Pumpkin-pie tans are no longer reserved for self-indulgent celebs with too much time on their hands. In an astute piece of investigative journalism yesterday, the Huffington Post published ORANGE ALERT! Politicians With Fake Tans: A Cautionary Slideshow, and it wasn’t pretty. I don’t take issue with a little fake and bake, but there’s no need to lie about it, John Boehner. And one would hope that the people making the major decisions would have enough sense to avoid the obvious and unattractive orange tan. Avoid the telltale sienna streaks by following a few simple steps.

● Exfoliate your skin with a non-oily scrub. ● Wash your hands at least every five minutes while applying. Use a soapy nailbrush to scrub palms, fingers, and fingernails. ● Rub lotion around wrists and backs of hands to blend with arms and ankles, and tops of feet to blend with legs. ● Apply self-tanner in tight, dark clothing that exposes the skin you want to tan. ● After applying, do not do anything for at least ten minutes, or until the goop is completely dry.

Clarins Self-Tanning Instant Gel and Clinique’s new Self Sun line are my top picks for self-tanners that will leave you looking healthy rather than radioactive.