We love the sun. But we also don't want our neck to acquire the same sun-damaged deep wrinkle-rings that strangle poor Owen Wilson throughout Wedding Crashers. We would also prefer not to resemble someone at a Klan rally. We at Queerty use a (safe) self tanner.

Sure it can be done professionally at some super fancy salon, but you can do just as good a job yourself at home.

California North puts out a really popular self tanner and we’re all for going with the flavor of the month. Dermalogica’s another great option. Slightly pricier, it will give you a “natural” color and won’t leave you looking like an elevated color on the Homeland Security color code system.

When it’s time to apply the self tanner, keep in mind to wash your freshly exfoliated skin and rub the tanner in using a circular motion. When doing your face, avoid the beard area or risk an uneven tan due to the deeper skin pigments. Before you start bitching, it’s really not that much work. And it’s worth it for a Friday night date.

Remember to not get dressed until 20 minutes after you've applied the tanner. Yeah we know your clothes will end up getting stained by the end of the night, but they may as well be soaked with liquid protein than blotchy orange chemicals.