OUR PROCESS
- S C H E D U L I N G & P A Y M E N T -
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It takes 8 hours for our solution to absorb into your skin evenly so we recommend scheduling your appointment for a day or two before any events or travel to ensure a prime color. Brides should schedule out 2-3 days before their wedding or bridal event, to allow 2 full showers, at minimum, before putting on their white dress or gown.
Because we are a mobile service, we ask for appointments to be made in advance so that we can do our best to accommodate you. Brides should aim to reach out anywhere to 5 months in advance if possible to also allow a trial prior. Trials can not be done within 1-4 weeks before your wedding tan. So at the minimum, trials should be done no less than a month before the wedding date, however, ideally 2-3 months before the wedding date.
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Our airbrush's prime color is within the first 1-4 days of application, but the tan will last overall a week to a week and a half if taken care of properly by following our aftercare instructions.
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Clients with sunburn or skin damage should let us know during scheduling.
Appointment requests can only be submitted via our website's scheduling form. From there, we’ll contact you back and give you an estimate of how much your appointment will cost which includes the airbrush, travel fees, and any sales tax. Once your appointment is booked, you’ll receive an e-mail with your appointment information with your invoice and waiver scheduled to send 1 week prior to your appointment.
You’ll receive e-mail and text reminders leading up to your appointment. Due to our reservations being based on travel and the number of people scheduled, if you would like to add someone to your appointment, please contact us as soon as possible as we can not guarantee availability. We will not be able to schedule anyone else at the time of the appointment or accept payment.
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Again, invoices will be sent automatically 1 week before your scheduled appointment. On your invoice, you will find all your appointment information, your total, and the link to your annual waiver. Invoices are to be paid and waivers submitted by the due date listed on the invoice. Failure to submit your waiver and payment by your due date will result in appointment cancellation without eligibility for rescheduling.
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We no longer offer multiple invoices to be sent to individual customers for group tans. If there is more than one person scheduled within your appointment time, 1 invoice will be sent to the e-mail requested and each client also scheduled will be included/cc'd on the e-mail. Each client in the group must have a waiver on file by clicking the link at the top of the invoice and filling out the form. Waivers are kept on file for 1 year. Clients who do not fill out their waiver and have it on file by the invoice due date will have their appointment automatically canceled without a refund as well.
A reminder to re-visit our cancellation policy prior to payment for you or your group. We highly recommend for group tans to confirm each client within their group will be attending prior to payment/due date as again, no refunds will be provided for cancellations AFTER payment has been received.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation!
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- T R A V E L -
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As we make a few adjustments, our travel areas have shifted. Before requesting your appointment, check in advance to see if we service your area, by clicking here. We hope to re-open back up to all of New Jersey and New York as soon as possible!
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Please let us know prior if parking is unusual or difficult. This includes street parking, metered parking, or parking garages. Because of the amount of equipment carried, there is a fee for distance in street parking. To ensure our artists stay on schedule, failure to notify After Dark in regards to difficult or limited parking before the appointment may result in a surcharge or appointment cancellation. Your airbrush artist may call the designated phone number on file on arrival to confirm the address before coming to the door.
Severe weather, road work, and traffic may result in lateness. Please allow a 5-10 minute buffer time for your artist's arrival. Artists running over 5-10 minutes late will contact you personally with their ETA or one of our schedulers will reach out to give you an updated time.
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Winter and/or storm/hurricane months may cause re-schedules/cancellations. We monitor the weather closely and will always reach out in advance if we believe poor weather will impact your appointment or our travels.
Please keep in mind unplowed and unsalted streets, driveways, and walkways can also result in a cancellation on behalf of the After Dark staff. We appreciate your understanding that our artist's safety is of the utmost importance.
