When summer is upon us, almost anything makeup-wise goes. We can wear whatever we want, because the sun is shining, everyone is smiling, and basically we are allowed to go all out without judgement. We also don’t have to wear as much foundation or powder during these months, especially if we have just returned from an exotic holiday, becuase our skin has that wonderful natural, sun-kissed glow. When the Fall and Winter arrive however, the rules change.
Bronzer is a staple during the summer months, and let’s face it, it looks great; but, what happens when the weather isn’t so shiny? If you wear too much bronzer when the weather changes, or if you wear the wrong type, then everyone is going to know that you’re faking it. Faking it is not good when it is obvious. The problem is that some of us need that extra help, because our skin doesn’t have a glow without it. So, the question is, how can you rock bronzer away from summer, without it looking too obvious?
The good news is that it can be done, but you need to tweak your routine a little. If you go too dark, you’re totally giving the game away, and if you go for a product which reflects the light with a slight shimmer or glitter to it, again, you’re faking it too obviously. What you need to do is pick a shade which is a little darker than your skin tone, but only ever so slightly.
If you have fair skin, then a peach-based tone is ideal. Again, avoid anything with sparkle, because it’s not close enough to Christmas to get away with it either! For medium skin tones, you do have a little more freedom of choice, but again, light reflection isn’t a good thing and is more obvious the darker you go. If you have a darker skin tone, it’s best to go for a product which airs on the side of copper.
When applying the bronzer, always use a tapered brush, and keep your touch light – don’t press too much otherwise you will have a totally unnatural look to your makeup. As with summer, keep your attention on the areas where light is going to hit, so we’re talking about the apples of the cheeks, the temples, down the nose bridge, and in the middle of the neck.
Bronzer certainly shouldn’t have to be avoided when the summer waves us goodbye, but it certainly needs a different approach, if you want it to look as natural as the rest of your makeup application. This rule applies even more if you’re going all out to add drama to your eyes, so keep your touch light and your colour right.
