Many of us love a sun-kissed glow but seeing other people’s tanning fails might be a reason to move to the shade for a bit. What happens when you want to look like you’ve been on vacation, but you can’t afford the actual trip? That’s where the magic of fake tanner can help!

Maybe you’re enjoying time outside and have no clue that you’re tanning the old-fashioned way? There are many ways that we can end up with some hilariously unfortunate tans. Luckily, we can learn from other people’s mistakes and be thankful that they didn’t happen to us.

Not Quite a Natural Glow

Let’s be honest; there have been times when many of us would’ve liked to have a tan between vacations. It seems like that’s what happened with this woman standing in the sun. Nevertheless, she might’ve tried a bit too hard to get that pre-vacation tan.

The issue looks like she went a little overboard with fake tanner and drawn more attention to herself by using the brightest makeup combination she could find. While she doesn’t seem affected by her appearance, it didn’t take long for another party guest to spot that things might not be completely natural.

A Tasteful Tiny Hip Turtle

Going to the beach with our friends is a blast. From the sand to the sunshine and everything in between, there are lots of ways to stay cool with an ice cream and swimming in the water every once in a while.

This beachgoer eventually noticed there was a cardboard cut-out of a turtle stuck on their hip. While that might not seem like too big of a problem for most of us, they must have not noticed until later in the day as that cut-out has left an imprint in their tan.

A Teacher’s Series of Unfortunate Events

From this teacher’s facial expression, it looks like she had too much fun in the sun when she headed to the amusement park with her students. Seemingly, they were all given lanyards with their ID to make sure nobody got lost or separated from the group.

Still, she didn’t plan ahead when it came to the tan lines it left on her neck and chest. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the teacher had to live with the nickname “Lanyard” for the rest of the semester, as the name stayed with her until she was able to wear sweaters for winter.

The Bad Side of Ripped Jeans

Trends don’t typically stick around for a long time. But, the ripped jean trend appears to be here for the long haul. The issue is that when you decide to wear a pair of these jeans out in the sun and don’t remember to put sunscreen on your exposed knees.

That was exactly what this person learned the hard way when they suddenly realized it looked like they had been kneeling for the last few hours. It looks like they’ll be wearing this same pair of jeans until this tan finally settles down.

Gambling with Complex Swimsuits

Getting a complex swimsuit might seem like a bright idea when you’re standing in the store. Still, that would be the time to think about the possible tan lines right when you sit out in the sun for more than four minutes.

If you’re going to take the risk and wear something with a complicated design, then remember that the tan lines will be there after you remove the swimsuit. It likely won’t take long before tons of people have questions about how – and why – you are rocking these patterns.

Fake Tan is Drastically Unreliable

There are many ways to make it look like we just spent the last few months on vacation. Many of us enjoy spending hours in the sun during the summer to ensure we have that even tan. But some people would rather buy fake tanner and put that on instead.

There are numerous benefits to using fake tans rather than sitting out in the sun. Still, it looks like this woman might have gone a little overboard with her tan. Maybe she kept it on her body for too long? Maybe she didn’t realize how tan she got?

Half-Empty or Half-Full Tan?

The person in this photo looks like they were enjoying their time in the sun until they got home and noticed that those capri pants were about to leave them with a permanent reminder on their legs.

We’re still attempting to figure out how she got this specific tan line with pants but no socks or shoes. Whatever the situation might have been, it appears that it could be time to reevaluate our gym clothes more than ever, especially if this woman intends on heading back out into the sunlight.

Not a Real Tank Top

We rarely think about how one outfit we wear for a day will affect our daily lives for months afterward. Unfortunately, that seems to have been what happened with this woman, who quickly learned that her tank top was going to stay with every look she rocked.

That’s correct; white lines are actually her tan lines from a nasty sunburn. Luckily, she appears to see the hilarious side of it as she takes a selfie in front of a mirror. Hopefully, she can retain that sense of humor as she attempts to fill in the gaps from her tank top.

Trying to Even It Out

It’s tough when you have to use your lunch break to try and even out a tan rather than hang out with your coworkers or joke about the latest office gossip. Sadly, that seems to be what’s happening here, as this man is attempting to tan his legs in the hope that nobody will notice a difference.

He only has two options: only wear pants or try and match his upper body. The dilemma? He may want to wear a shirt to ensure he doesn’t make the difference even more obvious, or he could be trapped in an endless cycle.

Goggle Marks Tell All

There are numerous reasons that people prefer a fake tan over hours of sitting in the sun. While it may seem like a brilliant idea at first, it won’t be long before this woman begins to regret her choice to stand in front of the spray bottle.

