In my past I remember carefree, pre-kid days of lounging by the pool, leisurely paging through a magazine. But motherhood leaves not enough time and too much skin damage knowledge to spend much time lounging in the sun. Still I can’t get away from wanting that golden summer glow. I’ve tried all sorts of self-tanning products over the years which have offered everything from mediocre, barely-there results to orange-legged disasters. But I haven’t given up hope which was why I was intrigued when I heard about Sevin Nyne Tanning Mist, a new spray tan developed by celebrity airbrush tanner Lorit Simon and Lindsay Lohan. (Now I know what you may be thinking – Lohan hasn’t exactly garnered much positive PR in the last few years – but we’re just talking about finding a good spray tan here, not becoming BFFs with her.)
How it works: Step 1: Get naked. Step 2: Spray Sevin Nyne in long, sweeping strokes wherever you want to get tan. Step 3: Wait 3-4 minutes for skin to dry and get dressed. Done!
The good news: Sevin Nyne Tanning Mist provides an incredible, natural-looking tan in seconds. Unlike many lotions that only utilize DHA which has to react with your skin to produce a color, Sevin Nyne Tanning Mist uses DHAs in combination with caramel coloring that immediately produces tanned limbs. So there is no waiting for color to develop, no planning hours (or days) in advance for golden skin. This tanning mist is not meant to be rubbed in which means no risk of orange palms and the mist dries super fast compared to many lotions I’ve used. In addition, Sevin Nyne has a pleasant smell and includes skin-benefiting ingredients like the extract from goji berries and chardonnay grapes.
The not-quite as good news: There is a reason people pay professionals for spray tans. This product is not fool-proof and getting an even tan takes a little practice. The product recommends using light, sweeping strokes while holding the can 12 inches from your skin, which I found can be hard to do depending on where exactly you are trying to spray. But by my fourth attempt, I had learned some tips and tricks and was able to spray on a great tan in minutes! I’ll share my tips below.
Also, since the mist actually contains color in it you need to be very careful about where you do your spraying. The first time I used Sevin Nyne I decided to actually get in the shower to spray it on – so glad I did. When I was finished, my tub and tile were tanned too! Fortunately the product washes off easily, but if I hadn’t had the curtain closed, I might have been cleaning my whole bathroom. Sevin Nyne is dye-free and washes out of fabric, but save yourself the hassle and spray somewhere easy to wipe down or, if you dare to be bare (and have high fences), your backyard.
Tips and Tricks: First, be sure to read the entire online tips page BEFORE you spray! There are lots more tips online than they put on the box about how to prepare your skin, use the product and maintain your glow. Here are the four most important tips I learned along the way.
Tip 1: Start the spray away from your body. This was the most important tip that I read (after my first less-than-stellar application) and keeps you from having dark spots on your body from the initial release of the spray.
Tip 2: Twelve inches is farther than you think. Get out a ruler if you have to, but my first 2-3 applications I realized I was holding the can way too close of my skin which resulted in dark spots. It’s a mist, so the mist particles need room to spread out and disperse before they hit your skin.
Tip 3: Don’t rub it or touch it until it dries. My first time when I had some dark spots, I tried to blot them with a tissue – bad idea as this made it worse. Remember that the product has DHA in it so over the next few hours the color begins to even out.
Tip 4: Cover your feet while you are spraying your body. If you don’t, your tootsies will catch all the residual spray from the rest of your body and be extra golden.
Final verdict? Two golden thumbs up for Sevin Nyne’s color and quick application. So far I’ve done four full leg sprays, but I’m wondering how many applications the 5 oz. can holds. At $35, it is undoubtedly more expensive then a bottle of self-tanning lotion from the drugstore. But in my experience, those products have always produced sub-par color. And isn’t the color the main point when you’re trying to fake a just-back-from-the-Caribbean tan?
To get your own golden gams this summer, all you need is a steady hand and Sevin Nyne. Visit the Seven Nyne website for more information or click on over to Sephora, the exclusive retailer for Seven Nyne Tanning Mist.
Lindsay Lohan is such a crazy girl!