Bronzed beauty, the healthy way

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 presetThere is nothing we enjoy more than a long day spent on a beautiful beach sunbathing. However, we are not naïve to the dangers of sun exposure.

We always wear sunscreen when we are in our bikinis, whether for pure enjoyment or for shooting purposes. Furthermore, we wear a moisturizer with SPF on our face and neck every single day, even when we have no plans to sit outside in the sun. Our favorite body sunscreen is Kiehl’s, while our favorite facial suncreen is Neutrogena.

We receive many questions about our tanning methods and truthfully, we are all natural. We do not use tanning oils or tanning beds. In fact, we strongly advise against the use of tanning beds. Recent studies have shown that 450,000 skin cancer cases each year can be attributed to indoor tanning.

However, we do encourage using alternative tanning methods to mimic a sunkissed glow. We have been experimenting over the past few weeks to find products we can recommend. Generally, we found that gels are too streaky and often produce an unnaturally dark color. Mousses should also be avoided for the same reason and they are also hard to blend.

Our favorite self tanning product is by far, St. Tropez ‘Everyday’ Gradual Tan for Body. It smells significantly better than the other tanning products we tested and it produces a nice, even glow. We also like Neutrogena Sunless Tanning Spray Micro Mist.

Before applying your self tanner, exfoliate well in the shower and shave, if needed. Apply the lotion after the shower just as you would with any moisturizer. Be careful around the elbows, knees, and ankles as those are the areas where the most dry skin is located that can suck up the color. Applying the tanning spray is very simple as well, even better if you can have a friend help you reach the tricky areas like the back. Make sure to wash your hands after using any self tanner, focusing in between the fingers.

Safe tanning ladies!

 

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  1. “WE RECEIVE MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR TANNING METHODS AND TRUTHFULLY, WE ARE ALL NATURAL.”

    After enjoying ABAD I find this statement pretty disappointing. People who know you from outside life or the early stages of ABAD know that your level of tan in your photos is not “natural” as you claim (ex: you’re both significantly more pale in photos from your Bikini Bird interview). Do you make this remark to make your readers feel they can’t achieve the “beauty” that you do because it’s supposedly God-given? Clearly, you do some level of tanning and your skin colors are not so naturally golden. I suppose your next article will say that you don’t work out either, and that bikini bod comes effortlessly? … Right… If you want your site to succeed and be taken seriously and respectable, be real.

    1. Hi Leah,

      We are sorry that you find our article disappointing we would like to clarify what we mean by “natural” as we certainly do not want people to misinterpret. Devin and I do have naturally olive skin and apart from the occasional trip to the beach to shoot or lay in the sun, always using sun protection of course, we like to use bronzers and self tanners. We are glad you have read our Bikini Bird article and hope you understand the editing of each shoot is different and may not necessarily be edited to show our natural skin tone. We think that all skin tones are beautiful and hope we we’re able to create this understanding. Thank you for being an avid follower from the beginning! x