Summer’s here and the sun is out! You’ve found the perfect dress for your beach getaway, like this gorgeous, fun and breezy dress by TIBI  on the cheap at renttherunway.com. Your dress should do all the talking for you; summer makeup is all about looking healthy and natural–so ditch that heavy foundation and let your skin breathe and glow. Bring on the bronzer for that perfect sunkissed look!

 

 

Before we actually put any makeup on though, let’s talk products and technique. Make sure you put on a good sunscreen! Wrinkles and sunspots and sunburns are not summertime sexy. Next, use a foundation only if you really need to even out your skin tone, stick with something light, like a tinted moisturizer. Only use concealer where you need it, using a light hand.

 

Now, on to bronzer itself. Glow does NOT equate to that orange, Oompaloompa skin. In the summer, you will want something that sinks into your skin–like a cream or liquid bronzer–rather than a powder that will cake up with sweat and humidity. Shimmer is fine, but needs careful placement–there is a difference between bronzing and contouring.

 

Contouring can help you define your face shape: bringing out your cheekbones, defining your jaw, and slimming your nose, for example. For this, you’ll want a matte bronzer one to two shades darker than your natural skin tone. A matte bronzer will help these areas become shadows–which is what you want. Shimmer serves to bring areas forward instead–we’ll talk about that in just a second. If you are very fair, go for a shade that is more apricot-y and beige, rather than a traditional bronze. To bring out your cheekbones, find the hollow just under your cheekbones. If you can’t find them, make a fishy face, and find where your cheeks suck in. Start to carefully create a triangle starting near and darkest near the hairline, fading away into nothing. As a rule of thumb, don’t go past the imaginary vertical line from the outside corner of your eye downwards. Make sure to blend really well! You don’t want to look like you have dirty streaks on your face.

 

Of course, contouring is optional. That’s just one way to use a bronzer. Another way is to really get that golden glow–this time, shimmery bronzers are welcome, but beware of huge hunks of glitter. Focus a shimmery bronzer on the high points of your face–where the sun would naturally hit: on the high parts of your forehead, down the bridge of your nose, your browbones, and on the tops of your cheekbones. Be careful on your cheekbones; any shimmer getting too close to the sides of your nose may make your pores look bigger. Again, make sure to blend away those edges well. You don’t want to see any harsh lines! Voila, instant glow! Keep the rest of your makeup simple: maybe a coat or two of waterproof mascara with some lipgloss, and you’ll look fresh-faced and healthy.

 

I wouldn’t use both bronzing techniques at the same time in full force, but experiment and see what works for you. Don’t be afraid of bronzers; they can be your best friends!

 

See you on the beach!

 

By: Michelle C, Harvard

 

 


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