A Just A Little Bit Orange Feature. By Clara Pettitt. Copyright © 06/03/2002. All Rights Reserved.

Sunless.com at the International Esthetics, Cosmetics, & Spa Conference

Leaving California behind, Dave and I took off for the International Esthetics, Cosmetics, & Spa Conference, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, June 1 - 3, 2002.

Looking over the hundreds of exhibitors, I found over twenty sunless tanning manufacturers I wished to get better acquainted with. But I only got to eleven.

Paula's Choice

First stop was Paula's Choice, exhibiting for the first time at this convention.

Paula Begoun, the Cosmetics Cop and maker of Paula's Choice cosmetics and skin care products, is now offering products to salons and spas. Formerly, products could only be purchased through her web site and through phone order.

Many exciting changes, but my first question was, "Can I have a makeover?" My second question was, "Can I get eyebrows with that?"

Besieged by fans on all sides, Paula couldn't finish my makeover quickly. But I didn't mind, because as she fielded questions, I learned all sorts of interesting tidbits.

Such as: because AHA causes irritation, Paula is creating more exfoliant products with BHA. She has just introduced a new 2% BHA lotion.

As she did my makeover, Paula told me how to do it at home. She started off mixing her new Wheat and Fawn All Bases Covered SPF 15 Foundation. "Because a sunless tan fades faster on your face, match your foundation to your neck."

Over the foundation, she applied Healthy Finish Pressed Powder SPF 15 in Flaxen, a slightly deeper tone, to add a bronze look. To keep me from looking too monotone, she added Soft Matte Blush in Contour Brown, lipliner in Wine Spice, and lipstick in Berry Blush.

My eyes were done in Soft Matte Eyeshadow in Cream and Caramel. She gave me eyebrows with the eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown and finished off my eyelashes with Lush Mascara.

All products are available from Paula's Choice.

Au Courant

Dave was a little overwhelmed by the magnitude of the show, but I told him not to worry about meeting the people behind Au Courant: it would be like meeting family.

Back in 1998, when Sunless.com was still a dinky Geocities homepage visited by 6,000 people a year, Susan Horrell of Au Courant encouraged me, sending her sunless tanning products to review.

Over the years, Susan has continued her support, donating the prizes for the first Sunless Tanning Contest in 1999 [and again this year!], sending samples of products still in test mode, and staying in touch with handwritten notes.

One note, which cheered me up for a month, simply said, "Thank you for telling the world about sunless tanners."

Just before the convention, Susan sent me Au Courant's latest product, Eclipse, the world's first water resistant bronzer and sunblock in one.

I learned it had another much needed quality: it's the first bronzer you can apply without staining your hands.

Over the years, Au Courant, which created the first instant sunless tanning spray, has worked hard at staying abreast of what their customers need: an oil free sunless tanning face gel, a mousse, products with or without bronzer.

Another new product is a pure titanium dioxide sun screen which can be mixed with Mineral Makeup to create a custom bronze look with sun protection — that is the product giving Susan the bronze glow you see in the photograph above.

At the end of the day, Susan and her husband Cesar took Dave and I out to dinner at Cozumel's, a Mexican restaurant featuring guacamole made table side [all of us Californians were feeling a bit homesick].

See the Au Courant web site for more information.

Fantasy Tan

When we finally caught up with Starr Hamson, CEO of Fantasy Tan, she had the kind of happy smile a woman gets when her product has received a tribute in Harpers Bazaar [June 2002 issue].

The question I raised two years ago — whether Fantasy Tan would be able to compete with Mystic Tan and Mist-On Tan — has been answered with a resounding yes.

Not only has Fantasy Tan been able to offer competitive pricing, they have been able to achieve superlative results, turning the Harpers Bazaar reporter into an instant Fantasy Tan junkie.

Reports of Madonna and Jennifer Lopez as happy customers haven't hurt, either. Rumors were rampant at the last Oscars that the bronzed stars flocked to Air Soleil, the Fantasy Tan salon in Beverly Hills.

It's no wonder Starr has a big smile on her face these days. But she isn't sitting back and taking a snooze yet. She has just unleashed the Power Bar, a special salon version of the Fantasy Tan that allows the operator to customize eight different sunless tanning sprays with just the turn of a dial.

The entire unit hangs easily on a wall, so the operator lifts nothing more than the airbrush.

Fantasy Tan is unique in offering an erythrulose only formula for those allergic to dihydroxyacetone, the active ingredient in all sunless tanners.

See the Fantasy Tan web site for more information.

Next: Beach, SUN, St. Tropez....