I am super fair skinned and while pictures of me as a kid prove slightly different, I can't seem to get much a tan now if my life depended on it.  That said, I'm very sun-safe and have made it my personal mission to be that way for the last six years.  I wear sunscreen on my face and neck every single day, haven't stepped foot in a tanning bed and always wear sunscreen on the beach.

As I get older and start to see fine lines appearing, the last thing I want to do is expedite the process with further sun damage.  I know I've damaged my skin already as I spent an eight month stint working at a tanning salon when I was 20 and was so dark wouldn't even recognize me.  I continued to tan for a few years after that to maintain the colour--I cringe when I think about it now.

To be honest, I long for dark, tanned skin and have always dated men with dark skin and find women the most beautiful who possess dark skin and hair (funny, right?).  I wish I could get a tan easily, but, it is not the case so I proactively protect myself instead.  Sometimes we just have to accept our 'flaws' and hope fair skin becomes trendy sometime soon (please?).

For the past almost-three years I've been regularily spray tanning which gives me the colour I crave--and can't obtain--with less risk (I hope?).  I definitely feel better with a tan, slimmer and feel my clothes look their best.  It might seem superficial, but ultimately, it's a confidence boost and that along with working out makes me feel pretty darn good.  Why wouldn't you want to feel pretty darn good, right?  Right.

So sound off, do you like the colour of your skin?  Would you change it if you could?

(See my spray tan in full action in Mexico--I get a spray tan before vacation, sit in the shade, and come home more pale than I went there.)