The goggle marks are the telltale sign that she needed assistance to get that sun-kissed glow. Hopefully, she is familiar enough with a makeup bag that she can color in the gaps and make it look like a natural tan rather than a five-minute spray session.

Risky Business Without Sunblock

People never desire to look like a crustacean from sunburn. In fact, we highly doubt this pair hoped to look like a lobster after a sunny day. Unfortunately, that seems to be what happened as this couple posed for a picture after realizing their unfortunate mistake.

Allegedly, they had both forgotten to apply sunscreen before spending an entire day outside. Nonetheless, anyone who’s been sunburn before can likely feel the heat coming off this picture through the screen. Hopefully, some aloe vera and several cold showers will have them feeling better.

Neapolitan Ice Cream, but Make It Fashion

What was supposed to be a regular tan on this man’s legs has become their interpretation of Neapolitan ice cream. Though fitting for summer, it probably wasn’t what they were aiming for when they started this tanning journey.

We can only assume that it started with the bottom of their legs, only for them to want their tan to go a bit higher up. The issue with that was that the middle section of their thigh was uncooperative. We only have one question: when will they come to terms that their tan is not going to even out?

Sunburn Reveals Absolutely Everything

If there is one thing that sunburns are good for is revealing anything and everything. That seems to be the case for this woman; luckily, it appears that she didn’t have too many secrets to keep hidden from the rest of the world.

Very few of us think about how accessories might affect our skin if we don’t plan ahead, but it appears that it might be something worth considering if the sun keeps up this chaotic energy. Hopefully, that was her favorite bag, so she could use it to cover the tan lines.

This Looks Pretty Familiar

When your friends start to tease you about your tan lines publicly, you’ve hit rock bottom. Have you seen something that looks so familiar, but you can’t seem to place it? That was nearly the case for this woman until her friend realized what she was reminded of by that tan.

A popsicle stick! While the woman with the tan lines seems to see the humor in her situation, we wouldn’t blame her if she began wearing long sleeves and long pants until she evened out her tan. That way, she could avoid being labeled a popsicle stick.

Fresh Spray Tan? No Crying!

Getting a spray tan can be a courageous decision because many things can go wrong. Still, most of the time, it’s fine. For this woman, she had a good cry session after her tanning appointment, and it looks like she ended up on the wrong end of a spray tan.

What’s the worst part of this? It will most likely take days until the remainder of her tan wears off, meaning that she’ll have to walk around with this reminder of how sad she was after she finished with her appointment.

Try and Hide These Tan Lines

Most people assume spending all day in the sun will result in an impressive summer tan. Sometimes it doesn’t work out like that. Take this person, for instance. What appears to be an impressive tan when they’re wearing high socks and shorts quickly transforms into something else when they remove the socks.

This is not a photography trick – that is the actual sole tanned portion of their legs. Hopefully, the long sock and short combination is their typical outfit so that everybody else never learns they were only able to tan one-third of their legs.

A Careless Friend Applied This Sunblock

When someone asks you to put sunblock on their back, it’s crucial that you do a good job so that they don’t end up burned like this. Not only has it left them with an intricate pattern on their back, but you could cook an egg on the sunburn they’re rocking as a result.

It looks like someone just took the roller sunblock and decided to randomly apply it to this person’s shoulders and totally forgot about the lower back. Or they actively chose to apply it themselves and quickly found out they could only reach their shoulders.

Beware of the Sun at Outdoor Weddings

This woman told BuzzFeed that she was performing at her cousin’s wedding when the bride ended up arriving a few hours late. The issue was that she needed to keep the guests preoccupied and was forced to stand in the sun that entire time.

While that might not have typically caused a problem, it looks like the sun was stronger than she thought, and she hadn’t applied any sunscreen before she headed out for the wedding. This forgetfulness resulted in tan lines that are going to take a whole summer to try and even out.

Not So Happy Anymore

It can be difficult not to laugh at someone when they have tan lines as legendary as these. We hope this woman sees the humor in her mishap and never layers the word “happy” on her forehead before participating in another Color Run.

This woman obviously didn’t know that you can tan on a cloudy day. All she needs now are six more people to make the same mistake, and she can find herself ready to play one of the dwarves in the remake of ‘Snow White.’ Turn that frown upside down, right?

What Was on Her Back?!

We’re hoping that these tan lines came from a mean prank of putting seaweed on their back and not some type of scary sea creature who surfaced from the water to make their day at the beach a living nightmare.

