to have a spray tan before I go on holiday?

[LadyBlaBlah]

Never had one before.

The first few days of bikini anxiety may be reduced through fake orangeness - is it worth it - yah or nay?

It is worth it to look gorgeous and sun kissed while everyone else looks pasty, BUT you will not be able to go in the pool/sea as you will come out very streaky. Up to you!

I had one done just before we went away after Christmas. I had never had one before (or even used fake tan!) but didn't want to be too pasty on the beach. I have to say it was great! I wasn't orange at all, it lasted about 5 days- just long enough to get a bit of natural colour, and absolutely no streaking! I had a 'Fake Bake', cost £40 but it was a Christmas pressie.

Nay, I had one proffessionally done and ended up with tiger stripes, had to cover up for days till I could scrub it off.

I fake-baked before my last foreign holiday - my skin is naturally bluish white and I wanted to ponce around the pool with pride in my new swimming costume rather than cringing under a parasol like I usually do. It was worth it - the only thing was, I got gradually paler as the week wore on, whilst everyone else got gradually darker, but if I tanned more easily that wouldn't have been a problem.

I had a spray tan before we went away May, was fab! My mate does it and my advice would be to have a shower before you go and exfoliate knees and elbows go as late as you can in the day, wear loose clothes and the next day use a body puff/polisher to soap up and then, like when you dye your hair, wash until the water runs clear to avoid stripes.

PS. Mine wasn't orange!

def get a spray tan done or use moisturizer with tan it in for a few days before ( i often do)

nothing worse than being the milk bottle by the pool lol

you wont streak/come off in the pool etc

just make sure you use sun cream or will burn if normally that pale

Oh yes, I always got that done (pre-children!). Lovely and brown when you first get there albeit I was always much paler when I got home as I don't tan. Get it done properly and no orange!

EmmaBemma, you are me. I went away for a weekend with the girls. I had a fake tan before I went and came back paler . I need to sunbathe for at least 10 days before I look remotely brown.

I had one done before I went on holiday and was in and out of the pool all day. No streaking but I used a moisturiser with a tan-extender in it religiously.
Well worth it as we went on holiday with a friend and his gorgeous 10 years younger than me with no kids, caramel skinned girlfriend

don't get the comments about not going into the pool or sea? I had a st.Tropez spray tan done before I went on hols to Italy last year and it was fab and lasted really well. I took the everyday lotion with me and just toped it up every few days. wasn't orange at all and the photos are the first hol pics that I haven't been embarrassed about (usually am white or lobster red).

Used factor 50 when out and about and didn't catch the sun at all. Applied the everyday stuff after showering at night as it would have been a real hassle to do that in the morning and then put sunblock over that.

Yes, get one done and to prevent the colour fading top up with a daily gradule self tanning lotion. That's what I do as my legs take forever to tan and bever go a deep brown.

get a fake bake spray tan and you will look fab ! i had one done for my wedding as im really pale and it looked very natural not a hint of orange

I'll be flamed alive for this but I went on a sunbed for 5 mins the day before going on my week-long beach hol this summer.

Benefits were twofold - firstly I felt more bikini-confident (cellulite loads less visible if brown somehow!) and secondly I was less likely to get burnt in my first few days as once you have a bit of sun on your skin you won't burn as easily - true tale.

If you haven't used a sunbed before, 5 mins is pretty short but enough to give a bit of colour, perhaps the amount you'd get after a couple of days of being careful in a hot country and much more even.

My mum is a fairly disapproving lady of most things I do but she said it was a sensible plan - better to use sunbed and prevent actual proper burning, which is the main factor in dangerous sun exposure. She was prescribed a sunbed for her house after having bas eczema-type problems and is no longer typically middle-class judgeypants about them.

Anyway it worked and I managed to get a steady, reasonable tan over a week's hol without burning at all, wearing factor 20 when properly sunbathing, and always on my face even if just sight-seeing etc.

Sunning yourself really is the new smoking - socially unacceptable, and not half as bad for you!

YABU. It's a waste of money and why does it matter what you look like on holiday when you are relaxing among complete strangers?

Common as muck I'm afraid. YABU.

not common - ever been to St Margarets Snobear4000? No didnt think so. Let's say that the clientele in our beauty salon who have a spray-tan are definitely not common!

I never gave much thought to it before, but after our last holiday, OH said he will do a sunbed session before our next holiday. He is a 'mans man'- doesn't use creams or anything and is growing grey gracefully, so it's not a vanity thing. It's basically what snoozathon said. It would give him a base tan and lessen the chances of him burning. He burned quite bad, despite using factor 50 (he had kids climbing on his back and jumping off- little did he realise, they were inadvertently rubbing the lotion off).

I'm British Asian so I use factor 20 but I still get a little burnt- I may follow suit. And get a pedi and mani whilst I'm in the salon.

You do know that it's a fallacy that getting a tan means your skin is somewhat protected?? Going on a sunbed to get 'a base tan' is actually just starting the sun damage.... Not a good idea.

I am mixed race, and still use factor 30 whenever it's hot, and 50 if I'm abroad. When I lived in Australia, people generally thought I was at least 5 years younger than I am, due to lack of skin damage compared to locals. Just a thought!

I'm glad this has been asked because I'm thinking of doing the same .... Going to Portugal next month for long weekend with a friend, just me and her, no men or kids. Bliss! I don't tan, still as white as I was the day I was born!!! I burn and am white again the next day!

Can you use sun cream on top without making it go streaky?
What are the realistic chances of it streaking after going in pool/sea?
What kind of shade to I need to go for to avoid looking orange?
Having never had one, presumably you are naked when you have it done so it's all over but is it an automatic one like on friend (Ross, who keeps missing it on his back) or is it a person doing it.

Friends even! Not friend!

Do it! I did and gosh it puts you in a holiday mood.

Things to note are that you can't wear a bra afterwards and prob best to wear flipflops. Also the "dye" has to be left in place for 8 hours before you shower - so don't pop in on the way to work! And exfoliate like mad the night before.

I used factor 50 all holiday and I also went swimming the day after - no streaking or turning the pool brown!

Tell the salon why you are havIng it done. But yes, you look and feel so much better on the beach with a tan.

Sun beds are bad for your skin, so why do it?

Fake tans are crap. No matter how much you pay for them, and how much the beautician tells you otherwise, you will look orange, and it will come off in the pool and on your clothes.