Sex Symbol Aerotan (Instant Temporary Tanning Spray), 5.3 fl. oz.

Tanned skin makes almost everyone look better (somehow all of our skin infractions don't seem as egregious), but I am afraid of melanoma so I haven't tanned in the sun in about 4 years. You'd think that sometime in the last 4 years I'd have experimented with self-tanner since I understand the benefits of a "healthy glow," but I've heard (and seen) too many negative things about it: it's streaky, it turns you orange, it stains your clothes, etc. But the time has come for me to foray into the world of self-tanner: I am having a local wedding ceremony this month for a few close family and friends who couldn't make it to our destination wedding in New York City, and since this is June in Southern California and not March in New York, I have to bare my arms this time around (in NYC, I was able to wear a faux fur wrap to hide my arms). Here's the thing: I hate my arms. I am a bit overweight, and my arms definitely show it. Unfortunately, my wedding dress is strapless. I know, I know; I picked it. The thing is, I was on a $400 dress budget which reduced me to samples, and there is not a lot of variety when you're a bridal size 14. Since I can't afford a bolero, it's time for me to try self-tanner (I can't even afford a professional spray tan). Lucky for me, I found this gem at my local Marshalls for $6.00:

Sex Symbol Aerotan

I haven't experimented with this product a whole lot yet, but what I've seen I like. This product is a spray, so I applied it in my back yard because I didn't want the spray to get all over my house. I ended up spraying at pretty close range so sometimes it looked like a flow of brown spray paint on my leg, but I just had to rub it in to even it out and it was no problem. You're supposed to be able to build the color, but it was my first time so I think I got a little overzealous and went straight to a deeper tan, but it looked good. It wasn't streaky at all, and it has a bit of a shimmer to it, which I like. It also smells good - kind of coconutty. After I rubbed it into my skin the palms of my hands were pretty saturated, so I went straight into the kitchen and washed them with warm water and dish soap and it came right off, no problem.

In the shade

In the sun

My spray-tanned leg definitely looks better/more natural in the sun - in the shade it looks a little orangey, but I think if my other leg matched, the orange wouldn't look as out of place. Also, it didn't really look orange in person, but rather more of a bronze.

When I use this spray tan for real on my wedding ceremony day, I will definitely need some help. Getting my leg today was pretty easy because I could see all of it and was able to use both hands to blend, but doing my arms and back on my own would be impossible. Since my experiment was brief, I can't provide a full review today, but you can expect one within the month after I try it at my ceremony. Today was just a trial run to see if it is even worth wearing at my wedding ceremony, and I am happy to say that it is! 

(Note: I read a few other online reviews of this product and people were saying it doesn't ruin your clothes. They said that it might get on your clothes if you sweat, but it washes out and doesn't stain. I'll let you know how it does with my dress; I'll be dry cleaning it afterwards anyway, so I'm not really worried).

Overall: This spray tan wasn't streaky at all, nor too orangey in person. It was easy to apply, has a nice shimmer to it on the skin, and smells good. I am excited to wear it with my wedding dress and hopefully it helps my arms look less flabby!

Re-buy?: I got a great deal on this product at Marshalls, but on Amazon it looks like it sells for between $10.00 and $20.00. Since I don't know how long the bottle will last yet, nor how well it does with clothing, I am not sure what within that range I'd be willing to pay for this spray. However, if I ever find it for $6.00 again I'd buy it in a second! Too bad Marshall's didn't have another bottle - I'd be there today buying it.