Look Like a Victoria's Secret Angel Without Working Out

Let's just get one thing straight: a Victoria's Secret spray tan will not make you seem like an overly bronzed cast member on The Jersey Shore. "This year, the look was more of a glow," Pradas explained. "Not so much a tan, but a healthy-looking glow as if they had that color all year round."

I was personally worried about getting my spray tan just hours before shooting a hair DIY in case I looked streaky or dirty in front of the cameras. But that wasn't the case at all (you can see it for yourself here), and I felt confident being out and about while the formula worked its magic on my skin (slowly darkening it).

To start, you strip down (something I assume the Angels are comfortable with) and then step onto sticky slippers that keep the bottoms of your feet from getting coated with formula. In honor of the show, Pradas picked up these cute pink slippers. Then, you rub a barrier cream over your hands and feet, from the wrists and ankles down. Make sure to get it between your fingers and toes.

"The barrier cream should be nice and thick," Pradas noted. "Because the skin on the hands and the feet tend to absorb the most self-tanner — whether you're getting a spray tan or using an at-home lotion or gel." A shower cap is placed on the head to protect hair, and nose plugs are inserted so that you don't inhale too much of the solution.

Pradas custom-makes her own spray-tan formula, an organic concoction of DHA (the chemical that makes your skin darken), bergamot essential oil, aloe vera, and vitamins A and E. "It's probably the most natural products on the market," she enthused. "It is as organic as any product can possibly get. There are no glycols in it. There are a lot of terrible ingredients in spray tanning solution. People really don't do the research to find out." I can vouch that the formula felt soothing on my skin and lacked that telltale chemical scent tanners usually give off.

For those hardcore skin care junkies out there, I found out that the organic tanner has eight percent DHA in it. Pradas offered a tip on how to make formulas with lower DHA more effective. "You can control the color of the spray tan according to percentage and how much solution you actually put on," she said. "So I could use a DHA of eight percent but use a light layer. I always use two lighter layers of spray tan because it just looks much more natural. It also gives you a second chance to fill in all the areas, so there won't be any lines or streaks."

Since Pradas is also a makeup artist, she uses the tanning formula as if it were cosmetics to accentuate each person's natural curves. "I follow the shape of the body throughout the entire spray tan because that is really how it is going to look the most natural and get the best contouring," she said. "As you know, we all have different shapes, so everyone is going to be a little different. I look at the body and see what I can do aesthetically to make it look better."

Self-tanner isn't just for your body. "I definitely contour right at the cheekbone and right underneath, as opposed to above it," Pradas explained. "Not the top part because that is where you want to put the blush." She recommends starting at the top of your ear and drawing a diagonal line toward your mouth. "You can also re-create that with self-tanner at home and a little makeup sponge," she added. For more contouring tips, read our lazy girl's guide to defining your face with makeup.

To make your breasts look perkier — sans the help of a pushup bra — create two half-moon shapes on the top of each mound. "This brings them in," Pradas said of the contouring illusion. You can also shade an upside-down triangle with bronzer at your cleavage to create a faux shadow.

First, Pradas shades the sides of the stomach (vertically) to give the illusion of a smaller waist. Then, she creates cage-like V shapes going down the front of the belly. "This makes you look slimmer but not flat or straight," she said. "It gives you the hourglass look that we are all looking for. It's all an illusion."

The tanning pro repeats that same contouring process on the back. She drags the lines from the belly back so it looks continuous.

It's the year of the butt! So you will definitely want to define yours — and here's how tanner can help. "A lot of us don't have those perfect butts that are high up in the air, but that is OK!" Pradas said. To get the derriere to look perkier, she creates two connected U shapes around the bottom of the bum. By shading the sides and underneath, it creates a lifting, slimming effect.

Pradas suggests making the inner part of your thighs a bit darker to make your gams appear longer and leaner. The same technique can be applied to the underpart of your arm.

While you want to glow from head to toe, there are places to skip. "I tend to avoid elbows," Pradas offered. "They will get enough color from the overspray." She recommends using the barrier cream residue on your hands and rubbing on elbows (especially if they are dry) to keep product from building up there. Same theory goes for knees.

Pradas uses a medley of tools to perfect the tan. First, she'll have you rub your hands together with an exfoliating self-tanner remover. Then, she takes a spongey paintbrush to smooth out the area around your wrists. The tan remover is applied on your nails with a Q-tip so that your digits aren't stained. Finally, she takes a big fluffy brush and dusts lavender cornstarch baby powder anywhere you might get sweaty. "Focus on where the body creases — under the arms, armpit, and under the butt," she advised. "Also, put it where your bones are because that is what's going to press against your clothes. So put it on hipbones, cleavage, and feet."

Since Pradas may be one of the only people on the planet who has seen every Victoria's Secret Angel naked, I had to ask: what do these goddesses look like in the buff? "They are superhuman!" she gushed. "They are absolutely gorgeous. They have — not crazy muscular — but muscles that every girl would want. Just so defined — so toned. I am 5'3" so I would love to have those long legs [Editor's note: same here, sister!]. The best part about these girls is that they are extremely sweet and very wonderful to work with, talk to, and just hang out with. So it is the best of both worlds!"