I'm one of the whitest people you'll ever meet. (No— seriously, my DNA is 99% European. Thanks, AncestryDNA!) But my skin has always been significantly paler than those around me. I struggle at Sephora, the beach, and dressing rooms— all because I can't get a tan to save my life. Anyone else?
1. Everyone's bronzed and glowy and you're...not.
Before I went to Ireland in March I had been tanning in a booth for three months trying to get a good base color for the summer. Came back from abroad and I was back to my December shade. Bronze tones just aren't in my future, I guess!
2. Dressing room lighting makes shopping for clothes a nightmare.
Summer clothes + pale skin + winter bod + bad lighting = Hot mess.
3. Self-tanner results in a tangerine glow
Why haven't beauty companies realized yet that a good self-tanner can't be made up of strictly orange base colors? C'mon, it's 2018.
4. You're comparable to Edward Cullen or a Canadian coming out of hibernation
Can't get paler than a vampire, right? Glistening in the sun never gets old.
5. Buying a "summer shade" is Sephora's nightmare.
Can we match my undertones? Can I avoid looking like a Cheeto? Do I look paler than before? Help.
6. You can't get a tan to save your life...
Again...It took me three months to get a base tan.
7. ...But if you're out too long, you'll burn
And it takes me a mere three-hour nap in the sun to give myself sun poisoning. Dermatology is gr8.
8. SPF: We have a complicated relationship
Yes, you give me protective skincare and you prevent me from burning (if I use you correctly), but you also slow down my tanning process. We can't have our cake and eat it too, can we?
9. Wearing certain colors to make your skin seem not so effervescently stark
Black clothes aren't helping my color solution here.
10. Loving the beach and tanning bed even if you never get to your peak bronze-ness
I feel better when I'm tan, okay? Doesn't matter if I even get there— I just love the process of soaking in some warmth.
Get tan or die trying!
— Just kidding guys, skin cancer is a real thing and it's super important to keep yourself on the lookout for anything weird on your body this summer! New moles, changing moles and abnormal scarring can be signs that something's not right. Wear your sunscreen and check out The Skin Cancer Organization for more info on how to protect yourself this summer!
