Friends, beauties, partners in crime —- let us take a beauty ‘time-out’ to talk makeup trend.
The city has hit its ceiling of triple digit temperatures, and so I think it is safe to consider warm-weather appropriate cosmetic attire. As we shed our jackets, so too do we shed the dark, matte looks favored during fall and winter. Considering the fact that summer has always been the time of the bronze, let us discuss how we can all channel our very own inner gilded goddesses, by way of product and technique.
Summer Makeup Bronzed Look
The first, and probably the most obvious choice for a bronzing application would be the complexion, by way of bronzing liquids, powders, and creams. Since there is a fine line between sun-kissed and oompa loompa, here are some tips and tricks to getting your bronze(r) on.
• When selecting a bronzing powder, go for a shade that is one to two tones darker than your own natural skintone, as a too-dark shade will look too obvious.
• When applying bronzer, go for the spots where sunlight would naturally hit. In other words, the high planes of your face. This includes, but is not limited to, the center of your forehead, the bridge of your nose, the apples of your cheeks, and your chin.
• Gel, cream, and powder alike, avoid formulas with large glitter particles, as they can quickly lend to the disco-ball effect.
• For a soft, naturally bronzed effect, reach for a tube of tinted moisturizer that is half to one shade darker than your own skintone. Mix in a drop of illuminating lotion to add a subtle, dewy glow that is very summer appropriate.
• In a pinch, a matte bronzer makes an amazing face contouring powder. Smashbox’s HALO Bronzing Powder and The St Tropez Bronzing Powder are two of my favorites.
• To tone down too much bronzer, buff away with a densely packed bronzer brush like the NARS Botan Brush.
Eyes
Fiery Eyes: Makeup Look of the Day
Another canvas worthy of a golden touch, that skin that protects our peepers is the perfect spot for some warm and toasty shades that vary in both texture and finish. For a gilded eye, the most obvious choices are warm-toned eyeshadow powders and creams. Here are a few things to keep in mind when going warm on the eyes.
• While shimmer is the obvious choice for summer, matte shades can still pack a punch in warm weather. A pop of matte yellow, orange, or even bright pink can liven up a look exponentially. Try a bright, matte shade in the middle of your lid for a subtle color pop.
• When working with especially creamy products, make sure you prime accordingly. For an eye look that won’t budge, look to the waterproof formulations of Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream, and Urban Decay Primer Potion.
• A light kiss of sheer, golden shadow can be very easy, and very flattering, regardless of your skintone. Go for a duochrome like Smashbox’s Eye Shadow in Oyster for a flattering, eye-opening kiss of golden color.
• While copper and bronze shades are a perfect fit for a summer eye look, avoid applying those shades (especially those with a lot of red or orange in them) underneath the eyes. Overly warm shades tend to exacerbate dark circles, and can make you look half- dead, or tired, or a little bit of both.
• Bronze shades play very well with teals, blues, and greens. Mix accordingly.
Lips
The term golden kiss is very much applicable here, as our pouts are prime real estate for a golden glow. When looking to achieve a golden lip, there is a fine line between tacky and elegant.
• Opt for lighter than air gloss formulations. The glossier, the better. My current favorite happens to be the Hourglass Extreme Sheen Gloss in Fortune, a peachy pink with an abundance of golden sheen.
Here is a unified look that I would describe as classic summer, featuring fiery eyes, soft bronzed skin, and an orange/apricot lip.
Summer Simple Face of the Day: Look 1
Summer Simple Face of the Day: Look 2
Revealing your inner bronze goddess is easy, when armed with both the tools and technique. With summer well under way, there is no better time than the present to confess your gilt, and go for that golden glow.
– Adina Zilberman
Adina Zilberman is a beauty blogger, freelance artist, and color lover at-large. On her blog, Krasey Beauty, she brings the best of the beauty world to her readers daily.
