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My Experience Getting My First Ever Spray Tan 

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Emily Reynolds Student Contributor, Michigan State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

About two weeks ago, my friend forced me to get a spray tan for her birthday. I have only ever done self-tan out of a bottle, so this was entirely new to me. I didn’t want to come out looking orange, so I watched as many videos as I could to prepare myself. The spray tan appointment itself was free due to a flash sale the salon was doing. This included a standard bronze spray formula; however, I didn’t want to look crazy walking out of my appointment at 2 p.m., so I opted to get the clear formula instead. The preparation I did the night before my appointment was actually quite simple. I took a shower and made sure to properly exfoliate and shave. However, you’re not allowed, or supposed to, put any lotion on after to ensure an even tan. 

Walking into the salon for my appointment, I was somewhat nervous. It was my first time ever going inside, and I felt out of place next to all of the other girls who seemed like they had been doing this often. However, all of the employees were very nice and helpful, which alleviated a lot of my stress. I walked down the hallway to a small room where one of the employees walked me through every step of the process. I was left alone for the rest of the time to do all of the steps. There were four very simple poses, which I had studied during all of my preparation. There was also a huge poster in the room in eyesight that I looked at, just to make sure I was doing them correctly. After about 15 minutes, I was all done and heading back home. 

After the appointment, you’re not allowed to get wet or sweat excessively, so I rotted in my bed in loose clothing for the rest of the night until it was time to gently rinse off my developed tan with just water. One of the things I liked about getting the clear formula was watching it develop throughout the day. I’m glad that I chose that option because I got very tan and thought I would look insane if I had chosen the already bronze option. For it being my first time doing anything like this, the tan came out great, if you didn’t look at my overdeveloped orange hands. Even though I might stick to regularly self tanning at home, I thought this was an easy experience, and I will definitely consider going again for special occasions.

Emily is a senior at Michigan State University studying Advertising Management. She graduated high school from a small school in Northern Michigan where she was a member and leader in student government, National Art Honor Society, National Honor Society, and Youth Advisory Council (Y.A.C.); serving roles in each. When she goes home for school breaks and the summer, she works as a sales associate and the social media manager for her local hardware store. She enjoys working on the store layout while in person as well as posting weekly on social media accounts and updating the company website that she created to keep their customers informed of what products they have and the services they can assist with, while away at college.

In her free time Emily likes to attend concerts, listen to music, watch movies, go on hikes or walks, and spend time with her friends and family. She loves 80s movies and music with her favorite movie being Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. She also loves to play soccer and volleyball, playing both since she was a kid.

She is excited to get the opportunity to write for Her Campus and be a part of this community.