The sun may soon be setting on summer, but unfortunately evidence of the season has the tendency to linger on in one less-than-flattering way: tan lines. While you probably wouldn’t have heard us lamenting tan lines ten years ago, nowadays we’re wise enough to know they mean one thing: skin damage. Just in case your recent beach time has left you crisped, here’s how to cover up your tan line in 60 seconds flat.

30 seconds: Nixing your tan line starts in the shower. To even your skin color you’ll need to get rid of the damaged skin. Grab your favorite exfoliator (we like Kiehl’s Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub and The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Scrub) and exfoliate your tan in a circular motion to remove any dead skin.

MDC Tip: Don’t miss our Exfoliation 101 for a full guide to scrubs and peels.

30 seconds: Once you’re out of the shower it’s time to cover up the remaining lines with sunless tanner or body makeup. Apply moisturizer onto the already-tanned areas to create a barrier against the sunless-tanner (you don’t need to darken the tan, obviously). Next, dip a makeup sponge into your self-tanner (gel or lotion work best with this application), and blend the color evenly into the paler skin.

MDC Tip: Two of our favorite sunless tanners are L’Oréal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Gelee Medium Natural Tan and Lancôme Flash Bronzer and if you’re looking for body makeup instead of a tanner, Lorac Tantalizer Body Bronzing Spray with Puff has a great buffing applicator that blends for easy application.

Total Time: 1 minute

And there you go, you evenly bronzed goddess you. Have any other 1-minute makeovers you’d like us to tackle? Leave us a comment below.

Photo: Thinkstock