MAC Hires Bodybuilder Model: Inside the World of Muscle Makeup

Photo by: Ximena Etchart/LatinContent/Getty Images

The kind of tanning bodybuilders do before a show makes Snooki look like an amateur. "There are two different kinds of tanners we use," competitive bodybuilder Bethany Carter Howlett tells Shine. "Some people use spray tan, while others will use a liquid roll-on with an applicator." Before any of that, however, Howlett uses a tanning bed to get a base--"otherwise you could end up with a green

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Photo by: Ximena Etchart/LatinContent/Getty Images

The kind of tanning bodybuilders do before a show makes Snooki look like an amateur. "There are two different kinds of tanners we use," competitive bodybuilder Bethany Carter Howlett tells Shine. "Some people use spray tan, while others will use a liquid roll-on with an applicator." Before any of that, however, Howlett uses a tanning bed to get a base--"otherwise you could end up with a green tint onstage," she explains. Professional tanners will show up at events with pop-up salons so athletes can begin a three-day tanning layering process. Competitors largely avoid tanning creams, says Howlett, because the moisture competes with the oil they apply to their muscles as a finishing touch. She uses spray-on cooking oil for an overall sheen that isn't too greasy.

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