Tag Archives: t-shirt tan

What Color Shirts Make You Look Tanner?

Many people wish to look tanner to make them look more youthful, healthier and more attractive or desirable. Nowadays it is not always possible to find time to sunbathe to get a tan. Nor is it considered wise, as too much UV exposure causes skin damage and can even lead to skin cancer.

Alternatives to tanning naturally include tanning beds, spray tanning and self tanning lotions and sprays. All of these require some planning and consistency of usage in addition to money and time to maintain the tan. As a result, many find themselves paler than they might like and wishing to look tanner.

Color can be a very powerful tool. By wearing a certain color, you can completely change your appearance. This is all possible through the creation of optical illusions. Color provides us with a remarkable capability to change chameleon-like through the simple application of color use.

The general consensus seems to be that light colored shirts tend to make you look tanner. Darker colors tend to be more dramatic and harsher against the skin. Colors like chocolate brown and black can make skin look pale and washed out by comparison.

When looking for specific colors to bring out a tan, look to the pastel color family.
Shades like powder blue, sea foam green, pale pink and light yellow help to make a tan pop. Don’t forget white. White is the premiere color for a shirt that will make you look tanner.

There are many shades of white. You will be amazed. And the amazing thing is that all of them should make you look tanner, unless you are ghostly pale. If you are paler than the white shirt you are trying on, it is best to stick to the pastels.

Outside of the pastel family, some insist cool colors tend to do the trick of making you look tanner much better than warmer colors, which tend to want to conflict and compete with the skin, rather that compliment it. Others insist warmer, bright colors are the way to go in picking shirts that will make you look tanner. The key really seems to be finding a color that compliments your skin tone and undertones.

Hold up shirts to yourself and see what you think. Experiment by using your existing wardrobe before you head out shopping. Drape various colors across your torso, leaving your neckline, face and arms exposed to see which shades suit you best. Be sure to note which colors really seem to bring out your tan. Once you know which colors to look for, keep these shades in mind when shopping.

Remember, the focus is on illusion. Color acts as a tool, to help create whatever illusion you desire. There is no formula that works for everyone. Experiment and come up with you own palette that is personalized to you. Then go shopping and buy some new shirts and other items that will make you look tanner, or make your eyes look bluer, or your hair blonder, or whatever your color goal may be.

A Farmer’s Tan by Any Other Name Is a T-Shirt Tan

A T-shirt tan, also known as a farmers tan, is particularly common for anyone who works outside and especially so in the spring and early fall. It is simply a tan which stops at the borders of where a T-shirt would be worn. It cuts off around the neck and mid-upper arm. One of the most famous farmer’s tan pictures around is that of one of the Tour de France participants who trains daily for up to 10 hours in a biking T-shirt. You can imagine the contrast in his tan lines.

Farmer’s tans are so common in spring and early fall because the temperatures are warm enough for short sleeves but not quite warm enough to wear any less. In those types of in-between temperatures, we also tend to forget about sunscreen to protect ourselves, as getting a tan is often not even a thought that crosses our minds. Such tans are also common when people spend long periods of time outside in the summer in places or doing activities where it is inappropriate to wear less than a T-shirt.

Don’t fear, there is a way to fix a T-shirt tan. When you have the opportunity to go topless for the guys and nearly topless for the girls, apply SPF 45 to the areas of your body that are already tanned. Apply only SPF 15 to the untanned area. This will protect you from getting sunburned but will also speed up the equalization process for your tan. Remember to reapply often and be careful to apply the lower sunscreen right up to the tan line or you may have patches of dark tan, light tan and red on your body. The process may need to be repeated depending on how dark your farmer’s tan is.

If you have a farmer’s tan and are proud of it, then show it off in a farmer’s tan T-shirt. You can have one custom-made saying something like this:

  • I love farmer’s tans
  • I love your farmer’s tan
  • Yup, she loves my farmer’s tan
  • One day I’ll have a farmer’s tan like my daddy

You can even have a custom-made anti-farmer’s tan T-shirt made up with a line like: This isn’t a farmer’s tan, it’s a gardener’s tan or a golfer’s tan or a watching my kid’s soccer game tan. There are so many choices of what you can print on your anti-farmer’s tan T-shirt. You can even take the high road and print a line like “The correct term is T-shirt tan.”

If you have a group of people working together outside, for a special project or even on a regular basis, you can get a set of farmer’s tan T-shirts made up for everyone in the group. It can say “Proud member of a farmer’s tan T-shirt group” or “This is my official farmer’s tan T-shirt.” Whatever the case, it’ll surely earn a smile from everyone in your group.

Get yourself a farmer’s tan or T-shirt tan T-shirt today and flaunt your T-shirt tan.