How to Adjust Your Summer Tan for Fall

As you make adjustments in your wardrobe to prepare for fall, replacing sandals with pumps and adding tights to those hot mini-skirts, don't forget that beauty and style go hand in hand. In other words, your updated wardrobe will do nothing to give your look that transition it needs if your makeup palette and skin care routines aren't up to par. Cooler weather demands deeper makeup hues and more substantial fabrics, and that beach-bronzed skin you're still rocking needs an autumn makeover as well. Adjust your summer tan for fall with perfection with the following tips in mind.

Summer to Fall Tan Tip #1: It's all about the transition. As early as August we're barraged with pale faces and pink cheeks on the cover of every magazine. In an attempt to replicate the look as soon as possible, women find themselves canceling all tanning appointments until April and waiting for their tans to fade out. Because it only takes about a week for a tanning bed glow to disappear, the result is often a pasty complexion that hasn't been nourished properly for the summer to fall transition before making its natural debut (just in case you didn't know, tanning beds are more than a little drying and damaging). As we continue to the next steps for making the transition properly, keep in mind that autumn is a time for preparing for cold winter months, not diving right into them. Skin should still have a bit of a glow.

Summer to Fall Tan Tip #2: Switch from the tanning bed to gradual build lotions. The key here is not dropping your tanning routine altogether. Note that we're switching to gradual build lotions, not traditional tanning formulas. If you prefer to use tanning lotions in the summer rather than beds or natural sunlight, the switch to a gradual build formula will apply for your fall transition as well. Begin applying the formula every morning after showering until the desired shade is reached, which should be about two tones lighter than your summer shade.

Summer to Fall Tan Tip #3: Take your shade down a notch at the beginning of each month. As changes in temperatures generally aren't noticeably lower on a daily or weekly basis, your skin tone shouldn't be becoming lighter that quickly. Fall is about slowly transitioning into cooler weather, which means that sunlight isn't quite out of the picture just yet. Becoming paler too quickly is a dead giveaway of your fake tan addiction, so bring it down one shade every twenty to thirty days.

Summer to Fall Tan Tip #4: Replace facial bronzers with berry stains. One thing you'll notice about perfectly maintained fall complexions is that they have a bit of color with just a hint of natural flush. That natural flush didn't come from a summer cheek bronzer. As fun as they are to use, replace that bronzing powder or stick with a creamy cheek stain in a berry hue.

Summer to Fall Tan Tip #5: Switch from bronze body dusting powders to shimmery colorless lotions. For a late night out you'll still want to glam it up, but bronze body dusting powders add a bit too much color for your desired fall complexion. Instead, switch to a colorless shimmery lotion that adds just the right amount of glow to the same areas you would normally apply your bronzing powder to (shins, collarbone, chest, etc).

Summer to Fall Tan Tip #6: Begin using a heavier moisturizer right away. The trick to keeping a gradual build tanning lotion from fading too quickly is having well moisturized skin that can absorb it well. Not only that, but moisturized skin is a must for paler fall complexions to prevent that dreaded pasty effect. Switch from your lighter summer moisturizer to a thicker body butter as soon as possible, and apply every night before going to sleep.

Take that summer glow down just a notch with the tips above, and remember to restrain from going au natural until winter arrives. The result is beautifully glowing skin with just the right amount of color.