Confession:  I'm won't get my eyebrows arched because I'm afraid they will grow back weird or, worse, won't grow back at all.

    Getting a tan in the South during the summer is as inevitable as finding meat in your veggies at a meat and three restaurant. It's going to happen. And I don't mean getting a golden glow from spending hours laying at the beach, or sitting poolside with a magazine, but simply from being out and about.  For example, walking a strip mall for an hour; shopping an open-air farmer's market for an afternoon; or riding a bicycle along a trail all add up to ample sun exposure and skin that gets richer and richer in color (even while wearing the appropriate sunscreen).

    That leads me to my point of a what I feel is a strange, but common, southern skin phenomenon:  Two-toned skin, also known as uneven tanning. It used to be called a "farmer's tan." That's when the area from your upper shoulder or from your elbow down to your fingertips was at least six shades deeper in color than the area beneath your t-shirt, which didn't see much sunlight. 

    Right now, my arms are at least four shades darker than my legs. This makes buying pantyhose a fun adventure. Do I match my arms or do I match my legs. Should I do Beige Mist or Honey Brown?  This is the question.

  The beauty of it all is that it's such a common sight to see two-toned skin in the South, that no one feels shy or bad about it.  You'll see bunches of folks sporting striped feet (from wearing sandals that have straps--beneath the straps doesn't get tanned, so you get tan lines on your feet), or ghost eyes (I call that the area behind your shades--the rest of your face gets tan, but you're left with these untanned circles around your eyes and maybe even a line by your temples). We are not aliens and this is not a skin condition that just hasn't been diagnosed. We are Southerners, two-toned through and through (and we love it).

  Do you get two-toned skin? Know any solutions for evening out tans? Tell me about it.  I'd love to hear.

  Here's a product to keep on hand before going out into the sun. Nivea Caring Sun Lotion is available is available in SPF 6 through SPF 50+. It has UVA and UVB protection and is even supposed to help with sun allergies. It yields instant protections against sunburn and has a bonus of anti-aging and moisturizing properties.