We all get envious of the perfectly tanned bodies of the celebrities that splash the front covers of magazines & appear on our TV weekly. It's almost like as if they are on permanent vacation on some exotic beach in the Mediterranean. I for one always love the look of a good tan on anybody. We're talking about that healthy glow here, not the oompa loompa orange that some sorority girls & rehabbed starlets love to flaunt. You want to sport a tan that looks good but appears flawless & not overtly noticeable.

A lot of the time we don't have the time or luxury to hit the beach to work on our tan, thats why tanning products have been made to help us in our quest to look like tanned gods. Tanning has gone a long way in the last decade & all of the usual pitfalls of fake tanning have been eliminated. While hitting up your local tanning salon is a great alternative, it can get pricey. At-home products are now easily available to everyone & can achieve that wanted glow. It used to be that the lotions & sprays would dry your skin out, leave you splotchy or just plain not work, with new products from leading brands steering the market into a more healthy & reliable way of tanning, who wouldn't want to maintain a tan well into the winter months. The following steps & products are vital in achieving that natural tan that we all seek.

Exfoliate Exfoliate Exfoliate! There is nothing more important to tanning than starting of with a clean, fresh slate! You want to remove the upper layers of your skin that may be dead & cause your tan to appear blotchy. A good hot salt scrub is perfect to prep your skin. I like to always use products like lotions that tan you gradually. This is most likely the cheapest & easiest way to develop a nice glow. It takes about a week to start getting results but works if you have some time & don't need an immediate tan. A preferred lotion of mine to achieve this is the St Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan.

Tan All Over! What works for our body doesn't necessarily work for our face. Let's face it, you wouldn't lather up your face with the same lotion you use on your body would you? Tanning brands have made self-tanners for your face that are void of any harmful products like parabens & sulfates that are bad for your skin.

Spray Evenly!  We would all be liars if we said we didn't enjoy instant gratification every once in a while. A tan in a bottle is the easiest way to get that immediate glow before an event or special occasion. The problem is that not all spray tan bottles are created the same. Some can leave you orange, blotchy or looking like a George Hamilton wannabe, the best spray tan out there that I have used is the St Tropez Bronzing Spray. The trick to achieving an even & all-over tan is the application. While a lot of brands say they will give you a streak free tan, it is almost impossible to achieve this without having multiple passes on your skin. That is why I prefer to use a tan applicator mitt to even out the spray tan & make sure that no area is left untouched.

Hopefully these tips & products will help you achieve that year long glow & have your friends asking you where you just got back from vacation. If they only knew!