With a heat wave blazing through the UK at the moment, there is nothing I want to do less than travel through 32 degree heat in central London with a face full of thick makeup. When it’s hot outside and I’m wearing a full coverage foundation topped with a cakey concealer and lashings of powder and bronzer, I feel like my skin is unable to breathe and, let’s be real here, I am a sweaty Betty (and no I’m not referring to the sportswear brand!). What’s the point in spending 40 minutes doing a full face of makeup if I’m just going to sweat it off and end up resembling a melted Chucky doll? So, when it’s warmer outside, I like to opt for a quick and easy naturally bronzed look, with minimal makeup but smooth and natural skin. Here are my top tips on how to achieve natural looking and bronzed skin this summer.
The most important step in getting natural looking and bronzed skin is to come up with a skincare routine that works for you. The staple products you need in your skincare cupboard are a gentle soap-free cleanser, an alcohol-free toner, a facial exfoliator (to use 2 or 3 times a week) a hydrating serum and a good-quality daily moisturiser. You should go through your skincare routine in this order every morning and evening and you will see that your skin will become plumper, brighter, more hydrated and a whole lot clearer. After all, good skincare is the base of any great makeup and will make your makeup sit and look better for longer on your face.
Before you start to apply your makeup, it is best to use a light moisturiser and preferably one with at least SPF 15 to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. If you have oily skin, opt for one that is oil-free and non-comedogenic (won’t block your pores!). Using a moisturiser before you apply your base makeup will allow your base look smoother and last longer.
One of the most important steps before applying makeup in the summer is to prime, even if you are going to be using minimal makeup. This is because primers such as Mac’s Prep + Prime, will help your base makeup apply smoother by filling in any fine lines, wrinkles or large pores. They will also help your makeup last longer by helping the makeup stick to the face better. Now, there are a lot of people who think that primers are an unnecessary waste of time and don’t believe that they are at all beneficial, but loads of beauty gurus have put primers to the test to see if they do what it says on the package and a lot of the results have proved that primers really can work makeup wonders.
If you are going for a more natural looking and bronzed makeup look this summer, ditch the foundation. Yes, even that so-called ‘light coverage’ one that has been sitting at the back of your drawer for years. There is no evidence that wearing foundation on a day to day basis is bad for your skin, but personally if I am going for a natural look I much prefer to use a tinted moisturiser or simply spot conceal where I need it (such as on blemishes or scars). This is because a much lighter base will still allow you to see your skin through and won’t drown the definition out of your face as a lot of foundations tend to do, meaning that you have to go ham with the bronzer and contour. So, instead go for a tinted moisturiser or a light concealer and allow your natural beauty to shine through!
This is a guide to natural looking and bronzed skin, so naturally we can’t forget about the bronzer! For a more natural and youthful look, choose a cream bronzer over a powder as a cream product will add a natural sheen and dewiness to the skin. Try the Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer and apply it in a ‘3’ motion across the top of your forehead, below your cheekbones and along the jawline for a sun-kissed and naturally defined look.
Adding a bit of blush is a great way to add a natural flush and colour into your face. Make sure that you pick a subtle colour, such as a nude or a peach, so that you don’t end up looking like Krusty the Clown. Try Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Dusk which is a stunning brownish nude cream blush with a sheer finish that will give you a radiant flushed-from–within glow. You can be sure to achieve bronzed skin this way!
I know that so many people are heavy mascara addicts, but hear me out. For the summer, a super thin coat of mascara looks gorgeous against bronzed, glowing skin. Applying just a lick of mascara to the lashes will make them look fluttery instead of spidery and clumpy, and will mean that in the warm weather you are less likely to end up with smudged mascara flecks under your eyes. After all, who wants panda eyes?!
A great way to keep your makeup in place all day and to make it completely budge-proof is to use a setting spray, a summer makeup essential. A lot of setting sprays also multitask and add a gorgeous glowy sheen to your face at the same time to make you look super fresh-faced and youthful. So, if you want natural looking and bronzed makeup that will stay in place all day, pick up a setting spray the next time you are at a makeup counter. The All-Nighter Setting Spray from Urban Decay is especially great and definitely worth the price tag! This is one of the best ways to achieve bronzed skin!
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