Spray on or "real" tan for cruise??

[kiraryker]

I am not a fan of tanning beds but my hubby and I want a nice tan for our cruise in Jan so do we do the beds or try spray on?? Will the spray on last or come off in the pool/ocean??

[cb at sea]

The spray on stuff will come off and you will start looking "dirty" around wrists, neck and ankles! But, it's an ok way to not look stark white, until you get out there in the sun and get something real! Tanning beds are NOT good for you, but they will give you a base--something to start with!

[BlueHerons]

Not a fan of the spray on (too orangey) so I'd go for the tanning bed.

[cruisinbuddy]

DW & I were just talking about this. DW just bought a fantastic red dress for our Valentines dinner on our cruise in Feb. Her legs are a scosh(sp) white, faded from summer. She mentioned this to a friend and they suggested, oil of olay cream, I think, well one of those. So DW told me and I said cool. But after thinking about it, it doesn't give you a base tan like the tanning salons would. So I'm going to get her some tanning for Xmas.

[CruiseCrabs]

A real tan is the only thing that holds up without significant maintenance. You can also get spray-on hose to even out the color of the leg in a pinch but self-tanner and I never seem to get along for more than three days at a time and most smell simply awful on me. :(

[abba_dabba_doo]

Dove makes a nice self tanner, it's more of a lotion w/self tanner in it, so it's subtle and doesn't smell badly.

[luckycruzer]

a big "ORANGE" lady..yeowwww..ugggg

[RCCLismyfav1]

I am not a fan of tanning beds but my hubby and I want a nice tan for our cruise in Jan so do we do the beds or try spray on?? Will the spray on last or come off in the pool/ocean??

 

 

 

I would go with the the tanning bed, the spray on will start wearing off, plus once you get a good base tan which you should have before you leave you will only darken up as long as you don't stay out to long each day. You will still burn if your not careful, I tan very easy but I still burn if I stay out any longer than 2-3 hours the first couple of days and about 4 hours after the first week. So do apply lotion and be aware of how long you stay out. My knees, nose, lips, eye lids, and the top of my feet are what burn first. Have a great cruise :p .

[KandCsailing]

Neither for me. All the fake tanners I've used turn me orange and I'm not a big enough fan of skin cancer to be bored laying around doing fake sun. I don't bake around the ship's pool either because I don't want to turn into one of the leather alien people you see around the ship. This skin has to last me another 40 or 50 years if I'm lucky, so I try to remember to wear my sunscreen on my face, shoulders, chest, back and top of my feet in the places I burn easily. Any extra tan I get after that is just from walk around the decks, going in the pool and on excusions is what I come home with.

[cruiselovincouple]

I also cannot find a self-tanner that turns my skin the right shade of natural bronze, but I've been to the mystic tan spray-on booths at my tanning salon and was very happy with the results. You put on the blocking cream for hands, elbows, knees, face, ankles, etc and then you avoid the "dirty" look mentioned earlier. I'm planning on going again right before our cruise next month. I'm WAAAAAAY too white right now for the Caribbean!!! :)

[sunsurf]

I think the way a spray on tanner looks once dry depends on your skintone. If you have fair skin, you may get that orange tint until you get a base. I've used Neutrogena Micro Mist and loved it. It didn't leave my skin looking orange, nor did I have any streaks. What's great about this one is that it's a continuous spray so you can get your back side with no problems at all. The only downside for me was that it faded (evenly I might add) after every shower I took so I kept reapplying. I haven't used it lately, but will for my next cruise as a base.

 

Its addictive!!:D . I hope you find what you're looking for.

[Kurbanfan]

Spray tan looks phoney. Go with the tanning bed.

[sunsurf]

Spray tan looks phoney. Go with the tanning bed.

 

For me...the spray on tan worked great as a tan extender after my cruise.

 

A spray tan can look phoney, again depending on the person's skintone, and how much of the spray they actually use, among other factors. If they overuse then yes, it looks phoney. Nothing looks like the real thing though!! I think having that sun kissed glow makes everyone look great!

[Summers]

I was thinking about this so I have to respond....

 

I have olive undertoned skin, so a spray tan/self-tanner doesn't look so bad on me. If you are interested in self-tanner, I think some have different undertones. There is ample discussion on this website: Sunless Tanning

 

I have used the beds in the past, but they definitley are NOT good for you, and the base tan that you get really is not that great. I did it before I went to Rio a couple of years ago and it gave me a false sense of security about the sun -- I actually got a burn because I was not as diligent about sunscreen :O

 

Mystic or Magic Tan would probably be a better option, but go a few times to build it up gradually rather than one big blast of self tanner!

 

Hope this helps a little!

[Jane110]

I am not a fan of tanning beds but my hubby and I want a nice tan for our cruise in Jan so do we do the beds or try spray on?? Will the spray on last or come off in the pool/ocean??

 

 

There are many professionals who do fantastic spray on tans. You could try finding someone, or you could go to a tanning bed and destroy your skin.

