Who said you have to spend hours under the sun to give yourself a golden glow like Gisele Bündchen? Other than the fact that spending too much time under the sun is not beneficial for the health of our skin, some of us just end up getting all sweaty and blotchy rather than looking glowy and radiant.
6 Makeup Tips for a Natural, Sun-kissed Glow
Fortunately for us, we can always count on the world of beauty to provide us with the necessary products to help us achieve any look we want. Ready to start channelling your inner Brazilian supermodel? Check out the following tips to get your golden glow on:
Opt for Lightweight Base Products
When trying to create a natural look using makeup, going lighter with your base is always the better option. We don’t have to tell you that heavy-coverage foundations are just not meant for a natural look, especially when they will more than likely end up looking cakey before the day is even over. Therefore, opt for more lightweight alternatives over full-coverage foundations such as tinted moisturisers or BB and CC Creams. These alternatives should provide you with enough coverage to correct any discolouration and even out your skin tone. Don’t forget to bring the product down towards your neck (and chest if it will be on show) if you have fake tanned to ensure your skin colour is the same throughout.
Conceal Strategically
If you have blemishes, acne, hyperpigmentation or other facial imperfections you want to hide, resist the temptation to overload on concealer to make up for the light coverage of foundation. Instead, use the method of spot concealing to keep your skin looking like it is makeup-free. When spot concealing, make sure the shade of your concealer is the exact match to your base product (or as similar as possible). With a tiny, tapered brush, dip it into a bit of concealer and very lightly apply the product onto the imperfection you wish to cover. Then, blend out the edges by creating feathery strokes. Make sure to hold the brush by its end to prevent yourself from putting too much pressure on the skin and applying too much product. Repeat this until you have concealed everything you wish to cover, then apply a very light dusting of powder on the areas you have concealed. This will keep everything in place, preventing the concealed areas from wearing off too quickly.
Go for Gold
Bronzer is the most important product you need when trying to create a sun-kissed appearance as it helps to add warmth back to your skin. Go for a cream bronzer for a more natural look that is two or three shades darker than your skin tone. If you prefer using a powder bronzer, be sure to use a very light hand when applying it as powders tend to look more intense on the skin. Another tip: avoid bronzers with specks of glitter or any sort of shimmer because they will not allow you to build definition to your face. The use of bronzer is to mimic the effect of the sun on your skin, creating dimension a sparkly bronzer will not be able to achieve. Thus, always opt for a matte bronzer and apply it on the high points of your face where the sun would naturally hit such as the perimeters of your forehead, cheekbones and nose bridge.
Light Up Your Skin
After you have bronzed up your face, don’t forget to add some highlight as well. This will help the bronzer to really pop as well as create more radiance on the skin. But, just like concealer, only highlight specific places so you don’t end up with a shiny orb for a face. Using a cream highlighter (powder’s fine too, just remember to be light-handed with it), apply onto your cheekbones, nose bridge, brow bone, the Cupid’s bow of your lips as well as the inner corner of your eyes to open them up.
Colour Up Your Cheeks
What’s a naturally sun-kissed look without rosy cheeks to make you look like you have just spent a great day at the beach, lapping up the waves and basking under the sun’s rays? The shade of blush you choose for a natural rosy look will depend on your skin tone. If you have fairer skin, light pink or peach shades will suit your skin tone nicely. For a deeper skin tone, orange-based shades are the way to go. In general, the deeper your skin tone is, the darker you can go with your blush. Apply the blush onto the apples of your cheeks to give you a more youthful appearance.
Refresh with a Facial Mist
A naturally sun-kissed look is all about the skin looking dewy and glowing, which can be easily achieved by topping off your makeup with a spray of facial mist. This is an especially important step if you have used powder products on your face; the facial mist will help to add some moisture to the skin, taking away part of the powder products’ mattifying effect.