May 31, 2016

Do You Tan Easily?

tan

Warm weather is here, kids which means plenty of fun in the sun! I’m a bit of the vampire as I tend to avoid the sun like the plague. Why? Because I tan really, really easily.

I don’t really like how my skin looks when it is tanned as it tends to look dull and uneven. Some people embrace the bronze look easily and flawlessly like my sister who’s a sun goodness but not me! I make sure I slather myself in SPF but that doesn’t always prevent my skin from getting darker.

Are you a sun goddess?

Do you tan easily and try to avoid the sun?

Or do you embrace it?

Do share!

38 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Gillie

    I don’t tan, I just burn! Oh, and my freckles get darker. 🙂

  • Michelle

    Even though I live in South Florida, I hate to tan! I just look muddy! So I cover up and use sunscreen.

  • Kimmwc03

    I just burn so I avoid the sun as much as I can. The lobster look does not work for me. 🙂

  • Cathy

    I used to love to get tan. I spent days in the beach and enjoying the sun. I loved my freckles and the glowy skin. But know I enjoy more my pale face!

  • Dora

    I go brown as a nut right away — I mean, I can burn too if I get too much sun, but my skin does tan pretty easily. I wear sunscreen, stay in the shade, cover up, but still I get a good amount of color. I don’t mind a little — and I’m not willing to stay indoors all summer long (which I feel like would be the only way to avoid getting any tan) — but I feel like a dark suntan looks stupid/cheesy. I don’t want to walk around looking like Snooki. Also, wrinkles!

    • Isabella Muse

      I’m the same way, Dora!!!!!! It also dulls me out badly 🙁

  • Heidi

    I loathe being in the sun. I’m super sensitive to bright light, though, so I never tolerated being in the sun unless I’m way up north where it tends to be less intense. Even then I don’t like it, though. I don’t tan very well, though. I burn pretty easily, too, so I don’t like it for that either. And my aunt, who couldn’t go outside in the sun much due to having vitiligo, and I have some of the white spots, too, but not as many, she looks fabulous with this glowy, peaches and cream complexion, in her 70s from not tanning, so I prefer to follow her lead.

  • Marina

    I tan pretty evenly, but I don’t like it on me. I live in Florida, so avoiding the sun is nearly impossible. I got to Universal often, so I make sure to wear sunscreen, but even then I usually tan! I like my fair skin and just don’t think the tan look goes as well with my hair.

  • Robin

    I avoid the sun since I burn not tan.
    I took an Anatomy and Physiology course and they explained that the skin is the body’s largest organ and when you tan or burn you are damaging your body’s largest organ. whoa! I embrace my paleness and will only complain when I can’t find a foundation shade to match my paleness. lol Born This Way foundation in shade snow is a good match (Porcelain was too dark)!!!

  • Carrie

    i remember in 8th grade my family took a trip to tennessee and we were outside all day one day during the trip and when we got back, i noticed that i had the lightest tan. you almost wouldn’t be able to tell until i saw the tan lines from my shirt sleeve and it blew my mind because i almost always burn! i think i’m forever pale (which doesn’t bother me) but i always wonder what if!

    • Tegan

      That has happened to me once, too! I have no idea how it happened, as I didn’t burn or anything (which is the only way my skin will tan: burn first, tan after burn heals). I was disappointed because I love my pale skin, too!

  • Jay

    While I am already naturally brown, I tan pretty easily. I look at past summer camp pictures and barely recognize myself! There’s a big misconception that African American people don’t tan or burn, but I’m here to blow that up! Luckily I don’t blister, but my nose and face will get irritated and peely if I don’t slather on the SPF. I’ve gotten some pretty intense tan lines by the pool. Now my lips….guuurl they burn so easily! I’m talking within an hour in the sun! Its terrible.

