At any bodybuilding show, you see many competitors with a tanned body, but they fail miserably matching their skin tone to their face. More often than not, many competitors look like they just worked on their '67 Mustang or are in the process of hunting for rabbits with a camouflage painted face.

Matching facial skin tone to a pro tanned body is very difficult and can bring disastrous results. It's hard to match the tone/color of your face when your whole body is pro tanned for a competition.

There are a few tried and true methods that work, but you have to experiment with the one that best works for you.

First thing first.

When applying any tanning spray or liquid, wear latex gloves, wear sox, and do not apply the tanning spray to your face or your joints. In other words, do not paint your elbows and knees. Constant application to these areas will create black dark spots that can be seen 200 feet away.

The morning of the competition, your face should look like as pale as a baby's bottom! Apply a very light coat of spray tan to the face. You want to achieve a very light bronzed look. Once it's dry, you can then apply makeup to match the skin tone with the rest of your body.

The trick is foundation.

Most girls use the foundation from MAC Cosmetics. Once the foundation has been set, a cosmetic bronzer should be applied on top. The choice of bronzer color will create the color match with the rest of your body.

There are numerous cosmetics out there that would work by Loreal or MAC Cosmetics, but it seems that MAC is the popular choice for both foundation and bronzer.MAC makeup will last longer and probably feel fresher than the inexpensive brands.

MAC cosmetics can be found at a local store or online at: http://www.maccosmetics.com

Look for MAC Foundation NW45. In addition, try the Studio Fix by MAC. Studio Fix is a powder make up that is triple milled and does not settle in fine lines you can touch it up and it never looks caked or cracked. MAC also has a fine mist spray called 'Fix Plus.' You can spray this over your face lightly to refresh or blot with tissue if you have a tendency to oil through.

MAC may be on the expensive side, but it is well worth the investment.