Whatever the situation, it looks like they learned their lesson about falling asleep at a public beach, especially when there are people nearby. It’s even worse when those people think that it’s a great idea to make some permanent patterns on your back with your suntan. Hopefully, their next time at the beach will be way less memorable.

Does Roller Sunscreen Even Work?!

At first glance, someone might assume that these unfortunate tan lines are from a cool dress. It turns out this is what occurs if you use roller sunblock and don’t fully rub it in. That was a mistake that this poor person isn’t going to forget anytime soon.

While they might claim that it’s a weird fashion choice, it probably won’t take long for people to start staring and wondering what happened. There are lots of reasons that sunscreen comes with instructions to explain to you how to apply it, and it seems like this person needs to reread them.

Burning Up for You Baby

You’ve definitely failed when your sunburn is so awful that your face has a strange red glow without any filters. It looks like this is what happens when you choose to go tanning twice in one day outside in the sunshine.

This woman’s burn is reason enough to take a break from tanning and double-check to properly apply more sunblock when you believe you already have enough on. Hopefully, it wasn’t long before the glow went away and for her skin to return to its normal hue after being put through this torture.

Lace Was a Bold Choice

Unfortunately for this person, they learned the hard way that wearing a shirt with lace sleeves isn’t a good idea when you’re planning to spend the entire day in the sunshine. Now, this lace pattern seems to have become a part of their arm.

We can only hope that they’re big fans of the pattern and were happy with these results. If not, they’ll have some explanations to give when people ask what they have on their shoulder. Perhaps we might suggest some longer sleeves as a better choice next time?

Aang, Is That You?!

If you’ve ever watched the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, then this picture might remind you of someone. Does the name Aang ring a bell? You know, the main character with an arrow casually on his head? That seems to be who this person was emulating when they left for the day.

Unfortunately, the sun had other ideas and ensured that they would always remember the day they dressed up as their favorite cartoon. They don’t suggest meeting your heroes, but is there a saying about getting a pattern tanned onto your face for them?

Choosing Swimwear More Carefully

We’re pretty sure that most of us would rather carry memories of the beach with us and not on our skin. Unfortunately, that’s what happened when this woman laid outside for some additional time in the sun.

Donning a bikini top was a perfect way to ensure she caught some rays as she spent her day under the sun. But it also gave her a permanent bikini top for the remainder of the summer. Hopefully, she enjoys that top, as it appears that that’s the only option she can wear to cover up any new tan lines.

Wearing Different Shirts Backfires

People who enjoy getting a tan throughout the summer tend to know that it’s smart to wear different shirts every day so that you never end up with weird tan lines. That warning came too delayed for this woman, who is rocking a pretty harsh crisscross back pattern.

We’re crossing our fingers that this shirt will fill in those tan lines. We only have one question: does she realize those tan lines are there, or has no one told her about the crisscross on her back before leaving for the grocery store?

A Streak of Bad Luck

With aerosol sunscreen, this person just needed to spray it on at the beginning of the 4th of July celebrations, and they should’ve been set. Unfortunately, it seems as though things did not go their way at all.

Rather than sun-kissed glowing results, it seems like they managed to miss a whole streak down the middle. From their upper thighs all the way to their feet, they now have a painful reminder of the joy they were supposed to be having to celebrate Independence Day. They need aloe vera ASAP!

Safety First, Sunburn Second

When the sun is shining, it feels like the perfect opportunity to take the convertible out for a ride. The issue was that this woman didn’t prepare to get stuck in traffic during the sunniest part of the day. Now, she won’t ever forget that drive.

She had worn a large necklace for the drive, and she also put safety first and wore a seatbelt throughout the entire trip. Just when she thought sitting in heavy traffic couldn’t get any worse, she probably didn’t notice that her skin was beginning to get some interesting tan lines.

Replacement Shirt of Sunburn

We’re not confident that most people love their shirts so much that they’d want to be the color of it. No matter if it was an accident or on purpose, it looks like that is what happened to this man after spending too much time in the sun.

Luckily, it looks like he has some sympathetic friends there to help take care of his sunburn. Oh, hang on, no, they would prefer to pose for a picture to show the rest of the world just how burnt he got after a few too many hours in the sunshine.

Breakfast in Direct Sunlight

It looks like this person was extra comfortable as they ate their breakfast outside. In fact, they were so comfortable that they fell asleep only to wake up and notice that they’d made a terrible mistake. Now they’ll never forget that meal or the sunburn they got as a result.

