I've got a competition coming up in January and I was just wondering what self-tanning lotion/sprays are the best to use within a reasonable price range? I'm Asian, but my skin is on the lighter side (it's an olive tone) and it definitely looks washed-out if I'm under bright lighting.

Also, in terms of makeup for competitions: I know a lot of ladies wear fake eyelashes and I am looking into doing that as well, but I'm just afraid that with the shape of my eyes, and the natural "folds" that a lot of Asians have in them, that I'll have a more difficult time applying the eyelashes and getting them to stay and/or look right on me. Any suggestions or alternatives? Thanks!

BallroomOle09,

I can not offer you advice on the eyelashes as I am not Asian. But none of my Asain friends have ever mentioned to me that they have had a problem with the eyelashes. But I can offer you personal advice on the tanning lotion based on my experiences. I am so white that people compare paper to me and to top it off I have extremely sensative skin. After a lot of trial and error I finally found something that looks natural on me and does not give me an allergic reaction. The name is Sun Labs Ultra Dark Self Tanning Lotion. You can get it in Dark or Ultra Dark. And it works on any shade of skin.

Pros:
Fairly natural looking (does not make me look orange)
Not over priced
Comes in 2 shades of your chose
Tinted so you can avoid miss spots.
You can apply the day before so you dont have to mess around with it the day of your comp.
I have not had any problems with it staining my costumes.
If you want it a little darker you can apply another coat and it will get slightly darker with each application.
It comes in different bottle sizes so you can buy a lot or a little.

Cons:
If you tend to have acne this can cause breakouts in some. (this is the same for most tanning lotion)
Go real light on your palms or even wash them with soap and water after applying or wear gloves as they will get darker then the rest of you, due to the extra put on them to apply to the rest of the body. So be careful with the palms to make sure they dont get to much. (this is the same for any tanning lotion)
Make sure you apply in the privacy of you own home. Once you apply it you cant get wet for at least an hr. The extra lotion on your skin (that you will wash off) oxidizes and turns a brown green. So until you wash you look a putrid color. (this is normal for most tanning lotion too)

Tips:
exfoliate 1st.
Try it right away so that if it does not work for you; you will still have time to find something else. As everyones skin type is not the same.
Wear grubby clothes while you wait the hour to wash it off because the extra lotion on your skin WILL stain clothes.
Apply in your bathroom so you can wash it off the tub, sink, tile etc. You don't want it spilling on your carpet.

The cheapest place I found to get it is at: TanForLess.com

To me the pros outway the cons especially since these cons are the same for most tanning lotions.

Hope this helps. Good luck at your comp.

Amy,
Owner of AmysAfter5.com and ShopDancesport.com

Thanks for the recommendation and tips, Amy! I'll definitely check into that before January. I also went out and bought a pair of eyelashes for $2 at my local Walgreens and I'm hoping to try them out and see what I need to do to adjust them before the competition. If the eyelash thing doesn't end up working, I think I may just have to stick with mascara, eyeliner, and a lot of sparkly eyeshadow...

BallroomOle09,

No Problem. I love to help if I can.

Tips on the eyelashes:

1. Hold them up to your eye 1st and then cut of any extra lash as they are made long to work for different sized eyes. So just trim of the extra before applying.

2. Put just a thin layer of glue on the tip of the lashes and let sit a few seconds before applying them to your eye. (I put a little dab on my finger then run the base through the glue.)

3. Get the base of the eyelashes as close as you can to your real lashes without them being on your real lashes. TRY NOT TO GET GLUE ON YOUR REAL LASHES. Hold them securely in place for a couple of seconds to make sure their on good.

4. Dont give up to quickly they can be tricky at 1st.

5. Be careful what glue you purchase. I have done research and a lot of brands contain ingredients that are known to irritate the eye. (I know it sounds crazy that they would put stuff like that in eyelash glue but they do.) One such ingredient is Ammonium Hydroxide (go here for more info on the harmful affects of this). I use "go girl hypoallergenic eyelash glue as it does not contain, Ammonium Hydroxide, fragrance, or anything else that irritates my eyes. It holds well too. You can do a google search for "go girl hypoallergenic eyelash glue" and it will pull up places that you can buy it from.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Amy,
Owner of AmysAfter5.com and ShopDancesport.com