Ann Taylor Top (similar) ♦ Ann Taylor Mesh Full Skirt (on SALE!) ♦ H&M & Charming Charlie Bracelets ♦ Off-brand Necklace from America’s Mart ♦ MARC by Marc Jacobs Sunnies ♦ J. Crew Clutch (similar) ♦ Gold Vince Camuto Wedges (similar) ♦

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SALE!

My Ann Taylor Skirt is actually on SALE with

an additional 40% off entire purchase

through this weekend!  

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Summer Pastels with a Healthy Glow:

I love summertime… especially when it means sunny days by the pool or lounging at the lake.  It’s so natural to want a healthy looking summertime glow to really make those soft pastels and whites pop, especially when you’ve been graced with a fair complexion like I have.  And with those sunny days of summer, it’s fairly easy to attain that glow (or burn) from just spending a few hours out under the sun.  But now that I realize just how unsafe it is for your skin to try to be the next sun goddess, I’ve been experimenting with different options to keep that sun-kissed look but avoid the actual sun-damage that comes along with it!

It really hit home just how much my skin was being affected by the sun after Kevin proposed a couple of years ago and we started planning our wedding last year, and I started paying more attention to my face.  I’m not talking about just looking in the mirror and seeing a few laugh lines (I think that shows character), but I actually noticed some discoloration in certain areas that I couldn’t easily blend over with makeup.  I really didn’t want splotches and dark spots on my face distracting from our big day, so I decided to follow my Mamaw’s advice and start protecting my skin.  BTW… I hope my skin looks as great as my Mamaw’s does when I become a grandmother!

While I will admit I did go through a phase during college of spending every minute of summer soaking up the sun or even dipping into a tanning booth (GASP!), I’ve since learned from my wayward methods of developing a healthy glow and have become a bigger fan of some serious SPF and sunless tanning methods.

Enter the Dancing With the Stars Sunless Tanning line of products by Norvell.  They recently launched a new product, their Precision Disposable Sunless Tanning Mitt, which they sent me to try complementary, along with the rest of the Dancing With the Stars Sunless Tanning line.

The disposable tanning mitt was an interesting idea because you do have a lot of control over where your applying the tanner – There is ample tanner on these mitts.  The drawback was that it had only one side of plastic on the interior of the glove to protect my hand, so I had to coat the other side with some serious lotion to avoid it being stained too much.

My absolute favorite product of the line though was the Perfection Self Tanning Mousse.  

I used an old foam tanning mitt, like this one from Norvell, to apply the Mousse and it went on so smooth and easy to use.  The color really does show up almost instantaneously, and then it gradually grows darker over the following hours.

Although this this product line smelled much cleaner than most sunless tanning products I’ve used in the past, there was still a faint coconut type smell after application… and since you’re not supposed to take a shower or sweat for 8 hours after applying this stuff, I normally used the mousse at home on weekend mornings when I could spend the day around the house cleaning and working on Peachfully Chic 😉

I really enjoyed trying Norvell’s Dancing With The Stars line and overall I was very pleased with the healthy glow that I got from it.  It’s sometimes hit or miss for me when using self tanning solutions because you never want to come out looking like a carrot 😉   And while the disposable mitt and the spray weren’t my cup of tea, the mousse was fantastic to work with!

The Endurance Color Boosting Skin Perfecter worked really well for me too if you’re looking to gradually build up a tan.  It worked more like a lotion, so that was easy to put on after showering each day which fit my schedule really well because it took no additional time out of my morning routine!

Overall I like having a subtle bit of color on my skin (you can’t even imagine how naturally pale I can be), and like I said, I do love the way it makes your pastel and white outfits pop… So if you’re looking to try something to gives you that summertime glow without all the sun damage to your skin, I suggest looking at Norvell.  Especially because they have many other options in addition to their Dancing With The Stars line of products, I’m sure you can find something to fit your preference!

 

Let me know if you end up trying any of these out and what your thoughts are!  

And if you have any other suggestions on building a healthy glow… please share your secrets with me! 😉