All Made Up: Bronzing Basics

It’s gray and gloomy out there, and your skin is starting to show it. Unless you’ve spent your winter in a tanning bed, you are probably feeling pale enough to audition for the next Twilight movie. You need some color.

By Liza

If you want to wake up your skin without the use of streaky self tanners or harmful UV rays, bronzer is the best way to get a healthy sunshiny glow. But tread lightly (literally); overdoing it or choosing the wrong color can you take you from Twilight auditions to Willy Wonka really quick.

Here are some tips to make sure you look like the a glamorous, sun kissed movie star, and not a scary oompa-loompa.

Stay away from Coppers and Oranges

Why so many bronzers have copper and orange undertones is a mystery. It almost never looks natural. You’ve surely seen the girl with a mask of orange dust on her face. Don’t be that girl. Choose a bronzer with chocolate brown or beige undertones. Test the shade on the inside of your forearm. If it looks flat and orangey, stay away. Nars Bronzer in Laguna (or Casino for darker skin tones) has the perfect shade to give you some radiant color without looking orange or fake. Or like this.

Apply Like Sunshine

When applied poorly, bronzer can make your face look just plain dirty, and “sifting through the trash” is probably not the look you were going for. The important thing to remember is that bronzer should go where the sun would normally hit your face. Start with your cheek bones, then sweep above the brow bone and down the bridge of your nose. Dust a small amount along your jaw line to add dimension. Use what’s left on the brush to lightly sweep over the rest of your face, neck and chest to even out the color. Many bronzer brushes have tight dense bristles that can dispense too much product on your skin. Try a loose powder brush like Sephora Brand Professionnel Rounded Powder Brush #49 for a more natural look.

Your Body Needs Bronzing Too

Now that your face has a golden glow, treat your body to the same glamorous look. You don’t want to look like you are two different colors, but no one wants to painstakingly apply a powder to every inch of their arms and legs. The best products are bronzing body lotions. You can get golden while you moisturize! Try Duwop Revolotion. It’s bronzing and has a light shimmer with SPF 15. Perfect for looking bronze while getting a real tan!