My sun-worshipping, baby-oiling, SPF 4 days are long-gone, but I try not to blind my friends and loved ones with the post-winter pastiness if I can help it.  Well, and there's also the fact that a sun-kissed glow just looks good.
A Mystic Tan is a great way to go if you want a quick, full body coat that will last up to 8 days, but if you're a DIY-er and like to try all the self-tanners out there, here are some of our favorites:



St Tropez is known for its sunless tanners, and now has a great bronzing mousse in a formula we love.  It has a light, airy feel and smells great!  Bliss has such fun packaging and truly pampering spa products that we couldn't pass up the self-tan spray...and we weren't disappointed.  The color is great and realistic, and is easily applied.  If you're not a Sephora or Ulta frequent-flyer, you can find L'Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer at most drug stores.  The Sublime line is one of the best drug store buys and gives the best color and application for the money. 
Of course, a product can only do it's best job on a well-prepped surface, ladies!  So, exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!  Whether you're applying to face or body, remove unwanted dead skin cells and hair so that the product can easily penetrate the skin and give you the color you want.  We love our products, and recommend:

We love a good scrub, so if you don't have a chargeable exfoliator such as the Clarisonic Mia, a physical body scrub, such as Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish works great and softens skin with nourishing essential oils to help your tanner sink in.  And, as always, nothing beats a good shave to remove that unwanted hair and leave a smooth surface.
So, tan-up, girls!  Let us know what your favorite tan prep strategies and no-fail self-tanning products are this season!

Sarah

Summer + Baking = Peach Cobbler...didn't you know?  Sweet, juicy peaches...warm, bubbly crust.  Ok, you get the point.  I'm always looking for easy, delicious, nostalgic recipes, and you can't beat this one with a stick!  It's easy, fool-proof, and only 4 ingredients!  You're welcome.
Good ole' reliable Pinterest.  I stumbled upon this recipe from Just A Pinch, and pinned it right away.  If anything, it wouldn't cost me much money if it completely failed, and I already had most of the ingredients in my kitchen.  So I tried it, and it rocked.  Then I tried it with apples, and that also rocked.  Now I'm thinking of trying it with cherries...pretty sure we know how that will end up...rocking.  The possibilities are endless.  Just like a well-tailored pencil skirt, I knew instantly that this was a good investment.  So, if you have granulated sugar, self-rising flour (or flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt), a stick of butter, and some sliced peaches, you've got the ingredients for a night of emotional eating; a meet-the-parents dessert pleaser; a welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift, or this past weekend at my house--breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Click on the 'Just a Pinch' link above for the full recipe, and get ready for your Paula Deen moment!

Sarah

Are you as addicted to Instagram as I am?  I LOVE IT!  I adore my iPhone and love the great filters you can find out there.  There are lots of additional apps that provide way better filters than just the standard Instagram ones.

I saw a post on Pinterest about Artifact Uprising and discovered this great little company.  You can upload your Instagram pics and have them printed in soft cover books in various patterns and formats.

Visit thier website in the link above LOVE thier tagline, "Because Design Matters".  How great is that?