I was ready to hang up my mitt for the season. There’s nothing I hate worse than anachronistic skin tone, unless, okay, you’ve got an event — I mean, yeah, of course, go get a tan for a wedding, especially if it is your own! I’m not a complete heathen.

But taking a bit of the glare off is one thing; being as bronzed as I can be in the ‘summer’ months is another. I decided I was done. Besides, I have a slew of foundations to try. Frankly, I’m looking forward to being a little bit pale and interesting again. ‘Dewy’, dare I say.

Right, so. Tanning Twenty Twelve: Terminated.

And then the sun came out!

On Saturday! Splitting the stones, like! I got all sorts of brown on my arms, and even on my face, despite my riding hat, and now — dammit, I have the best base. Also: it looks as though the sun is here to stay, for the entire week!

I was thinking about rummaging through 2012’s tans, and I do think that Decadence, as reviewed here, was the big winner this year. Then I started daydreaming about the amazing He-Shi spray tan I got last year — which I googled, and up came myself! An experience which always rates highly on the thrilled/discomfited scale. I seem to have changed my mind about the parameters of tanning season since then, and will probably change them back.

But the thing is! I really do rate He-Shi, as a salon treatment, but more importantly, for flawless home use, too. My favourite is the Dark Foaming Mousse, which I didn’t find to be all that dark — not like scary-dark, not at all. The mousse gives excellent coverage, you can see what you’re doing, it doesn’t smell bad, and it dries fast. At €30, it seems it be ouchy, but it’s not: this will last you an entire season, which is supposed to be three months, right?

I think it will last even longer than that.

I didn’t have any this year, so I can’t say how long it lasts, but I wouldn’t love it if it didn’t, so it must.

And then: @HeShiTanning started following me!

It’s fate.

Off I go then. I must have some this around somewhere.

***

The He-Shi spray tan is available in Harvey Nichols Dundrum and in selected salons, day spas and department stores nationwide. 

For home tanning products, see euro-products.ie for more information.