What’s all the rage about bronzer? This addition to your makeup bag or beauty collection can give you a boost of natural color and a fresh look that makes you feel and look younger. There are many different kinds of bronzer. Read on and see which one seems best for you.
Powder Bronzer – You can get an instant lightly- sun-burned look using a pressed powder bronzer. You can wet the powder bronzer so that it glides on to give intense color to your face, lips, and eyes. If what you want is a sun-kissed look, simply sweep a touch of bronzer on your nose, chin, and forehead. Do some blending, as needed, so that it doesn’t look like a stripe.
You can even apply powder bronzer to your neckline and shoulders to extend the look of being lightly tanned. Not just in spring and summer but year-round you can have a natural-looking radiance with a powder bronzer.
Sunless Bronzer — A sunless tanner and bronzer will give you an instant natural-looking tan. This type of product is pretty amazing because it looks like an actual tan and even fades slowly like the real thing. Some of these bronzers are oil-free and can both absorb and dry in under 5 minutes.
Deep Tanning Bronzer — If what you really want is a robust tan that’s both deep and rich, there’s a bronzer for that. This type of bronzer contains coffee bean extracts. You need to be sure to buy a brand that contains triclosan, which will help eliminate the bacteria which often causes an after-tanning odor.
See Part 2 of this continuing series to learn about the forms bronzer comes in and additional tips for applying bronzer to your face.
Thanks to my momma’s influence, I’ve been a person who won’t go outside without makeup since I was a teenager. No makeup is comparable to no pants. What began as a learned habit became a necessity as over the years, my nicely moisturized skin was “kissed” with a few spots that make a true natural look an absolute no-no.
I got a big surprise not so long ago, as a person who always wore full makeup, with at least two eye shadows, eye liner, and the works. A picture in which I looked far more natural than usual was posted on Facebook because it happened to have adorable faces of my children in it, too. Several people at work and online commented that it was the prettiest picture of me.
Have you ever had a light bulb experience? Well, that was definitely an eye opener for me. I realized that my best look may be a more natural one. Makeup still has to be in place, but it can be minimal and beautiful.
The following are a few tips for wearing makeup while still sporting a natural look:
Hair removal is a great place to start. Shape and wax your eyebrows. Do a facial wax if you have a blonde “beard,” even though it’s barely visible. Don’t get caught with a moustache.
Cleanse and moisturize your skin daily. Protect your skin with sunscreen, which many foundations and daily moisturizers contain.
If you don’t have virtually flawless skin, match the color of your foundation to the shade of your neck. Apply foundation lightly. As needed, use concealer or blending techniques to hide flaws. Using a foundation brush can pull off a much better look than using your fingertips.
You may choose to use a powder instead of foundation. Either way, wear powder to set your foundation or provide protection for your moisturized skin. I recommend mineral powder, which evens your skin tone and provides other benefits and nutrients for your skin.
Fill in your eyebrows so that they look smooth and well-shaped while at the same time natural.
Eye liner works for the natural look, as long as you don’t go heavy with the application or reshape your eyes with it.
Wear blush that will give you a natural-looking pinkish hue on the apples of your cheeks. For a sun-kissed look, put a hint of bronzer along your hairline at the forehead and on your cheeks, chin, and the tip of your nose.
Wear a subtle lipstick or a just a gloss, if your lips have natural coloring and don’t give you a washed-out look.
Do something different with your makeup. You never know what you’ll discover about what looks best on you.
Particularly if you’re a mom, weekday mornings can be incredibly rushed. It helps to get started the night before: Set out head-to-toe clothing for the kids, prepare homemade lunches, set out your own clothes, put gasoline in the car, make sure your keys and kids’ backpacks are where they belong, look at your schedule to see if there are any payment deadlines for bills or doctor appointments for the next day, and chop up the vegetables for the meal you’re preparing in the slow cooker. Then you have children to awaken, breakfast to serve, maybe dogs to walk, and more. Even when you’re good about thinking ahead, it can be tough to find time to put on makeup.
Applying your makeup will be faster and easier if you dedicate one makeup bag for exactly what you use each day. In other words, remove old bottles of mascara, outdated lipstick, and anything else that is either trash or nonessential. That way, everything you need will be quickly and easily at your fingertips.