- P R E P -
Before your appointment, facials and any other deep cleaning beauty treatments should be done 4-5 days before your appointment. Hair coloring, lash extensions, and waxing should be done a minimum of 16-24 hours before your appointment. Nails or shaving should be taken care of a minimum of 2 hours before your appointment with a quick rinse/exfoliation afterward to remove any oils or lotions that were applied. You can shower/exfoliate up to 1-2 hours before your appointment. Please make sure your skin is completely dry before your appointment, with no wet hair. Damp or semi-dry hair is fine.
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Exfoliate yourself with a shower first to prepare for your sunless tan. Use a loofah and exfoliating soap to remove dead skin and any dirt from the day. No moisturizers should be applied during or after your shower. Application of any moisturizers, oils, or toners will stop the tan from absorbing.
Women can choose whatever they feel comfortable wearing while being airbrushed. If you would prefer to have no tan lines our airbrush artists are comfortable with women going nude during the tan. It is highly recommended for women to go topless to avoid tan lines in photos. For women who would prefer to wear clothing, we recommend wearing an old pair of underwear or thong, or a bathing suit. Our solution washes out of most clothing. In an effort to minimize waste, we no longer provide disposables, as our solution washes out of most clothing. However, we do recommend for clients to sleep on dark sheets/blankets afterward. Men must wear boxers, bathing suit bottoms, or a speedo while being sprayed.
Have dark, loose clothing ready for afterward. Clothing items should include loose yet lightweight pants or capris and a t-shirt with sleeves that cover your armpits. These may be the clothes you want to keep on while waiting for the 8 hours for your color to fully absorb through the day or while you sleep and should be ready and with you to put immediately on after your spray tan. Dresses, tank tops, shorts, and tight clothing like leggings or jeans should be avoided.
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For groups, make sure each client comes prepared with a change of clothes and weather-resistant protection in case of poor weather while leaving the tanning location. For example, a rain jacket and umbrella. All clients within the group are obligated to be on-site and ready by their scheduled appointment time.
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Please note that clients under the age of 18 years old must have a legal parent or guardian with them at the time of appointment and must also fill out our waiver on behalf of their child.
DURING
Please have a decent-sized room with a three-pronged outlet picked out for our airbrush artists when they arrive.
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To allow our airbrush artists to do their best work by having enough space, while also staying safe, they have been instructed not to travel [upstairs] to bathrooms, bedrooms, or [downstairs] to basements. Basements are also not ideal due to typical low ceilings and we ask that our artists avoid carrying equipment up and downstairs for their safety.
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In an effort to keep everyone protected, we ask that family, children, and pets remain separated while our airbrush artists are on site. A reminder that failure to comply will result in an automatic cancellation.
Our artist will come to your location fully equipped with a suitcase, compressor, and tent. Within 5 minutes the tent is ready and you'll begin your session as your airbrush artist will go over a little about us and what to expect. Having a color in mind that you would like to achieve will help our artists customize what is best for you. Your airbrush artist will evaluate your skin tone while taking into consideration the color you'd like to have and will come up with the best mixture, created specifically for you. Appointments vary but typically are 30-45 minutes.
We supply you with foot sandals to protect your feet and a hair net to keep your hair off your shoulders and face. Our airbrush solution does not impact your nails or hair. Again, in an effort to cut down on waste, we no longer offer disposable bras or panties.
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Since COVID19, each of our airbrush artists will come supplied with a new mask and new gloves for each location/household which will be worn prior to entering the appointment. Clients receiving the airbrush tan do not need to wear a mask, as a mask can not be worn during the airbrush tan, or afterward.
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Because of our new disinfection protocols, we remind clients again to contact us as soon as possible if you would like to add someone to your appointment as we must have enough advance notice to ensure we have enough disinfected, clean supplies on hand for the number of people we have scheduled. During our busier seasons, we can not guarantee availability for groups.
What makes us unique? We use our one-of-a-kind solution to create a color for you by mixing an assortment of shades and adding our DHA in separately. This ensures that every tan is specifically created for that client. Also, your airbrush artist will take note of how your color was mixed for you and add it to your After Dark profile. This way, the next time we come we know exactly what was mixed for you the last time.
