The Spray Tan Showdown

Spray tans can be a makeup artist’s best friend or their ultimate nemesis. For this pageant
client, it was both. She arrived glowing — but not in the way you’d want. Her tan was streaky,
uneven, and two shades darker than her natural skin tone. My kit was ready for almost
anything, but this was going to be a fight.

I started applying foundation, hoping to even things out. Instead, it clung to the darker patches
and slid off the lighter ones. The more I blended, the worse it looked. Her chest was one
shade, her arms another, and her face? Let’s just say it looked like a map of a desert island.

The client, of course, noticed. ‘Why does it look patchy?’ she asked nervously, twisting in her
chair. I explained that spray tans can sometimes react with products differently depending on
the prep. She confessed she hadn’t exfoliated before — a crucial step she’d skipped because
she was too tired. Cue my internal scream.

I had two options: panic, or pivot. I mixed foundations like a mad scientist, layering a lighter
tone in the center of her face and feathering a warmer shade around the edges. Slowly,
painfully, the tones started to come together. I added bronzer strategically to distract from the
blotches and topped it with a soft powder finish to create the illusion of smoothness.

The pageant mom hovered behind me the entire time, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed. At
one point she whispered, ‘This better photograph well.’ No pressure at all.

In the end, the look photographed beautifully — lighting, angles, and sheer determination
saved the day. In person, the tan still had its issues, but on stage she looked radiant. The
client thanked me later, admitting she’d learned her lesson about spray tan prep the hard way.

Lesson learned for me? Always ask clients about their spray tan routine before they sit in the
chair. Because when a tan goes wrong, the showdown begins — and you’d better be ready
for battle.