With winter in full swing and holiday parties around the corner, we stocked up on some tips from Leah Rial, a veteran Hollywood makeup artist and founder of Wisdom in Beauty, on how to prevent the biggest self-tanning mistakes. 

Achieving a sun-kissed glow in the dead of winter isn't easy, but Leah's tips will help your get the perfect self-tanned skin the first time and pump up your holiday party look.  

Now to prevent those 4 biggest self-tanning mistakes! Here's how you can avoid the same pitfalls and come out looking perfectly sun-kissed - the first time!  

Mistake: Leopard Spots

How To Fix: "Before applying tanner, bathe like you're Ethan Hawk in Gattaca and scrub, scrub, scrub! Exfoliate everywhere, paying special attention to your elbows, knuckles, knees and heels," Leah instructed.

"If you're tanning the face, cleanse and exfoliate there, using an upward and circular motion - avoiding the eye area (but remembering the ears). Lastly, splash your face 20 times (no kidding!) with water as warm as you can stand it, to make sure all the oil, soap and exfoliant is rinsed off." 

Try: Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliator ($26) and Benefit "Honey... Snap Out of It!" Face Scrub ($28)  

Mistake: Oompah Loompah Eyebrows           

How To Fix: Leah says to avoid tanning your brows and the entire eye area. "This will keep you from ending up with two white stripes above your lids like Willy Wonka's little helpers," she joked.

"While you shouldn't moisturize beforehand, do put on eye cream, which will prevent any stray tanner from sinking in that area. On your face, go no more than one shade deeper than your natural color; in fact, I think it's a good idea to mix a little dab of your moisturizer into the facial self-tanner to ensure that you don't go too dark."

Leah recommends you wear a ponytail so you don't miss any areas that are covered by your hair (including your ears), and be sure not to get any tanner into the corners of your mouth.

Try: Laura Mercier Bronzing Gel for the face ($32) 

Helpful? Tell us with a note below! More tips to come Monday!