    • Isabella Muse

      OMG who says that? African American skin types def do tan and burn. My friend Steffy lives in San Diego and that girl has to bath in SPF because her darker tone actually burns easily. Her cheeks get delightfully red! She hates it but I think it looks rather pretty on her darker tone! Oh you aren’t alone! My lips are super sensitive in the sun 😀

  • Diana

    I go from Casper white to lobster red…it’s weird, since when I was a kid, I’d tan very easily without burning. I live in Florida, and I’m currently in a desert climate right now, so I have a ton of sunscreen with me everywhere I go. I choose to simply embrace the pale and protect my skin, since as I get older, it’s only going to become more important to take care of my skin. I apply sunscreen daily on exposed areas, including ears, neck, and extremities, and I try to wear a hat to protect my scalp.

  • Tegan

    Oh no! I have incredibly fair and sensitive skin that I love to keep porcelain white. I burn like crazy, no matter what I do! I refuse to put anything that is less than SPF 50 on my face and body. Any day spent in the sun (when I’m out with friends or helping my biology mentor with his work), a hat goes on my head and I slather myself in sunscreen. Even if I did tan (which I can achieve if burnt really badly), it would look awful on me, especially since I just noticed that the color I recently dyed my hair is the same color red that Snooki’s is. I definitely don’t want bright red hair and tan skin like that. There was one time when I was with my father and stepmother, and I got a burn on my arm that was in the most unfortunate shape ever on my left arm (I will leave you all to guess what it resembled). The worst part was, it was one of those few burns that left a tan.

  • Emm

    I tan relatively easy but it’s patchy with a few random burns if I’m somewhere like Florida. My mother is a bit darker skinned than myself and when I was 4 my family was on a quintessential family trip to Disney. It was probably well over 90 that day and I kept telling my mom butt hurt when I sat and she kept telling me I was being sensitive… Lo and behold when she’s giving me a bath my butt is beet red! Sun burn on the bum. Never fun.

    So the point of that story was that yes, I am a sunscreen freak and a slather it on like no tomorrow whereas my older sister goes tanning in the winter because it feels nice … So yeah. Vampire for life.

    Sorry for littering your posts with comments, but I’ve always wanted to but never have and now that I’ve started and you’ve enabled me with your replies I can’t stop 🙂

    • Isabella Muse

      Hi Emm! Haha I’m so glad you feel that way! You aren’t littering! I love hearing from everyone! It’s always fun to talk beauty with people who love it as much as me <3! xoxoxo! LOL! omg I can't say I've ever had a sunburn on my butt ;-D haha!

      • blee

        Oh, Emm , sorry I know how that feels! I was headed to a trip in the southern part of the world and needed some sun to be out ( it was winter time here) and I was fried at a tanning bed. I could NOT wear my undies on the plane! But I do like the sun and use natural sunscreen and I love a tan. But after years of burning I now tan but take my time getting there. A balance of sunlight can keep cancer away or take D3 daily if you don’t.
        Musey, girl I bet you look beautiful in a tan! Not, that you are not already 🙂

  • Another Jackie

    I definitely don’t tan easy. I burn and live as a lobster for a day or two then I’m a beautiful tan shade. It doesn’t matter if I wear SPF 50 or higher. I work in the office and don’t seek out the sun so usually the only time that I burn is when I’m on vacation or have an outdoor activity.

  • TropicalChrome

    I burn then peel, which turns into a tan. I hate burning, so I use sunscreen, but I also know I’m going to pick up some color during the summer because I am outside a great deal. I actually kind of like the color – I’m so pale that a little sunglow is nice – but I know it’s not good for my skin so I limit it as much as possible.

  • Amanda

    I guess I tan a little but I always burn a little first (thanks to my mom’s side of the family being half Scandinavian, half French and my dad’s side being half Scottish, half French). Most of the time the burn is barely noticeable. Then I tan and freckle. However, my tans tend seem to be a little uneven. I’ve embraced my paleness and actually don’t like tanning.

  • Jen

    This is the first time in ten years I actually got color in my skin from working on my landscaping. It’s…weird. Half my yard is shaded by seven 50 year old pines, too. I normally burn, peel, and go back to being a ghost. I slather on SPF50 or more every 45 minutes because I’m terrified of getting melanoma like my dad, and I still have this awkward tint that looks really strange with my red-blonde hair.

