Summertime Tan

Remember a few months ago I mentioned wanting to find a way to get a tan, without going to a tanning salon? I had almost given up trying, but I've finally found something that gives me the results I want without having to go to a salon!

It all started with an Instagram post from the fabulous Cameran Eubanks (from Southern Charm). She always looks on point on the show, so I love her tips and tricks she posts. When I saw this one, I was definitely skeptical because of the other tanning products I had tried in the past.

You ask. I deliver. For my fake tan I use the @lorealusa Sublime Bronze towelettes. Best self tanner I've used. They are cheap AF and you buy them from Ulta/Walmart/Target. My sis turned me on to these. They look like a baby wipe. Wipe your pale body down and then 4-6 hours later or overnight you transform into a golden goddess. You're welcome. Not paid. Not an ad. Cam don't play that game. 🙌🏻👉🙌🏽**edit I use these on my face too. Make sure you go into your hairline so you don't look weird.

A post shared by Cameran Eubanks (@camwimberly1) on Jan 3, 2017 at 10:53am PST

I thought, "What the hay?!", and gave it a try. After pricing it out to see where I could get the best deal on it, ya know in case it didn't work, I found that Target had the best deal. There was also a Cartwheel deal on it at the time! In the end, I paid between $7.50-$7.95 for it. I can't remember the exact price but a solid guess would be $7.74. The deal I got on it was exciting enough.

The main purpose behind diving in and trying this stuff was for a wedding I attended this last weekend in Tennessee. I never get enough sun up here because of winter and working all summer. So, when I go back to the South I definitely like to be tan. Plus I was very, very tan practically my whole life from living in Florida. After reading the instructions, I decided I would start using it everyday leading up to the wedding. The pack comes with 6 wipes, so I started on Tuesday and used one daily until Friday. These bad boys are SO easy to use, and for some reason just seem easier than the lotions you can use. The directions are really simple and if you follow them, you'll see a difference. Or at least I did. The best time to use them is after a shower, or at night before bed. They dry fast, so you don't have to worry about getting your bedding orange. Since I had 2 left in the pack, I've been using them 1-2 times a week to maintain the tan.

I LOVE THE RESULTS I HAVE SEEN! I definitely am darker, they don't smell as harsh as a spray tan, and they're fool proof (I mean, I figured them out). Plus, they are cheaper than most of the daily lotions out there. I previously paid around $9 for the Jergens tanning lotion, and felt like I never saw results. Before moving to Colorado, I never had to think about "fake" tans; I just always had a tan. My only two spray tans have been for weddings and were both done during the winter months. While they were okay, I just don't care to do them again. Now that I've found these wipes, I'm hoping I don't have to! Obviously I'd rather be outside getting my tan the natural way, because that means I'd be playing in the sun. However, it's just not as easy here as it was back home.

I honestly never thought I'd be looking for ways to get tan outside of being in the sun, but hey c'est la vie! What are some of your favorite ways to get a tan? Oh, and the lifeguard in me wants to say, "Please always put on some sunscreen!"

Until next time,
K. Shep

Ikea Hack: Bar Cart

This post is 100% inspired by this pin via Pinterest: DIY: Ikea Bar Cart Hack

I pinned this a year or so ago, and have been dying to try it ever since. Bar carts are an obsession of mine. I love the way they can fill a space, and are really popular right now. I've never seen them in stores, and now Target has been carrying them for a few months now. Unfortunately, those bar carts run $130 or more. Ain't nobody got time for that. This is where that pin comes in-buy a utility cart from Ikea, add some spray paint, and you have a bar cart. It's perfect and about $100 cheaper.

Rewind to March of last year, Connor and I are buying stuff for our apartment at Ikea. They have the cart listed in the pin linked above. Ultimately, we don't buy it because our apartment was too small for a bar cart and we had already spent enough money on other things. I figured I could just come back later and get it. Fast forward to living in the new house. We go to Ikea one weekend and I think about buying the Bygel cart to turn into a bar cart. They discontinued it!!! I was pretty salty. Until I was randomly on the Ikea website one day and discovered they had a utility cart similar to the Bygel for $30!!! It's called the Sunnersta, and you can find it here. I finally bought it a month ago, and this past weekend I finished it with some spray paint.

While it's not super fancy, it was fast, cheap, and turned out nice.

Honestly, all I did was spray paint the sides of the cart with some gold(ish) spray paint.
Pro tip: spray paint the sides before you put the whole thing together.

Let it dry for 24 hours, or at least overnight, and then put it all together. You've got yourself a bar cart! Let me know if you try it or if you have other awesome Ikea hacks!

Until next time,
K. Shep