Spray Tan Fails That These Celebs Want Us To Forget

No matter what time of the year it is, spray tans are a must for many who want to get that beautiful, summery glow but without all the harmful UV rays. Celebrities have been relying on a fake bake for years, especially for the red carpet, but many have been the victim of spray tan and self-tanning mistakes. Unfortunately, it's easy to overdo it with these formulas, especially as they develop over time. You think you've achieved that just-perfect bronze, but hours later, you end up looking like an orange mess.

Looking super tan was de rigueur in the Y2K era, with stars like Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera going unnaturally dark. They've eased up on their tanning sessions since, and celebrities are aiming for a more subtle sun-kissed look. Still, that doesn't mean they don't make mistakes, such as Jennifer Aniston's self-tan fail, which she shared in an October 2022 Instagram reel. As someone washed her foot in the sink, the "Friends" star told the camera, "Note to self, hands and feet you must lotion before spray tan." Although Aniston's blunder wasn't too apparent, other famous faces had self-tanning mishaps so horrible that they probably want the evidence erased from the internet forever.

There wasn't a spray tan in the early 2000s that Paris Hilton didn't like, as was apparent by her ultra-deep skin during that era. She didn't let up on the applications before the "Heartbreakers" premiere in 2001, and it looked as if she used the whole bottle prior to her attendance. Hilton made sure to highlight her fake glow with some shimmer powder, which only drew more attention to it. Although Paris Hilton rocked some of the best Y2K outfits, we're pretty sure she wouldn't say "That's hot" while looking back at her spray-tan days.

Forget fair skin and visible freckles — Lindsay Lohan looked like a completely different person at the "Austin Powers in Goldmember" premiere in 2002. The "Mean Girls" star was several shades darker than her naturally porcelain skin tone, and the finished result was blotchy to boot. These days, she rocks her fair complexion, and we're glad Lohan left this overly bronzed look in the past.

There's a reason experts advise folks to get a spray tan two days before an event, but sadly, Selena Gomez didn't get the memo. At the 2018 Met Gala, she arrived looking more tan than usual, and the color deepened throughout the event. "While I was getting ready for the Met Gala a few years ago, we put on a bit of tanning lotion and it looked beautiful – but as the night went on, it kept getting darker and darker. When I sat down, I saw a photo of myself, and it looked completely orange," she told Glamour of her beauty blunder in 2022. We can't say we'd recommend following in her footsteps!

The "Jersey Shore" guys were all about the gym, tanning, and laundry, but Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi was just strictly focused on the tanning part. Back in her MTV heyday, the reality star looked like she dipped herself in a vat of bronzer, as seen at the network's Movie Awards. Polizzi admitted to Allure in 2010 that she'd predominantly used tanning beds but had switched to self-tanners. While spray tans are a safer way to get bronzes for the summer than the alternative, we're concerned about the amount she was using. We're sure her Target receipts were astronomical.

During Christina Aguilera's "Stripped" era, the "Dirrty" singer's look was ironically not so stripped. Instead of going for a natural look to complement her 2002 album, Aguilera went completely overboard with her makeup, black extensions, and orange spray tan. It didn't help that she also frequently wore burnt copper eyeshadow and super-streaky bronzer, which only accentuated the bad self-tanner.

It's as if Chrissy Teigen knew her spray tan was much too dark when she posed with her husband, John Legend, at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Leaning away from him, she had a slight smirk on her heavily darkened face while facing the cameras. It looked as if Teigen had bathed in self-tanner, which was only accentuated by her light-silver dress. The Sports Illustrated model had another tanning flub in 2014 when she posted a picture of her fingers in an unnaturally brown hue. "Apparently I hold myself at night as I sleep. Spray tan fail," she wrote. We think it's time for her to put the tanning lotion down and slowly walk away.

"Real Housewives of New Jersey" fans know that Teresa Giudice is over-the-top when it comes to her look, and that applies to her spray tan as well. A January 7, 2025, Instagram post showed her with a beat face and skin the color of a redwood tree. Viewers have seen her makeup-free, so they know that her skin is not really this shade. A spray tan in orange is just not something we love, love, love.