Sarah Palin Popularizing the Winter Tan?

When the rest of us think of Alaskans, we probably usually envision them with skin as white as the snow they are surrounded by. This is because we think of Alaska as a cold and desolate place with few daylight hours, and we imagine that people don't expose their bodies to the sun very much due to these harsh conditions. But then Sarah Palin came along and blew our stereotypes of Alaskans out of the icy water.

She didn't dress like an Eskimo. She had a funky, retro hairdo. She wore expensive, executive clothing and had awesome Tina Fey glasses. But, most importantly, she had a great tan.

Sarah Palin apparently actually had a tanning bed installed in the governor's mansion to keep herself looking like she spends every day on the beach. (I guess if you believe global warming doesn't exist, you're probably pretty oblivious to skin cancer, too.) Sarah Palin is one tough cookie and she's very real; so there's no fake orange spray-on tanning for this former beauty queen. She also doesn't skimp on the bronzer, so she has this beautiful copper glow about her that just oozes sex appeal. With so many of the aspects of Sarah Palin's look catching on, from her hairdo to her expensive Kawasaki spectacles, it's only a matter of time before middle-aged American women start attempting to emulate her and become a part of the growing trend of looking tan during the winter. (Young women already do this thanks to the year-round tan that so many celebrities choose to keep up.)

But the rest of us may not have a tanning bed to turn to during the winter; we may not want to pay for visits to a tanning salon; and we may not want to get skin cancer. So here are a few tips for looking tan during the winter months without looking ridiculous:

Use a gradual self tanner with just a touch of color like Jergen's Natural Glow (and definitely don't use the darkest color). It's a lot easier to apply without making extremely noticeable, streaky mistakes. This product is also great because it comes in a version that is made especially for your face.
Exfoliate like crazy! You can use a body scrub or a body brush to do this. Getting rid of all those dead skin cells will make your lotion go on smoother and make your color a lot more even. (It's very important that you really focus on areas prone to dryness like your knees and elbows.)

If you do make a streaky mistake, use baking soda to scrub it away. You can then reapply the self-tanner again later.

If you really don't want to deal with using a self- tanner, you can simply apply bronzer on your face, shoulders, neck, and chest to give yourself a sun-kissed glow.

The most important thing about a winter tan is to not overdo it. If you go too far, you'll likely just draw the wrong kind of attention to yourself. Sarah Palin may look great with her perfect tan on stage, but the rest of us might not look quite as sexy with dark, streaky skin out here in the real world.

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