Whole Body

Fake It Till You Make It

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I got a million compliments during the week I had a spray tan from Blush Tan, the new studio on Federal Hill. Of course, the timing was good: I had just gotten back from a long stretch on the West Coast, and people assumed I had a California glow. I didn’t. I had spent that time away under patio umbrellas and layers of sunblock – because as we all now know, as delicious as the sun feels, it isn’t all that great for us in long stretches. What I did have, though, was 15 minutes with Anna Badalyan, who recently opened the Dean Street location of Blush Tan, and who helped me fake a beachy glow in February.

I have to be honest: I had my suspicions about getting a spray tan. The last one I had, probably a decade ago, left me so orange that I looked like I worked in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. But Badalyan assured me that I would look totally natural – Blush Tan customizes color with 100 different shades – and since it was going to be a long time before I was going to see a beach again, I gave it a shot. My spray tan was done with the Express Solution, which means that once I was sprayed with the color, I only had to leave it on for about four hours before I could shower. It’s a big upgrade from the Original Solution, which you leave on overnight, but not quite as lightning quick as the Super Express, which is more expensive but sets in two hours. By the next day the color had mellowed into what passed as a totally believable tan, and those compliments I mentioned before started rolling in.

What was especially nice about Badalyan’s spray tan was that she was really meticulous about getting the exact right angles, especially on my arms, so that there were no streaks and no missed spots. Once I was comfortable with my new color, I started using Blush Tan’s Gradual Tanning Moisturizer, made with vitamin E and coconut oil, and their aloe and rose hip Body Wash, which both helped extend the color and make sure it was everywhere I wanted it to be. I definitely wouldn’t get a spray tan every week, but for a pop of color during a dreary season, it was exactly what I needed.

Blush Tan
170 Dean Street • 658-1219

Fake It Till You Make It, Julie Tremaine, A beachy glow in any season with Blush Tan, Blush Tan, Dean Street, Anna Badalyan, Providence Monthly, Providence RI, Rhode Island, PVD RI, Providence, PVD, RI

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