By Heidi Evora-Santiago, damali NYC

I will spare you the in depth details of the ill effects the sun and tanning have on the skin,  for only if you have been living under a rock without television, internet or human contact over the last decade, would you be unaware of how prolonged and excessive sun exposure can wreak havoc on your skin. Havoc in the form of age spots, wrinkles, hyper pigmentation and the most harmful, and in some cases lethal, skin cancer.  I will however, share the effects that tanning and sunburns have on how your makeup looks for your walk down the aisle.  The worst nightmare for any makeup artist, besides having their makeup kit run over by a Mack truck, or lost on a flight, on the day of a wedding, is discovering the bride has some stage of sunburn on her face and/or tan lines on her shoulders and back.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love a sun kissed glow, and am happiest when my winter sallow mocha skin turns into a beautiful rosy, chocolate brown. But I always achieve it by wearing a high SPF on my face and body and slowly build on the color over a period of time.  As should you. Below I have listed the most common problems that arise when any form of tanning goes terribly awry.

SEEING RED

This is when you walk in the door and mistake the bride for “Hell Boy” right off the movie screen. The bride’s face literally resembles a large ripe tomato with hair and puffy tired eyes that are swollen due to the lack of sleep from the excruciating pain she was in the night before.  Trying to put on makeup to cover lobster red sunburned skin can be a bit tricky, to say the least.  Not only can it be painful when applied but will often have to be applied heavier than if skin was in its normal state.  And, to compound things, because of the heat radiating from the skin, the makeup tends not to last as long.  Yup, that’s correct, it can actually melt off, which in turn, which means it will have to be reapplied thus irritating the skin further… Do you see where this is going? Nothing good comes out of a severe sunburn.

THE CANDY STRIPER

This is when your bride and/or her bridesmaids skin has what looks like laser cut bands cross their shoulders, arms and at times across the bridge of their noses from sun glasses.  This is probably the most problematic to camouflage because the variation in colors are usually more than 2 shades apart.  Again, it can be covered but with dancing and sweating, more times than not the strap lines will bleed through.  It’s never a good look for anyone, and will most certainly be seen in all your photos later.

SKIN LIKE LEATHER

Sunburns deplete the skin of moisture thus making it appear dry and crapey.  And because the skin is damaged and ready to peel, moisturizers have a hard time penetrating the tanned layer of skin.  Although you can do your best to moisturize  and try to even out the tone with foundation, the skin will still appear dry and  “aged” no matter what you do. Again, definitely not the look that most brides are going for on their wedding day.

THE SHEDDER

Peeling  skin is never an attractive look and it looks even worse in an bridal or evening gown.  It is especially unattractive for the makeup artist that is trying to apply makeup as dead skin is coming off on her hands, brushes and sponges. It is just unfair as, for some reason, makeup foundation does not sit well on new skin.  It is similar to the effect of trying to paint marble; the foundation seems to separate on the skin taking a longer time to apply.

Here are my suggestions for achieving a SUN KISSED GLOW without suffering from any of these over exposures:

SPRAY TANNING

• Do a trial run about 2 months before the wedding.
• Always exfoliate before application.
• Allot enough time to let the spray fully dry.
• My preference is having it done by a trained sprayer and not by a machine.
• Do not go more than two shades above your natural coloring.

SUN BATHING

• Always wear a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF.
• For your face, tan gradually.  Start about 2 weeks before the wedding and only sit out for about 15-20 minutes every other day.  This can be done on a lunch hour.
• For tanning the face and body always remember to:  A. Wear something strapless or B. go topless and C. remember take off your accessories (watches , bracelets and glasses).  Also beware of earphone and headset straps.  And ALWAYS wear your sun screen, reapplying it often.
• Upgrade your moisturizers to a creamier formulation, tanned skin needs lots of moisture it will look better and will help to prevent peeling.
• Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, water keeps the skin looking and feeling hydrated.

***PLEASE NOTE: If your skin is has been describes by any of these adjectives: milky, porcelain, alabaster, or ginger, tread lightly on the sun bathing.  See  Seeing Red (accept for upgrading your moisturizer and drinking water).

A few of my favorite DIY tanning products:

1. Lancome Flash Bronzer

2.Kate Somerville 360 Body Tanning Towelettes

3. Guerlain Terracotta Spray Tan SPF 10

4. Dinair Airbrush Tanning System

5. Sisley Paris Self Tanning Hydrating Body Skin Care

6. Clarins Delectable Self Tanning Mousse

7. St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse