Spray tan central: Mystic Tan HD

Greetings from Vegas!

For the past four days I have been in Sin City on vacation.  This trip has become an annual occurrence happening every August and for about a week before I travel, I set aside time to prep myself.  I mean, this is the land of tanned, fit, and perfect bodies.  So that includes sugaring, waxing, and most of all, tanning.  Now I don’t do tanning beds and unfortunately I don’t tan well either, so that leaves self tanners.  Although I usually self tan every day for a few days before my trip, this year I went a different route and got a spray tan.

I’ve done a spray tan once before in the spring time before the snow melted and loved the results so I decided to get another before my trip. I think the words “spray tan” mean “orange glow” for a lot of people, but you actually end up with the same results you would get with a good self tanner, it’s just way quicker.

Tan booth

I used the Mystic Tan HD system at my local Fabutan, which is a booth that walks you through the process (literally, it talks to you).  You choose from four different colours (Glow, Light, Medium, and Dark) and then there are add-ons, such as moisturizers, bronzers, fragrances, and more.  In the spring I went with the Light shade, however, this time around I went with the Medium and it gave me the perfect glow.

The process starts before you get to the booth.  At home, make sure you exfoliate 24 hours before your appointment (although I literally exfoliated right before the appointment and it was fine).  Before your appointment you should have clean skin, so no moisturizers, lotions, makeup, etc.  Once you arrive at your tanning location, in my case Fabutan, you tell them which shade you want and then they will try to up sell you on different products.  I have always gone with my friend Jessica and she gets the moisturizer so we share that and then I buy the gradual fader stuff that they add to the tanning cartridge so your tan fades evenly.
From there, you are taken to a room where you undress and then put on a shower cap that exposes a touch of your hairline, and then you apply barrier cream to your hands, palms, in between your fingers, and around the sides of your feet.  Once the machine is ready (she will tell you – yes, it’s a female voice), you open the door, step in, and wave your hand telling her you are ready to start.

From there, she guides you through the process. Basically, she tells you where to place your feet (there are the numbers one to four on the ground) and you squat, hold out your elbows, and your forearms pointing down.  After each “turn” it blows hot air on you to dry.  The whole process takes no longer than 10 minutes from entering the room to leaving it.  The colour is not instantaneous, you have to wait at least four to six hours for the tan to develop, therefore you cannot get wet or anything.  Also, make sure that you are wearing loose-fitting clothes to the tan develops evenly.  My appointment was at 7:30 p.m., so I basically went home after, chilled, and went to bed.  When I woke up the next morning I was nice and tan.

me white

Before the Mystic Tan HD

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After the Mystic Tan HD

Now, obviously there is a safety concern.  Spray tans and self tanners contain DHA, which is the chemical that mixes with your body’s chemistry to develop a tan colour.  According to the FAQ section on Mystic Tan HD’s site, DHA is a non-hazardous compound and causes no adverse reaction in moderate quantities when applied topically or even ingested.  Based on their research, the maximum amount of DHA that could accidentally be ingested or breathed during a one-minute Mystic Tan session would be .05 milligrams, which is equivalent to less than one grain of common table salt.  Your best bet would obviously be to not inhale it to keep on the safe side.  I will say though, that you will smell like self tanner, but if you wanted to, you can buy the scent stuff that they add to the mix.   You will also have orange heels, but you can also buy stickers that go on the bottom of your feet as well.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick and easy way to get a tan, try out the Mystic Tan HD.  I have not been contacted by the company or Fabutan to do this post (although I wish I was), I am just sharing my experience with the product (process?).  As a self-tan fanatic, this is a quick and easy way to get tanned (and no, not Lindsay Lohan orange, be cautious of the colour you choose, don’t be too ambitious!).  I have heard horror stories about self tanning gone wrong, but honestly, if you just follow the directions you will be fine.

For those who want to give it a try, participating Fabutan locations in Canada (not sure about the U.S.) are holding a free Mystic Tan HD day for new customers (there will be other deals for existing customers) on Friday, August 23, 2013.  I believe it is first come, first serve, but hey, a free Mystic Tan HD?!  I would so be down!  These retail for $29.99 a session, which is very pricey, however, Fabutan often has deals like buy-one-get-one free or buy-two-get-one free.  I don’t think I would ever pay the full price for a session (as the tan only lasts for a week), but if you can get a deal, jump on it!

