I am not radioactive, just lightly tanned

Well I am now furnished & burnished by EzeTan’s sun. Spray tans can be somewhat disconcerting if you haven’t had one before. The spray contains an immediate bronzer so you walk out looking all California golden then, during the course of the evening, you become progressively more tanned as the colour underneath develops.

By morning you look like Cat Deeley.

Of course the bronzer washes off in the shower leaving a lovely golden base. (Although I would never leave the apartment in my mahogany state, I do love it as my eyes go a piercing bright blue and my hair looks incredibly blonde in contrast. I’ve never had a tan that deep in the real world so I rather like the fantasy aspect of it all.)

It doesn’t leave your sheets orange, but I do bleach them in the summer as some colour definitely rubs off. I also keep a separate towelling dressing gown for when I am tanned. And I certainly wouldn’t advise sharing your bed with a boy the night you have a spray. You will smell odd and your tan will rub off rather too quickly.

There’s been some debate in the comments as to whether looking tanned is good or not. I certainly embrace the milky white nature of my natural colouring in the winter, enjoying the contrast with the winter palette, but the bright blues, pinks & yellows, & fuchsia lipstick I love wearing in the summer (& remember NYC is HOT) look appalling against my pale skin. And, if I'm going to be getting my legs out without the protection of 120 denier Wolfords,(& I wear pretty short sundresses as a matter of course), then they are going to need a little perking up.

Part of me thinks it’s irresponsible to promote tanning in any way when a real sun tan can kill. But the other part knows that, as a natural blonde, I just look better, plain & simple, in the summer with a very light golden colour.

I just wish that women didn’t still think it a good idea to bake themselves in UVA & UVB to achieve that effect.

It’s important to note that spray tans give you no protection whatsoever from the sun. I wear a dermatologist recommended SPF15 moisturiser containing the most upto date sunscreen by La Roche Posay on a daily basis throughout the year, even in the depths of winter, and always, always carry sunscreen & SPF lip balm from spring through to autumn, whether I am in the city or on the beach.

Nivea sent me their new DNAge Cell Protection Anti-Aging Face Sun Cream SPF50 spray a couple of weeks ago. It's been developed especially for the backs of hands, the face & décolletés: the areas which show sun damage the quickest.

Although it smells absolutely hideous ('fresh, subtle fragrance' my arse), it’s a convenient size to carry around for spraying on the hoof.(Although I'm somewhat dubious about a few of Nivea's claims. Best to treat it as a sunscreen not a miracle anti-ager.)