Makeup routines vary, but even the natural look should involve protecting your skin from both aging and the environment with a moisturizer that includes UV protection. The following guide for quickly applying makeup covers common makeup basics:
Wash your face first thing in the morning and quickly apply your daytime moisturizer so that when it’s time to put on makeup, your canvas is ready.
Here’s a trick for determining what your skin tone is. Look at the color of your nail bed; the color you see there can help you determine whether you are fair, beige, golden, bronze, or dark. If you’ve ever shopped for foundation without the help of a makeup specialist, you know that it can be very difficult to figure out what shade of makeup is right for you. That’s because there are varying shades of fair, beige, etcetera.
It helps to figure out what your skin tone is because knowing helps you to purchase makeup that looks best on you. If your foundation doesn’t match your skin tone, your makeup won’t look as beautifully natural. Where skin tone really counts is with the foundation, blush, and powder that you buy. The eye shadow you wear, by the way, doesn’t have to match your skin tone to look fabulous.
The following are some suggestions for what makeup to choose according to your skin tone.
Fair Skin Tone
Hues of peach, apricot, and coral are ideal shades of blush for a person with fair skin, for an everyday look. Mauve eye shadow, brown eye liner, and lips to match your cheeks will create a bright, fresh look. Choosing a medium-coverage berry-colored lipstick can help to add color that pops.
Even out your skin tone with perfectly matched foundation and translucent mineral powder. Use blush and lip gloss that’s sheer pink. Give your eyes a subtle cat eye with black eye liner. Be sure to define your brows with brow powder, filling in sparse areas.
For a different look, use mauve blush and use a similar shade of lipstick topped with sheer gel. On your eyes, apply a neutral cream eye shadow that shimmers. Use a chocolate eye liner, and use a black/brown mascara. Be sure to groom your eyebrows for a complete look.
Golden Skin Tone
Your skin will look glowingly fresh if you use a light pink monochromatic shade for your cheeks, lips, and eyes. Use black eye liner, and apply black mascara to the upper lashes only. Add gloss to your lips for some added shine.
A different look is to go with rosy pink cheeks and plum-colored lips. Add a thin coat of liquid eye liner and two coats of black mascara to your top lashes only.
Bronze Skin Tone
Dust your cheeks with pink blush and apply translucent powder to your face. The focal point with this look is strong application of black eye liner on the upper and lower rims of your eyes. Apply pale beige eye shadow, black mascara, and an icy pink lipstick and gloss to your lips.
Dark Skin Tone
To create a simple yet gorgeous look, wear black eye liner, black mascara, and apply shimmery golden lipstick and lip gloss. Use warm bronze blush.
An alternate look is to wear lipstick that’s red brick-colored with light gold shimmery eye shadow and burnt-red lipstick topped with gloss. Wear black mascara on your upper and lower lashes.
This new product by Korres comes in three colors at $25 a piece. What’s good about the cheek butter is that it’s makeup that has smoothing and conditioning benefits. You get to have rosy cheeks and healthy skin at the same time. Now that is worth something.
What I love most about this product is that it’s all-natural and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals that are usually found in many make-up products. It’s long wearing and keeps your face hydrated. You can even wear it alone or use it with other products. The texture is not that heavy on the face so it feels like you’re not wearing any make-up. I don’t usually endorse products this much but I really adore what Korres came up with after their lip butter product line. This product is what I call a ‘healthier make-up’ choice.
Are you one of the women who have been going without blush? The reasons for avoiding wearing blush are many, such as:
Not knowing what shade of blush looks natural
Uncertainty about where to put the blush
Fear of looking clownish
A desire to look natural
As simple as it may seem to some, blushing your cheeks actually is tricky business. But when you get your blusher right, your entire look is brightened and appears more youthful.
Choosing the Perfect Shade
There are so many shades of blush to choose from, it can be intimidating to try and choose the perfect color for your cheeks. A simple trick can give you the perfect starting place for making the right selection. Actually, you can choose one of two. The first is to gently slap your cheeks. But a method that’s even more gentle and effective is to bend over with your head upside down for about 20 seconds. When you stand up, there should be a natural flush to your face – the perfect shade for your blusher.
