Healthy Hollywood: Try It On Tuesday – Heidi Klum’s Burnt Bum!

“Ouch” is the four letter word Heidi Klum used to describe her sunburned (yet very shapely) behind.

The supermodel snapped a selfie of her red bottom while in the Bahamas on vacation with her children and new boyfriend, Martin Kristen, over the July 4th weekend.

Most of us know (Heidi included) too much sun wreaks havoc on our skin and can be a major contributor to skin cancer. But, with beach season in full swing, it’s hard to resist a little sun-time or at least covet that sun-kissed complexion.

If you do hit the beach, be sure to slather on the sunblock, or better yet fake a beautiful bronzed glow.

“For a fake tan that looks sun kissed make sure you don’t go too dark on the face, that’s a dead giveaway that it’s not real. There are a few ways to get a fake tan these days whether it be a gel, cream, mousse or a spray,” states Jessica Clark, an esthetician at The Spa at Equinox. Jessica adds, “Most of the take home products require a few applications to get the desired level and darkness and take some practice to apply. Having a spray tan done by technician is the most accurate, great for hard to reach areas and you can achieve the level of darkness you want in one session.”

If you do go the DIY route, be sure to exfoliate with a non-oil base before you begin. “Make sure you concentrate on areas such as elbows, knees, hands and feet that contain more dead skin and could cause your tan to accumulate there,” reveals Jessica.

Unless you have very dry skin, do not use a moisturizer before you apply. Jessica advises starting with legs and work way up. “Start in the middle of the calf and blend down to the foot (you want a little less cream on feet than the legs to look natural). Take some cream and apply to rest of leg. Take same precautions on hands. The rest of your body you can apply like a moisturizer.”

Be sure to wash hands after application, so your palms don’t get color-stained. If you do make a mistake, you can exfoliate the darker area off and then lightly blend a little more cream on that area. “A take home product generally only works for a few days anyway so it will fade. Practice makes perfect,” exclaims Jessica!

For more wellness/fitness tips, check out Equinox’s Q blog at www.equinox.com.

— Terri MacLeod