During your airbrush tan, it is important to keep your body spread out: arms outwards and hanging down, neck kept up, legs apart and knuckles/hands closed in. From there, your airbrush artist will talk you through the entire tan.
AFTER CARE
After your, tan your artist will wipe off your hands and feet. Airbrush artists' guns are aimed at a low setting to avoid having any 'dry time' to make it more time-efficient for our clients. After, you can get dressed immediately. You will want to stick to dark, loose clothing throughout the day or to sleep in, for example, a t-shirt and sweatpants. You want to avoid anything too tight that will create any type of tan lines after your tan, like jeans, bras, or spandex.
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And just like that, we are finished!
For 6-8 hours, it is best to avoid any moisture (rain, lotions, dog/baby drool, deodorant, drinks, and foods more prone to spilling). After Dark’s solution comes out of all clothing and most fabrics but we still recommend covering up while sitting in cars, on furniture, or rubbing against anything while the color is soaking into your first layer of skin. If you have white bedding, plan to use different sheets/comforters for that evening. Your airbrush artist will also go into depth about what you can and can't do during the setting of your airbrush tan. This will guarantee that the color absorbs correctly.
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For evening clients, our airbrush solution should be slept in. Make sure to sleep in a cool space to avoid sweating. Long sleeve or quarter sleeve shirts and capris or long pants are best for sleeping in your spray tan. Again, white bedding should be avoided. Leaving your spray tan on for over 8 hours will not make your tan darker or last longer, however, rinsing before 8 hours may make the tan lighter than expected. Sleeping in your airbrush tan will ensure there are no errors, versus being awake and moving around.
After 8 hours your tan is ready to be rinsed. It is best to remove the residue as soon as possible from your skin by rinsing it off immediately. So for example, taking a shower right when you wake up.
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Rinsing your entire body at once will ensure the tan completely washes off without any streaking. Using non-exfoliating products will also keep your tan looking its best with no blotching. Gentle cleansers are the best to keep your tan on and clients should avoid any exfoliating rags, loofahs, or sponges during the extent of their airbrush tan.
Afterward, when finishing your shower, take a towel and pat dry to keep from streaking your tan. Hydrate your skin by applying some lotion.
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Once you are showered, your tan is officially set and is no longer at risk of being compromised. You can go back to your normal routine(s). You can wear jeans and tight clothing again, swim (ocean, pool, jacuzzi, etc), sweat/work out, and continue with your typical beauty routines like makeup, shaving, and skincare. However, please avoid any acidic facial treatments and or facials in general for however long you would like your tan to stay optimized. Again, brides should shower at minimum, two full times, with soap, head to toe prior to putting on their wedding gowns between their airbrush appointment and wedding day. Any other appointments like bachelorette parties or honeymoons can have their tan done 1 day before as long as there is enough time for a rinse before leaving for your trip.
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For the next two weeks try to moisturize 1-2 times a day minimum, wear sunscreen as you are still at risk of burning while having your airbrush tan on but can still develop a natural tan underneath, drink water regularly to stay hydrated, and avoid any/all exfoliating. This includes rags, loofahs, and beaded washes.
Our tans fade very naturally due to our customized solution and light techniques, however, once you notice your tan has begun to fade, you can now begin exfoliating to remove it entirely.
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Have other questions? Visit our FAQS page.
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PRODUCTS WE RECOMMEND
Exfoliating:
Korean Exfoliating Mitts/Towels
Body Wash:
Honest Company Face & Body Wash
Cerave's Hydrating Body Wash
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Face Wash:
Honest Company Face & Body Wash
Cerave's Hydrating Cleanser
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Lotion:
Aveeno
Honest Company Face & Body Lotion
Cerave Daily Moisturizing Lotion
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Sunscreen:
Sun Bum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
Sun Bum Mineral Face Sunscreen SPF 30 - Tinted