You may also want to get a blush that coordinates with your neutral lipstick; get a blush that’s about a half shade darker.
For people with a ruddy complexion or problems with acne, a tawny shade of blush may be best, since it will draw attention away from your skin’s redness.
Be aware that shimmery blush is never a good choice if you’re going for a natural look.
In general, people with fair skin look best in rose shades of blush. Olive-skinned women look best in peachy shades, and women with dark skin are best complemented by apricot or red hues of blush.
Choosing the Right Formula
There are several formulas of blush available, and it’s best to choose the type according to the kind of skin you have.
Oily and combination skin – Powder blush
Dry skin – Cream blush
Oily skin – Gel and liquid blush
You may find the perfect formula for you by combining powder and cream blush, which gives you a luminous look that lasts.
Proper Application
Apply the most color on the outside of the apples of your cheeks or the fattest part. Smiling helps you judge where to apply shading. Blush should never be applied directly underneath your eyes. Avoid applying blush too near the temples or the nose because it’s an unnatural look and an obvious over-application of blush.
How Much to Apply
The general rule of thumb is to use less blush if your makeup is a bit heavy and more if your skin is bare.
Bonus Blushing Tips
Use a different brush for blush than you use for powder. Invest in a professional full blush brush.
Tap your brush after applying the blush.
If your cream blush looks a bit overdone, blot with a tissue. To downplay your powder blush, top it with translucent powder. Liquid and gel blush stains your cheeks; you may have to wash your cheeks and start over to lighten the shade.
If you want the fresh, sun-kissed look, apply bronzer on your chin, nose, and forehead before applying blush.
Wash your blush brush regularly to avoid transferring bacteria to your skin.
The experts have some great ideas for how to look great without spending a lot of time on our makeup routines. The one secret that lies behind these great tips is this: Emphasize a single feature, and do it right. You might choose to accentuate your lips, your eyes, or your cheeks.
LIPS
The lip colors that are hot trends right now are perfect to get you noticed. Bright pink and berry shades provide a new twist on the classic red shades of lipstick. Wearing bold lipstick always makes a noticeable statement, whether you’re dressed up for a formal affair or knocking around in your favorite shorts and a tank top.
You’ll want your look to last. So apply lip liner that’s the same shade as your lips. Don’t just outline your lips; fill them in so that when the lipstick that’s more easily faded is gone, the liner will still give you color.
For perfect application, smile as you’re putting on your lip liner and lipstick on so that your lips are a little bit tight and the color glides on smoothly. You can’t go wrong this season if you choose berry lipstick such as L’Oreal Paris Infallible Le Rouge in Forever Fuchsia.
EYES
If your only makeup for the day is on the eyes, you can choose an easy version of the smoky eye, which can work for day or night if you choose the right colors and application. For a daytime look, apply a deep teal shadow on the lids, all the way up to the crease. A great shade to choose is Mark’s I-Mark Eye Shadow in Retro Peacock. Now use an eyeliner brush to smudge the color at the top and along the bottom lash line; doing this will help to bring intensity to the look.
CHEEKS
For a look that accentuates your cheeks, begin by creating a smooth canvas with foundation. Next, apply a pop of color with bright blush on the apples of your cheeks. A nice blush to try is Armani Blushing Fabric in 4; it’s creamy and has a texture that quickly sinks in. Top off your blush with a touch of bronzer, which will create the perfect amount of contrast on your flushed cheeks.
Pantone has chosen a Color of the Year, and it’s Tangerine Tango! Sephora has joined up with Pantone to offer a red-orangey makeup line that will be available in Sephora stores everywhere. Have you heard about this dazzling shade? It’s making an impact on major fashion runways everywhere. You can wear this luscious shade on your fingernails, toenails, lips, and eyes.
Pops of color are one of the biggest makeup trends right now, and Tangerine Tango is the ideal shade to choose for most women.
Decide which of your features works best for you, and make that the feature that gets the pop of color, whether the eyes or the lips. When you’re choosing your bright shade, the only way you wouldn’t want to go with Tangerine Tango is if it just doesn’t complement your skin tone.