    • Isabella Muse

      It’s been crappy weather here so I haven’t even started on my landscaping yet! I’m like you, even in the shade of my garden I still end up getting a tan and I slather on SPF every hour on the hour but I still tan easily 🙁

  • Melissa

    I tan easily and love nothing more than baking in the sun, however living in Scotland means I get little opportunity! We seem to be having a mini heatwave of sorts this week though, yay!!

  • Claudia

    I burn slightly then tan like my dad and I inherited my mom’s ability to freckle 🙁 I hate tanning. It burns and stings for a day and then tans and it comes out uneven like a farmers tan due to short sleeves. So I wear SPF when I go outside. Can’t stand hats though. And I am medium skinned. Oh, did I mention I live in Dallas, Texas where I can somehow still manage to burn in winter.

  • Robin

    Hi Muse, maybe you x]can start a post asking for best sunscreen? I need one that doesn’t have too much of an odor/fragrance. I’ve noticed on my commute from work that I’m actually getting a slight tan on my arm and neck and chest. I never thought the rush hour would give me a crazy tan, but it is! Any recs?

    Thanks!

  • Cindy

    Tan? What is a tan? LOL! Porcelain and proud. SPF 100+ AT ALL TIMES. Hate the sun and I’m an air conditioning worshipper in the summer, haha!

  • Ryou

    I tan really easily AND I get freckles. I don’t personally really like how I look with a tan (I have same issues as you). Moreover, I don’t really handle being in the sun very well with my Sensory Processing Disorder anyway, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all.

    Call me the ice cave hermit and bring on the SPF instead!

  • Kathy Agel

    I’m of mostly Irish heritage (3/4 Irish, 1/4 Scottish, the latter from my maternal grandmother), but I have Black Irish coloring — dark hair (well, it used to be — now it’s pewter and silver) and dark hazel eyes — so I tan easily. I inherited that from my parents (my mother had the same coloring as I do, but my father was a blue-eyed blond who tanned to the shade of a walnut door).

    I’m a lizard — we moved from New Jersey to Florida, and I’m out in the sun from February through November. I adore the sun. Give me a book (or my Kindle — the Florida sun gets hot enough to melt the glue in the binding of a paperback), my lounge chair, some cold water, and the pool when I get hot and I’m a happy little camper. I try to get out at least two hours a day, not counting the time I spend working in the yard or riding around on the John Deere cutting the grass.

    Oddly enough, my face doesn’t get as tan as the rest of me — probably because I’m usually looking down at my reading material. I have to force myself to put it down and tilt my head back to get sun on my face. And then I usually doze off….

  • Carrie

    I can tan if I burn first. I love my pale skin, so I try to keep it that way. Haha. I have the same problem as one of the other posters with the lightest foundations being too dark, so I usually just use translucent powder to get rid of shine.

  • Rachel R.

    The tops of my arms get freckles and tan ever so slightly golden. The rest of my arms…and body…burns red in minutes and peels back down to white. Lots of sunscreen for me. I also get freckles on my nose and cheeks, but makeup and sunscreen keeps those to a minimum. They’re kind of cute, though!

  • danadoo

    I love having a tan in the summertime, I look way better after a little sun! I live in Wisconsin, so there’s only a few months out of the year when the sun is blazing hot, and I limit my tanning to the summer. Not to brag (ok, maybe a tiny bit) but I’m 40 years old and people assume that I’m in my 20s on a consistent basis, so i have not had any problems with premature aging or wrinkles. This year i also am using the Jergens natural glow gradual self tanner, i really like how it evens things out.

  • lisabeth

    I can get really really dark, which means I loved tanning when I was younger. Now that I’m pushing 40 I see the consequences of it. i have a sun spot under one of my eyes and nothing has been able to remove it, not several chemical peels. My lips have especially sufferded. they once were line free very pillowy, etc, now they wrinkles and less plump. Which is actually an effect of sun damage. I’ve been religiously wearing SPF the last 10 years but my younger self damage is done. I’m medium skin tones and I’ve learned to embrace my paler self. I’ve became almost paranoid of too much sun now. Always wear SPF, longer sleeves, little skin showing. When I see women in their 20s tanning, i just want to cover them up. No I will never do it but have considered becoming an Evangelist of SPF and no tanning.