It’s no surprise that I was born in the middle of summer. I love everything about it. From relaxed beach days with friends to evenings spent by a campfire with my handsome boyfriend, summer’s invigorating energy and adventurous spirit are palpable. If you follow my blog regularly, you know I did something very much unlike myself this year; I prematurely terminated my lease in Hyde Park, threw all my stuff in my boyfriend’s dad’s house (thanks, Dana!), and drove to Maine with Kyle for an undetermined amount of time– all within seven days. We’re currently spending a week with Kyle’s mom in North Kingstown, which is close to Newport and Jamestown, and Narragansett Town Beach is easily turning into one of my favorite Rhode Island spots. Especially since I’m all glammed up with the best spray tanning bronze in town, I’m loving (and documenting) every last end-of-summer minute here. Cheers to you, Summer 2016– you’ve been quite the wild ride.

I know insecurity would definitely put a damper on my celebratory mentality, though, so I treat myself to little indulgences, like regular spray tans, to keep my spirits and self esteem as high as possible. I mean, women and men across the country are regularly making spray tanning a part of their regular beauty routine, just like getting a manicure or blow out. For me personally, being tan is about making myself feel more confident, carefree, and attractive– not about fearing I’ll look orange, streaky, or like I belong on the Jersey Shore. Palm Beach Tan is the nation’s largest and, in my humble opinion, best spray tanning company, and we’ve joined forces to bring y’all a pretty epic giveaway with a grand prize worth over $400, so scroll down just a bit further to enter! 

If you’re not a full-on believer in spray tanning from messy experiences in the past, Palm Beach Tan offers customers tips for achieving the perfect sunless tan. According to their salon experts, the first steps to getting the perfect sunless tan happen before you even get to the tanning salon. First and foremost, shower, shave and exfoliate your skin prior to your appointment. Avoid using moisturizers and lotions that are not specially formulated for sunless tanning before your sunless session. Also, try to avoid wearing perfume or make-up that provides a barrier for absorption. Finally, wear loose-fitting clothing to your session. 

Each salon offers all the latest, greatest, and overall best spray tanning systems, like Mystic Tan and VersaSpa, and an extensive selection of professional tanning and skincare products, as well as state-of-the-art sun beds. If you’re genuinely a fan of fake baking, the anti-Melanoma mother in me, who had a pre-cancerous mole removed at twelve years old, supports your right to choose but must advise you to please tan wisely and follow Palm Beach Tan’s Golden Rules of Tanning.

All the best spray tanning solutions, like VersaSpa and Mystic Tan, will last anywhere from three to seven days, and you can protect your tan by making sure you wait at least four hours before bathing, swimming, or coming in voluntary contact with water. You should also avoid engaging in activities that cause you to sweat heavily until your tan has fully developed, which won’t happen for at least four hours. Once developed, moisturize daily with the post-sunless product of your choice to help lock in the color, so you can keep rocking super tan skin for days (and photos) to come. 

On another note, a conversation about the best of anything wouldn’t be complete without mentioning this random dude named Kyle. He makes my traditionally tense, anxiety-ridden temperament dissolve into calm, collectedness, and maybe even a spell or two of spontaneity. Kyle also takes some pretty bomb pictures (like these), and he’s not too sore on the eyes either.

And now for those aforementioned giveaway details and (drum roll) Rafflecopter widget! With Labor Day behind us, Palm Beach Tan and I want you to share your favorite summer photo(s) with #PBTbestofsummer. Our reasoning is two-fold– 1. It’s a great way to forever cherish and embed this special moment into your memory and 2. If you also follow @PBTOfficial on Instagram, you’ll enter yourself to win an incredible grand prize from Palm Beach Tan, which includes a three-month Diamond Palm Beach Tan membership to achieve your perfect shade well into fall plus an $150 rental credit at Rent The Runway for the perfect fall outfit. Yep, that’s a pretty sweet grand prize worth over $400! Five second-place winner will also be drawn to receive a free sunbed and/or sunless tanning session from the Palm Beach Tan salon of your choice. The contest will run for two weeks with today marking the start date– just be sure to enter via the Rafflecopter widget below to record your entry and score some bonus points. This contest is hosted by me, but the (fabulous) prize will be fulfilled by Palm Beach Tan. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shop the Look: Crochet Swim Top: Roxy (on sale) |Crochet Swim Bottom: Roxy (on sale) | Sarong: Hollister (Similar) | Hat: Target (Similar + on sale) | Sunglasses: BP.

Above all else, I think I’ll remember these days on Narragansett Town Beach as colorful. I’m from Florida, so I’m no stranger to the bright palette of tropical cocktails, tiny neon swimsuits, or Lilly Pulitzerland. It’s the New England culture as a whole that does it for me. Think bright red steamed lobsters, crystal blue bays next to hundred-year-old lighthouses, and an indefinable, quaint coastal ambiance that’s genuinely unique to the area.

Hope y’all had a fabulous Labor Day! Don’t forget to use #PBTbestofsummer when you share those long weekend latergrams!

_{Thank you, Palm Beach Tan, for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.}