Hi everyone, I am competeing in just under 5 weeks, everything seems to be going good. I am ahead of schedule it terms of conditioning, but have fair skin and being away at college I don't have time to get into a bed or several days to dedicate to using pro tan as i have done in the past. I used pro tan several times but applied it over a period of 2 and half days, which I would not be able to do now. I will only have 1 day to apply a coat or two if I did go with the pro tan. What options do I have to get the best stage appearance? and do I need a base tan before using dream tan? Any insight would be great!
Thanks, Kris

Kris - How to get your color right for a show is a lot about personal preference and what has worked for you in the past. I have gravitated to using only Dream Tan #2 the past two years. The more I read and hear about the dangers of melanoma, the more I shy away for tanning beds and/or outdoor tanning, so I am Albino man before I put on the Dream Tan - lol

What I do is to put on one light to moderate coat first thing in the morning before the show on Saturday and let it dry a bit before putting on my loose sweats, etc. At the venue I will apply a second coat, which will add to the darkness and touch up any smudges, etc from the trip and activity. It helps a ton if you have someone who knows how to work with the product that can help you. There is a bit of an art to applying it correctly, read the instructions. Too much spreading and it gets pasty, too heavy a coat and it will run or be so thick that it can start to mask definition. I don't want to scare you away, as it works great, just practice with it on your arm once or twice first to get the application procedure down right, it will wash off easy enough.

Don't lay on sheets with it unless you want to have a big headache trying to get them clean. Also be careful about what you touch especially before the product dries. Take an old towel to clean up with that you will toss out after the day. The same appies to whatever wash cloth you use when the show is over and you want to take that triple shower! I'm told that if you use a little baby oil and a cloth that it will take the product off easily, I have not tried that yet but plan to this coming Saturday. Purchase two 2oz containers for your show. You will probably only need one, but you don't want to run short in the clinch and it will last until your next show if you keep the lid tight.

Allow at least 30 minutes to apply a full body coat and that should be plenty of time. Any socks or underware that you wear while you have it on will probably also end up in the trash unless you want to wash them and save them to use again for your next show.

Good luck with whatever approach you decide on.

MadDog, thank you for the advice, and I am glad to hear that Dream tan on its own will provide a nice color without using pro tan or fake bake. This fits perfectly into the time I can dedicate to getting my color right. I plan on trying it out 3 weeks out in order to eliimate any variables the day of the show, but knowing that dream tan is sufficeint is at least one less thing to worry about. Thanks a lot!

I ordered mine from Bulk Nutrition, they were a couple of dollars less when you also looked at shipping cost. They have a good web site and decent customer service. Dream Tan #2 is also sometimes called Dream Tan "Red" as opposed to Dream Tan #1 which is sometimes called Dream Tan Brown. Number 2 is darker, and not really red in my opinion.

I just put my order in for the #2 at Dps, the total order I got came out be cheaper there, but thanks for helping. As I said, it makes me feel much better knowing that dream tan is all i need to get a good appearance or stage.

I used Jantana stage tan. I am whiter than white, and I applied 4 coats a day before the show, started that morning and applied throughout the day. I went to my show alone, so i didn't have any touchups. I stayed dark..was actually darker than everyone, and everyone asked me what I used. it was my first show. My second, I used protan,4 coats, not near as dark. I spoke with kevin at jantana, and he helped me. I would recomment that.

I like Olympic Tan. It's a foam and goes on a lot faster and easier than Pro Tan.

i would recommend jantana for ease of use, color and quickness of application.i like it much better than protan, i used it for the first time yesterday and will probably not be using protan ever again if its up to me.

If you are fair and don’t have a tan, then it’s doubtful that dream tan will be enough to provide the depth of color you need. I never tan, even before competitions. My natural color is medium olive. It still takes 4 coats of ProTan and 1 coat of Dream Tan to get the color I need.

There are other issues with Dream Tan as well – Many venues do not allow competitors to use it anymore because it’s so messy. And, because it’s so messy, it’s easy to ruin a good suit (especially the more complicated suits worn by figure or fitness competitors, which is why they don’t use Dream Tan). I’ve even had Dream Tan bleed through my suit so bad that I had to change suits just as they were calling us for lineup! It’s not an easy product to apply correctly and if it’s not applied correctly it looks really bad. So, be sure to research this further before relying on it.

I recommend sticking with ProTan. However, you’ll need more than just 3 or 4 coats. Also you will get better results if you apply it over several days. That way you won’t risk it being sticky or blotchy – something that can happen even with ProTan if you apply too many coats too soon (happened to me…). Make the time to properly apply the right product(s). Taking shortcuts will only leave you shortchanged on stage.

Good luck at your show!

Rita

I had my competition on October 14. I went with several coats of Dream Tan #2 and it looked pretty good. Dark with a nice shine, without any oil. This worked well and stayed on me all day, of course there was some touching up to be done, but nothing major. As a side note, I did well at the competition, I won the Junior division and the men's open lightweight. Thanks for everyone's help

Congratulations! And, thanks for letting us know how the tan worked out for you. Feedback like that helps us all.

Rita

congratulations

For those who only use protan and not dream tan. . . what do you apply on the day of the show for shine?

Also what are your thoughts on "hot stuff" or other vascularity (sp?) products?

TIA
coco