Brooke Shields Has No Shame In Fake-Tanning (But You'd Never Know It's Not Real)

Tanning might've played a huge part in Brooke Shields' stunning transformation over the years. The actress enjoyed staying out in the sun to get the bronze complexion she was after. However, she wasn't against using other methods, like self-tanning, to achieve the same glow. Whereas some celebs might be too embarrassed to admit they use spray-tan, Shields was open and proud of her beauty routine. But perhaps the best thing about it is that you probably wouldn't recognize that Shields' skin tone wasn't all natural if she didn't tell you about the specific tanning product she used.

It not only gave her the aesthetic she wanted, but made it look as natural as her real complexion. "With Tan-Luxe, I was amazed at how good the color was, how not smelly it was, and the overall bronze. It just bronzed me so naturally, and it doesn't get orange," she said in an interview with The Strategist. According to Shields, she actually grew obsessed with the product because of both its function and its convenience. "It doesn't get all over your sheets, and there are so many different versions of it (the mousse and the spray and the cream), so you can really custom make it," she added. But although in most cases you'd never know it's not real, there's one instance where she showed what happens when fake tanning goes horribly wrong.

In 2012, Brooke Shields went to the New York premiere of the documentary "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel." Although she dressed up in a very stylish black dress for the event, most of the attention went to her tan. It was another celebrity makeup transformation that completely backfired, leaving the "Blue Lagoon" star's complexion looking completely off-tone from head to toe. In fact, Shields was so orange that she went full carrot long before President Donald Trump did with his botched bronzer job. However, Shields learned from her mistake and has only improved with tanning as she has aged. 

The Tan-Luxe brand, which she discovered while filming 2024's "Mother of the Bride," became an integral part of her beauty routine, helping her makeup look seamless. She explained how she carefully and meticulously applies the brand's tanning cream to her face in an interview with Allure. First, she squeezed a bit of the cream into her palm. "And then I mix it all into the foundation. Just put it, like, on my forehead. I always try to kind of do it under my eyes because sometimes I forget how to do it under my eyes," she said. Shields completed the ritual by rubbing the cream on her neck and ears as well.