Here are some tips for determining whether wearing a pop of Tangerine Tango is right for you; and, if not, which bright color would work for you:
If you have fair skin, Tangerine Tango may be the ideal color for your eyes or lips. Use a touch of bronzer on your face to achieve more of a shimmer, and remember that you should go a bit more neutral with your other makeup when you’re wearing a bright pop of color.
Neon or emerald green eye shadow is an excellent color choice for you if you have medium-toned skin. Add some subtle but shiny pink lip gloss and peachy blush to complete the look.
Dark skin especially pops with bright colors such as Tangerine Tango. Wear pink blush and shine your lips with tints of golden gloss.
Wearing makeup successfully begins with cleansing your skin daily. Particularly when you wear makeup, your pores can become clogged. There are many types of cleansers to choose from, and it’s important to choose a cleanser that’s right for your type of skin, whether oily, dry, or combination skin. You may also need a formula for sensitive skin. Gently wash your face and neck with gentle, circular motions. Rinse thoroughly, and pat dry using a soft towel.
Most teenagers don’t need to wear foundation at all. If it’s needed to cover blemishes, it’s best to use a light powder foundation rather than a liquid base. Use a fluffy brush to apply the powder and blend carefully so that your skin is covered and the powder won’t flake off.
For your look to be just right, you need to give your eyebrows attention. It’s a good idea to start off with a professional eyebrow wax that achieves the perfect shape. Then you can easily maintain the brows by plucking the hairs that are underneath the main brow. If you pluck after a shower, it’s easier and less painful. Tweezing daily also helps because the upkeep prevents you from having to endure lengthy, painful plucking sessions.
One of the tips you’ll hear from most makeup professionals is that you should curl your eyelashes before applying eye makeup. If you apply makeup and then curl, the lashes will tend to break off.
Eye shadow is the component of your makeup that you can really have fun with. Go for the bright, glimmery shades for spring and summer 2012. The beauty of it is that, these days, eye shadows look as good on you as they do in the packaging. If you choose a bold shade, go neutral on your lips and cheeks.
If you wear any eye shadow at all above the crease of your eyes, it should be a very sheer color that’s free of shimmer.
Wearing eye liner is fine, but you can give yourself an eye infection if you wear it on the inside of the lids. Instead, wear it on the lash line of your upper lids. Use either a stiff makeup brush or a cotton swab to apply the eye liner in your lashes.
Wear mascara only on the upper lashes. Wiggle the wand toward your temple on the outside lashes, toward your forehead on the middle lashes, and toward your nose on the inside lashes.
Wear a touch of cream or gel blush in the places where your cheeks naturally turn pink.
Choose a lip gloss with plenty of shine, and your look is complete.
Most people give their homes a good spring cleaning, and wardrobes get a complete rotation. What about makeup? Makeup also needs a fresh start in spring. Why not clean out your makeup bag to add a few new cosmetics to your collection, along with some new routines? You’ll no doubt be glad you did.
Blue lids from the Anna Sui show are a spring 2012 makeup trend.
With springtime having arrived, this is the time to add some fun and beautiful pops of color to your makeup application. Trending makeup includes:
Glossy shades of red lipstick
Coral and bronze blushes
Orange, purple, yellow, and blue eye shadows
Sparkles on the eyes
If you decide to wear bright lipstick, here’s a trick to help ensure that the look will work for you. Wear lip liner all over the lips in addition to the lip’s outer edges. Since liner doesn’t rub off as quickly as lipstick, your color won’t fade as quickly.
Experts say that if there is one thing you’re going to try this season, it should be a pop of color either on the lips or eyelids. Take a clear departure from the brown and neutral tones and opt for some brighter, more colorful shading. If neon orange isn’t the lip color for you, go with a brown lipstick with an orange undertone, as one suggestion.
Here’s a tip to help you achieve shiny, healthy hair this season. Instead of rinsing your conditioner out at the end of your shower, apply the conditioner to your damp hair and massage it in from the middle to the tips. Now tie up your hair and watch a favorite show or read a good book for 15 to 30 minutes before rinsing. This will allow the conditioner to really penetrate your hair and give it a good dose of moisture.
