Celebrity Spray Tan Artist Kristyn Pradas Reveals How to Get a DIY Glowy Tan Like Ariana Grande, Bella and Gigi Hadid  (Exclusive)

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Celebrity Spray Tan Artist Kristyn Pradas Reveals How to Get a DIY Glowy Tan Like Ariana Grande, Bella and Gigi Hadid 

Golden girls! Celebrity spray tan artist Kristyn Pradas is the woman behind the envy-worthy glowy skin on the Victoria's Secret Angels, Ariana Grande, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Ashley Graham, Kate Beckinsale and more It Girls. [ami-related id="1814438" url="https://www.usmagazine.com/shop-with-us/news/best-self-tanners-face-and-body-sunless-at-home-beauty/" title="Shop With Us: The Best Self Tanners for Face & Body" target="_blank" thumb="false" imgsrc="https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/before-after-self-tanner.jpg?quality=86&strip=all" imgid="1814652" format="standard" flag="" channel="6001"] And while not everyone can be a model, actress or pop star, you can sure bronze like one! That’s because Pradas sat down with Stylish to talk all things tan and reveal how you can get their color in the comfort of your own home with just a few tips. Pradas, who recently launched her 100 percent natural self-tanning collection, Pradas Glow, explained the prep you need to follow, common mistakes to avoid, how to highlight and hide areas on your face and body, and the tips for maintaining your sun-kissed look no matter where you go and regardless of the weather outside. To achieve a flawless, even hue, there is not a one-size-fits-all model and it’s all about looking to your shape as your guide. "Everybody has a different body and it's important to go with the curves of yours,” she tells Stylish. “With contouring, the most important thing is to accentuate your assets and camouflage the areas you don't like as much. It won't be the same areas for everyone and it can even change based on the outfit you're wearing.” With that in mind, you’re ready to get started. Read on to hear more of her insights into how to prep for a perfect result, the right way to maintain your color, mistakes to avoid and why stars love her technique so much!

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How to Prep For a Tan

To make sure your tan goes smoothly, Pradas recommends exfoliating two days in a row prior to a spray tan appointment or applying tanner at home. "It's important to remove all the superficial layers of your skin cells that are ready to come off, so that your tan will go on evenly and last you longer," she says. "Everybody's skin is different. Some people can use a sugar scrub, some people can use a salt, but my favorite exfoliator is the Simple Exfoliating Wipes because that way it's not abrasive, it's for sensitive skin and you can put your own body wash or oil on the wipe itself and you can use that in the shower as well."

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How Paying Attention to Your Own Skin and Body Helps Create the Perfect Tan

“If you're going to be wearing a really short skirt and people are going to see you walking, you may want to darken the inner area of your thighs so that it creates an illusion that your legs are thinner than they are,” she recommends. “You can also shade the outside of the abdomen and that will create a shape or an illusion that you're thinner than you are." For your face, Pradas suggests you find your cheek bones by doing a kissy face and you can take a makeup sponge and apply it underneath the cheekbones. 

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Mistakes to Avoid When Applying Sunless Tanner

A telltale sign of a sunless tan is all in the hands and feet according to the spray tan artist. "When I'm doing a spray tan, I always have a client apply barrier cream to their hands and feet prior to application, but if I were applying a sunless tanning mousse on myself, I would apply the sunless tanner to my entire body and at the end apply the lotion," she reveals.  "That will break down the DHA in those areas so that they don't become too dark because the skin on the hands and feet is always the thinnest and tends to absorb the most color," she adds. Another tip? "If you're doing an express tan at home that you're going to leave on for 4 hours, you should leave it on the body for 4 hours, but only leave it on your hands for 1-2 hours. You should wash your hands and then blend the line of demarkation where the watermark was, so that it looks more natural."

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How to Maintain Your Tan

Now that you've achieved your ultimate glow, the secret for keeping it is all about protecting your skin. "To maintain a tan, the most important product is the shower oil. It's the skin's armor and you apply it onto dry skin before you get into the shower, which creates a barrier between your skin and the water and will protect you from the heavy metals and chlorine that's coming out of the faucet," she says. "The Skin Glaze will maintain your tan if you're looking for more hydration after your shower and it can be used on your face and body and under makeup or over makeup and if you're looking to add more color, the Sol Solution Sunless Tanning Mousse is great for touchups."

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Why Celebs Love Her Tanning Technique and Line

When spray tanning her clients, Pradas says her number one priority is keeping them looking as natural as possible and that's the goal with her product line as well. "I like to keep my clients away from something that doesn't look natural. The whole purpose of my line is to give you the most natural glow as possible, whether that be with a self tanner or a bronzer," she explains. "I find that a tan gives my clients a boost of confidence so that they can take charge of whatever it is that they have to do and feel better about themselves doing it.”