Have you tried the Mystic Tan HD?  Have a spray tan experience you want to share?

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The texture trend: Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat

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Piggybacking off runway shows, Sally Hansen has developed a new trend in nail polishes.

Called Fuzzy Coat, these polishes create the illusion of blurred, woven, and marbled fibers, resembling hand-spun yarn over your existing nail polish.  Available in eight different shades, Fuzzy Coat spices up any mani!

Fuzzy coat

When I first saw Sally Hansen’s Fuzzy Coat in stores it didn’t really impress me.  From the name alone, I thought it would make your nails feel fuzzy once applied.  It doesn’t do that.  Instead it basically just adds confetti to your nails.

pink coat pink top pink coat blue coat green I tried Wool Lite and Fuzz-Sea and between the two, I prefer the pink one (Wool Lite) better.  I layered it over Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure in I Lilac You and the juxtaposition between the pink and purple was really pretty.  Fuzz-Sea is blue and yellow “confetti” (aka bar glitter but without the glitter) and I layered that over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet.  It was alright, but it reminded me of those Easter egg chocolates.

I would apply two coats to get a ton of the confetti on my nails and with a topcoat, they lasted a few days without chipping.  Removal was like taking off glitter polish, I had to use a few cotton rounds to remove all of it.

Overall, I didn’t think I would love these and I don’t.  I have seen bar glitter topcoats before and that is essentially what these are (except these aren’t shiny).  Also, with a name like Fuzzy Coat, I was expecting to have teddy bear nails, which unfortunately I did not (wahhh).

At $7.95 a pop, if you wanted to give these a try you certainly aren’t breaking the bank.

Are you going to give Sally Hansen’s Fuzzy Coat a try?

Also, don’t forget to enter my IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Vanity brush set giveaway!

Please note, I was sent this product for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

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Sugar, sugar! Sally Hansen Sugar Coat nail polishes

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Nail art is still dominating the nail world and trends are popping up like no one’s business.  First there was shatter, then nail stickers, and now, textured polish.

Textured nail polish has been all the rage recently, with many nail companies trying to up and ante with their new products.  There are a ton of polish brands who have come up with their own version of this liquid sand (OPI’s version, for instance), but my lucky little hands got to try Hansen’s Sugar Coat nail polishes.

sugar coats

From Sally Hansen:

A multi-dimensional formula infused with a sugar-like texture for a 3-D volumized, colour-saturated nail look. Sally Hansen’s latest polish breakthrough leaves nails looking good enough to eat with a sweet sugar-dipped effect. The Sugar Coat leaves nails brilliantly varnished with a hard candy finish in rich shades—a sweet treat for nails.

 The formula applies like a crème and quickly transforms into a sugarcoated, semi-matte finish for a deliciously vibrant manicure.

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t think I would like this particular trend at all.  I’ve seen these in stores and just wasn’t into them.  I thought that the polish would feel too grainy and I would want to scratch and peel at it until it was all gone.  I also thought that it would feel like I had emery boards on my nails.

Lick-O-Rich

Lick-O-Rich

Razzleberry

Razzleberry

I got to try two shades – Lick O Rich, a black colour, and Razzleberry, a really pretty deep ocean blue. You apply two coats and as the polish dries it become all textured.  I tried the black one first and I have to say that I actually loved the effect.  Maybe because it wasn’t as obvious a texture as I thought it would be, or because it actually looked like I dipped my nails into black sugar (it was even a little glittery), but I have to say that I ended up loving it.  Same with the blue, which is a gorgeous shade by the way, it looks really nice on, and best of all, I wasn’t annoyed by it.  The black one lasted a few days, whereas the blue chipped after a day or so.  I just used a base coat for these, no top coat.  The blue one also ended up staining my nails and cuticles (boo!).

These retail for $7.95 and you can find them at drugstores or supermarkets.  They are also available in six other shades as well, including a white which would look soooo nice on the nails.  If you are interested in the trend but don’t want to splurge, I would definitely give these a try.  I’m glad I did!

Have you tried the Sally Hansen Sugar Coats?  Are you a fan of textured nail polish?

Also, don’t forget to enter my IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Vanity brush set giveaway!

Please note, I was sent this product for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

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