They have set themselves up to no longer wear shorts until they have the burn marks under control. That is unless they wish to answer some very uncomfortable questions about why there is a spoon on their leg.

The Highly Coveted Foot Tan

If you didn’t know, now you know that you have to think about every single part of your outfit before we head out into the sun. Is it going to end up leaving unfortunate tan lines? Is there any way that it’d end up looking like something else once we’ve been in the sun?

This woman had mostly prepared until she looked down and noticed that her sandals were the downfall of her outfit. That’s correct; we need to think about the straps on our shoes and how it will look like we’re wearing sandals even when we’re standing barefoot.

A Hole in One

This woman chose to wear a racerback top in the sun and didn’t remember to apply sunscreen for the day. What happened? She ended up with a hole in one on her back that had many people guessing what happened to her.

Instead of looking back on her day outside and thinking about all of the fond memories, it looks like this woman will live with them as they have been burned onto her back. It appears that allowing places that don’t typically see the sun into direct sunlight for the first time can be the tipping point for our skin.

Sunburn Goes Best With a Smile

Although this woman’s tanning results were awful, we’re glad to see she’s found the strength to smile through her pain. The longer we look at this photo, the more we feel bad that she got this burnt, but at least she can fake a good attitude.

But don’t let the smile on her face fool you! It doesn’t mean that we can dismiss the fact that her shoulders and arms look like a much brighter shade of red than her normal skin tone. The worst thing about this burn is that it’s a reminder of how horrible things went.

Swimsuit Tan Lines Strike Again

Many people don’t seem to do well with the combo of sunshine and swimsuits. Take this swimmer, for instance. It appears as though they had the correct idea when they left in a racerback style swimsuit for the day to try and catch some rays outside.

The issue is that they didn’t prepare for the diamond pattern in the middle of their back. Luckily, the middle of their back is a place that they should be able to hide from everyone as they hunker down and wait for the tan lines to fade by the time winter rolls around.

Rethink Wearing a Strappy Swimsuit

Reality TV shows and celebrity social media posts have inspired several of us to reach for more unique swimsuits than we ever have before. While it looks really cool, this woman serves as a warning for the public about the repercussion of getting burned in one of these.

Just because something looks nice on a celebrity doesn’t mean that it’s the right move for everyone else. That’s even more obvious when a new item of clothing leaves strange tan lines. Instead of letting it hold her back, this woman looks willing to rock the new look with a warning for everybody else.

Save Arguments for Before a Spray Tan

Let us learn from this woman, who went for a spray tan before arguing with her boyfriend. It may not sound like something too terrible, but looking closer, we can understand why she wanted to inform the rest of us that there’s a better way to do things.

Spray tans need some time to settle, so all of the product ran down her face and left some marks on her neck and cheeks. She needs to deal with both the emotions of having an argument and having to explain to everyone what happened to her face.

Adding Stripes to Soften the Burn

This isn’t the worst sunburn we’ve seen, but this woman was not impressed with the lines she was left with after spending her day in the sun. The downfall all began when she chose to wear a statement necklace on her excursion.

The problem was she also wore a tank top, so there was lots of exposed skin around her jewelry. As a result, this woman was left with several shades of stripes because of how much she tanned at the time. We’re unsure how we’d deal with a turtleneck to cover this up in the middle of summer.

Difficulties With Spray Fake Tanner

It looks like this woman learned about the difficulties of attempting to give herself a good tan at home. It began when she bought some aerosol fake tanner and thought it was as easy as spraying it all over her legs to be ready to take on the day.

Unsurprisingly, she asked that her face be cropped out of this picture because of how her fake tan turned out. Apparently, the people she was photographed with kept asking if something was wrong with her skin. No, that’s just further proof that spray tanner requires practice.

All Smiles Here, Folks!

Some people believe that they are natural comedians, and it looks like this person is part of that group. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that we shouldn’t trust people to put sunscreen on our backs when we can’t watch what they are doing and know they like to pull funny stunts.

Things could’ve been much worse for this person! It turned out that their friend had put a stencil of a smiley face on their back while they applied the sunscreen. Maybe they should be excited that this face was what they received and not something else.

Too Much of a Good Thing Is Not a Good Thing

Some of us dream of being as deeply tan as possible, even if that means using a bottle of fake tan every so often so that we can fake it until we make it. But after seeing this woman’s photo, we’re rethinking how important a good tan is for us.

She used a bottle of fake tan and several hours to apply numerous layers before she left. We can’t tell if it’s the camera flash, the black background, or the fact she put way too much on, but it may be time to take a break from the fake tan.