[klauer]

I've always wondered why the ship's spas don't offer airbrush tans. I go to a Mystic Tan location that has you stand in four positions (not just front and back), and offers the "clear" option instead of the "bronze". I think that my tan looks pretty good, but it would be nice to refresh it midway through the cruise.

[JRarey]

The Jergens Natural Glow seems to work well for me and I have introduced it to many of my friends and they all love it.

 

It comes in 2 shades, the fair is wonderful for not giving you the orange look, it also seems to work best for my friends that are porcaline (spelling wrong) or fair.

 

The Medium/tan works well when you have a great tan or tan very bronze.

 

It doesnt have alot of the self tanner in it so it doesn't make you look white one day and tan a few hours later, it appears more natural.

[JanineM]

Most people on the ship will be as untanned as you are ... so don't go with the expectation that everyone will have an August tan.

 

I spent time in tanning beds in the 80s and early 90s and damaged my skin. It doesn't take much, just a few visits and you can have repercussions for life. So you may want to try some different spray on or lotion techniques now.

 

Some of the lotions are really very good. I use a Lancome self-tanner and the colour is really good for my fair skin. Clairins used to make a great one also.

 

Most of the department store counters will give you a sample to try, so you can decide if it is what you want.

 

The drugstore brands also can be good, but some of them have a stronger scent. Neutrogena build-a-tan is good, but I can smell it on my skin for a day afterwards. The Dove stuff is okay, but I don't think it gives enough bang for the buck ... you'd need to put it on for a couple of weeks beforehand.

 

The lotions can rub off, especially if you have your legs buffed during a pedicure, or you lie in the sand. So for that reason you might want to have just a bit of colour from a lotion, then you can just reapply when you get back to your stateroom.

[letsgocruz1]

I"m not a big fan of self tanners either. I've never had any luck with them; even the ones that claim to not turn you orange. However, my cousin goes to Sun Tan City and gets a spray tan there. She looks awesome, and is pretty fair skinned as well. She bought some stuff from them that helps prolong it, and gets about 10 days out of her tan. So i am going to try that and see how it turns out. I agree with the others, if you want a fake tan, go with the professional kind. That way you don't have to worry about streaks and getting it even. HTH

[Liv4cruzin]

I live & FL & try to keep a tan year round. But when I can't, I perk up my natural color w/ "Tan Towels". They are individually packaged, disposable, premoistened towelettes that I ordered from Home Shopping Network. On rare occasions I've seen them in the larger "body" size in some boutique type stores. What I like about them is the nice smell & natural looking color. Open the towelette & rub it on your skin in small circular motions. Once it dries, it will not rub off. Just be sure to wash your hands well after using them. You would need to reapply every 3 days or so to keep the color consistent. They come in regular "tan" & "tan plus". As strange as it sounds, ON ME, the regular "tan" darkens my skin better than the "plus".

[kiraryker]

Thanks for the ideas - but how do these self tanners hold up when going in the ocean or pool?

[Summers]

I live & FL & try to keep a tan year round. But when I can't, I perk up my natural color w/ "Tan Towels". They are individually packaged, disposable, premoistened towelettes that I ordered from Home Shopping Network. On rare occasions I've seen them in the larger "body" size in some boutique type stores. What I like about them is the nice smell & natural looking color. Open the towelette & rub it on your skin in small circular motions. Once it dries, it will not rub off. Just be sure to wash your hands well after using them. You would need to reapply every 3 days or so to keep the color consistent. They come in regular "tan" & "tan plus". As strange as it sounds, ON ME, the regular "tan" darkens my skin better than the "plus".

 

Tan Towels are something that was recommended to me by quite a few tanning professionals, especially for people that start out really pale.

 

OP, I'm not really sure how they stand up in chlorine or salt water. I think you would have to reapply during your trip, as I would guess that chlorine especially would fade it a bit.

 

One big down side to self tanner is that it does require maintenance, and for me personally I hate putting any of the lotions on in summer or when it is hot, which is why I would vote again for Tan Towels.

 

Anyway, enough of my early morning no coffee rambling!

[ehfl]

The micro-spray on ones work well. Try Neutrogena

[Rockwife]

The Jergens Natural Glow seems to work well for me and I have introduced it to many of my friends and they all love it.

 

It comes in 2 shades, the fair is wonderful for not giving you the orange look, it also seems to work best for my friends that are porcaline (spelling wrong) or fair.

 

The Medium/tan works well when you have a great tan or tan very bronze.

 

It doesnt have alot of the self tanner in it so it doesn't make you look white one day and tan a few hours later, it appears more natural.

 

I've very pale naturally and I use this product and it never looks fake or orange. It's even better if you get the "firming" kind with caffeine, which smooths out the skin a little and reduces the appearance of cellulite.

 

My cruise is in one month so I'm starting to use it daily now. This way I won't look like Casper at the pool! :) I don't want to frighten the children!

[Rockwife]

Oops, double post. Sorry!