11, 2009 5:45PM

Neenersh- It's sold on the website as well as drugstore.com and Sephora. The brand is currently in the midst of updating all of their tanning products to contain Aromaguard, so they are in the process of phasing out the old stuff. Check the back to see if it contains Aromaguard otherwise you might end up with an older product that is smelly.

Jul 15, 2009 7:21AM

did you know that it is not DHA that makes you orange, it simply causes the chemical reaction that your skin has with exposure to the sun - but without the burning! Orange comes with inferior products that use dyes and substandard ingredients. If you see red, yellow in the ingredients, it is fairly obvious what colour you are going to go! If you want a natural look, try Makebelieve self tan as it is as near to natural as I've found. It's sold in Boots.