Should the #1 Prom accessory be banned?

In the full midst of prom season, this is the busiest time of year when it comes to dress shopping. Many of those bodies wriggling into pastel-colored beaded gowns haven't seen the sun since last summer, and while beautiful porcelain skin is the rage right now amongst celebrities (picture Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Amanda Seyfried, just to name a few!), some teenagers still envision a tan as the perfect, finishing touch to their black-tie attire. 

Recently banned in the United Kingdom, tanning bed usage before the age of 35 has been shown to raise risk of deadly melanoma by 75%, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation.

In the United States, there are currently 12 states that are working on laws that restrict teenagers from using tanning beds. 

If being tan is a must-- the only safe glow is one that comes from a bottle. St. Tropez makes great, user-friendly options that can be applied right in the privacy of your own home, or you could search for local spray-tan businesses and for a special occasion-- such as prom-- employ an expert to perfectly bronze you.

What do you think-- should teenagers that have the right to smoke, vote, and drive, not have the decision to tan?

Is tanning the real culprit behind Britney's beauty fade?

I love Britney Spears, and despite her tabloid drama, there is no questioning that she is undeniably talented. (Whether you like her genre of music or not, her albums are consistently financially successful.) 

Breaking onto the scene as a fresh-faced teenager with the release of "Baby, One More Time," Britney immediately established herself as a sex-symbol. With a pretty face, perfect body, scant clothing, and enticing dance moves, she had both the boys and girls crushing on her. (Her charm knew no sexual boundaries, a hetero girl-friend from college was almost as obsessed with the boys of AEPi as she was with Ms. Spears, and a homo-sexual male has been one of her biggest supporters.) 

When she combined her genetically blessed appearance with a clever costume designer; Britney ingrained herself into pop-culture with numerous unforgettable looks:

And then, after a couple years worth of wear and tear, this happened to our Britney (isn't it crazy to think that such drastic changes occurred in a little over 5 years?!): 

Yes, drinking, drugging, smoking, and taking horrible care of herself certainly all contributed to her beauty demise, but I think the biggest factor in Britney's sudden, rapid-fire aging, has been her devotion to tanning. 

Never one to hide this obsession, from the very beginning Britney admitted to having a tanning bed on her "Baby One More Time" tour bus, and during all of the shaving head/Kevin Federline/mental break-down drama, the first thing Britney allegedly did after having her children taken away from her-- was go tanning.

Proven over and over again to be the #1 controllable factor when it comes to aging, the popularity of tanning has been extremely detrimental to the health of our society. A "tan" indicates that sun damage was occurring to your skin, and your skin changed color as a result of trying to protect itself. Years of this practice leads to thick, wrinkled, leathery looking skin, and significantly increases the odds of contracting potentially fatal skin cancer. 

Decades of fake and bake has certainly taken it's toll on Britney Spear's once enviable countenance. As she finds herself approaching her 30's at the same time she is poised for another smash album release, she looks far older than her physical age. Repeated hit songs do not occur by accident, and I wish that the people managing her could look at her as more than just a cash cow, and recommend good practices for her personal life too. Namely; stop tanning, put on a hat, always wear sunscreen, and for gods sake-- hire Nannies that will do the same for your children!

It is this easy to look tan everyday:

With the onslaught of snow Philadelphia has received over the past couple days, most people are scurrying about with as little skin exposed as possible. 

Warm weather still seems impossibly far away, and yet... each morning when you look in the mirror, chances are good that you fall into one of the following categories:

a.) you are dying for summer so that your skin had a little color

b.) you are going to apply a blush or bronzer before leaving the house

c.) you are already tan from self-tanner applications, or (I hope not this option!) because you are frequenting a tanning salon.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to sport a little color: it has been proven time and again to make people look, and feel better about themselves... and I'm totally fine with that, as long as you go about attaining that tan in a safe/healthy way. (Safe tan= fake tan!)

A long devotee of St. Tropez sunless tanners, this short video was surprisingly refreshing to watch, because yes, it is that easy to look tan everyday: 

See how to give yourself a perfect spray tan... at home!

 If Snookie can do it... I can do it. Right?!

Applying self-tanner is a tricky quest at best, and although I practice, practice, practice, (and frankly feel pretty comfortable with my self-tanning-lotions-and-mousse skills) I was intrigued, yet intimidated about using St. Tropez's at home spray tan. 

For some reason, the idea of an aerosol spray self-tanner gave me anxiety. Despite the rave reviews, and the promised ease of use, the lack of control I felt I had with a spray, versus a lotion, was stressful. But I was determined to master it, because honestly, if Snookie can do it-- I better be able to!

Luckily for me, in today's age of don't-know-something-then-Google-it, there was plenty of support to bolster my spray tan adventurousness. After watching this video from St. Tropez (it's GREAT!) and the video below, I felt very well prepared to strip down and spray myself.

After an evening of spray tan experimentation, I write this with natural looking, bronzed fingers (that match my wrists, and face!) clicking away on the keyboard, and a smile on my face. With an extremely strong penchant for healthy skin, this allows me to easily have the tan color I crave and the healthy skin I strive for.

For the month of October 2010, all St. Tropez self-tanning products 

are on special at Cosmopolitan Skin Care! 

We will ship anywhere, call now while supplies last!