I give myself fake tan lines — it makes me feel ‘sexy’

Erin Dugan Jurchak has two distinct, light diagonal lines across her chest. They extend from the sides of her neck down and are highlighted by a golden glow. 

But the blond beauty influencer didn’t get her sun-kissed look by spending hours catching rays in a halter top bikini. 

She faked her tan lines with makeup.

Armed with two strips of Washi crafting tape from Michael’s ($12), Anastasia Beverly Hills’ matte powder bronzer ($28) and Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Longwear Powder Blush in rosy red ($30) — products she already had in her vast makeup arsenal — it took her just ten minutes to create the illusion of marks from bikini straps on her coppery chest. 

“Tan lines are feminine and sexy,” said Jurchak, who scored a staggering 6.1 million views on a makeup tan tutorial she posted to TikTok, where the hashtag #FakeTan is more than 2.3 billion strong.


Erin Dugan Jurchak, 36, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, used Washi crafting tape and makeup to feign the look to sun tan lines on her chest.
Erin Dugan Jurchack, 36, was first inspired to try the fake tan lines makeup trend after seeing a content creator from Brazil accomplish the sun-free look.
Courtesy Erin Dugan Jurchak

Erin Dugan Jurchak, 36, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, used Washi crafting tape and makeup to feign the look to sun tan lines on her chest.
Footage of her faux tan hack racked up a whopping 6.1 million views on TikTok.
Courtesy Erin Dugan Jurchak

Erin Dugan Jurchak, 36, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, used Washi crafting tape and makeup to feign the look to sun tan lines on her chest.
Jurchak says the faux tan lines are a fun and safe way to reprise a fashion movement of her youth.
Courtesy Erin Dugan Jurchak

“Giving myself fake tan lines reminds me of my youth, growing up in the 2000s, [when tan lines were more fashionable],” she said, pointing to a time when stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Jessica Biel shamelessly strutted red carpets with their telltale beach marks visible.

Tan lines are the latest Y2K style trend to make a resurgence, but now many are faking the look for both convenience and health reasons.

Brazilian model Gih Coelho, 21, from São Paulo, ignited the fake tan lines trend in January with a TikTok clip that earned her 4.6 million views.

In the caption of the post, the brunette joked about using tape and makeup to accomplish the look after she forgot to sunbathe, per a language translation provided by the app.


Heidi Klum tan lines
Heidi Klum gave fans a saucy peek at her tan lines in a NSFW snap posted on Instagram.
NYPost Composite

Karrueche Tran, 35, showcasing her tan lines at the 2023 Black Women in Hollywood Awards in March.
“Claws” star Karrueche Tran let her tan lines steal the show while at a red carpet event in Hollywood.
WireImage

But online, cosmetics lovers like Jurchak are feigning a fresh-from-the-beach beauty with tape and powders. 

Tan lines are hugely popular in Brazil, where there are salons dedicated to placing electric tape along women’s bust and bikini lines to create color-contrasting designs on their skin after they hit the beach.

Beauty content creator Ghazal Wahidy, 29, told The Post that she was excited to give herself makeup tan lines after seeing Coelho’s tutorial pop up on her timeline.

“It looks so sexy and attractive,” said Wahidy, from Alberta, Canada, adding that her boyfriend loves the falsified imprint on her body

To achieve the look, she vertically cuts a long piece of scotch tape  — dividing it into two thin strips that resemble the slim bands of a spaghetti strap bikini — and adheres each slice to her chest. 

She then brushes over the tape with Benefit Cosmetics’ matte Hoola Bronzer ($35) and finished the design with a few dabs of a rosy Kylie Cosmetics powder blush ($20).  


Ghazal Wahidy, 29, from Alberta, Canada, uses tape and makeup to create fake tan lines on her chest.
Content creator Ghazal Wahidy tells The Post that her fake tan lines beauty process takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
@gwmakeup

Ghazal Wahidy, 29, from Alberta, Canada, uses tape and makeup to create fake tan lines on her chest.
Wahidy says she feels “sexy and attractive” when donning her faux tan lines around her town or online.
@gwmakeup

Ghazal Wahidy, 29, from Alberta, Canada, uses tape and makeup to create fake tan lines on her chest.
Wahidy, who admittedly tanned in the sun and at tanning salons for years, hails makeup as a much more health-conscious way to get a summertime glow.
@gwmakeup

“When I was in high school, I tanned in the sun or in tanning beds a lot, and that’s not great for your skin,” Wahidy said. “This is a much safer alternative.”

Manhattan dermatologist Dr. Julie Russak agrees.

“[It’s] a strange trend, but it’s much better than overexposing the skin to the sun in order to get the tan lines,” Russak told The Post. “Too much sun exposure changes our DNA and can cause UV damage, which increases the risk of skin cancer.”

NYC esthetician Danuta Mieloch adds that makeup, rather than sun rays or a tanning booth, is also the best option for avoiding early signs of aging

“Whenever your skin is changing color due to too much sun exposure,” said Mieloch, “you’re in danger of developing fine lines, wrinkles or hyperpigmentation.”

However you achieve them, tanlines are no longer sometime to hide.

In October, supermodel Heidi Klum, 50, shared a risqué mirror selfie on Instagram, showing off the sun-drawn etches she’d cultivated beneath a tiny black bikini.

A-listers such as Emily Ratajkowski, 31, actress Karrueche Tran, 35, and gymnast Olivia Dunne, 20, have also recently flaunted their summer stripes. 

“This [makeup trend] isn’t about demonizing the sun,” said Jurchak. “It’s just a cute and safe way to get a fun summertime look.”