Wouldn’t it be great if we could somehow choose what we inherit from our parents?
Like, for instance, I would’ve been very happy to get my dad’s olive complexion instead of his shortish muscular legs.
BUT, oddly enough, I didn’t get a say in that, so I got my mom’s light complexion with an added Mediterranean twist that makes it pretty sallow and sickly. Throw my permanent dark circles into the mix and you get the perfect base for a zombie look.
NICE.
Despite the fact that zombies are quite popular these days, unless it’s October 31, it’s not exactly the look I like to go for, you know.
So, over the years I’ve perfected a makeup routine to make sure no one thinks I have an appetite for their brain. 😉
Here’s what I like to use!
A Bronzing Primer: Givenchy Mister Radiant ($43.50)
Whenever I want to achieve a natural sun-kissed look, I always start my makeup with a bronzing primer like the Givenchy Mister Radiant — a clear gel with brown and golden microbeads that melt onto the skin upon application to impart a natural healthy glow.
I like to apply it all over my face and neck to start warming up my skin before I go in with…
A Healthy Glow Foundation: Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint Beautifying Foundation SPF 20 in Natural ($54)
The Guerlain Terracotta Joli Tent Beautifying Foundation SPF 20 in Natural was my go-to foundation for the past two summers, and lately I’ve started using it again whenever I want to look like I’ve spent a weekend at the beach. It has a very skin-like, satin-matte finish that you’re gonna love if you have normal to moderately oily skin, and it gives a beautiful, believable warmth to the complexion (if you’re cool-toned, beware!).
A Cream Bronzer: YSL Les Sahariennes Sun-Kissed Blur Perfector in 6 Sienna ($55)
I’ve mentioned before how I’m pretty partial to cream products these days, and bronzers are no exception. I feel like they look much more natural on my skin, and if they’re cream-to-powder formulas like my beloved YSL Les Sahariennes Sun-Kissed Blur Perfector, they last longer in the heat than powder products.
For a sun-kissed look, I like to use my Real Techniques Retractable Kabuki Brush to apply the YSL cream bronzer on my forehead, across my nose (using the sun-stripping technique), on my cheeks, on my chin and down my neck. Applied this way, I think it perfectly mimics the look of a subtle tan.
The Radiant Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light ($45)
To work with the glow I’ve achieved at this point, rather than against it, I usually finish off the look with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light. Its slightly luminous, dimensional finish is the perfect complement to a sun-kissed complexion, and since it’s peach-toned it doesn’t leave a greyish cast on my faux tan.
And here it is, my natural sunkissed glow!
And now to you, my friend…what are your favorite products for a natural sun-kissed glow? 🙂
Well, you’re not exactly pale to begin with… But your skin does look all radiant and summery here! 🙂
Thank you, Melissa! I really like how these products work together.
Why would you not want brains? They’re delicious! 😛
I really like this look. It doesn’t look too orange or overdone.
Haha! You know, when I was little, it was pretty common for toddlers to be fed brain (not human, though), and apparently I really liked it…
That YSL bronzer is on my wish list for a long time now… Your smile Braina is killer. Love <3
Aww, thanks, Eesha! 🙂
The YSL bronzer is great.
LOL I feel ya on the problems of being pale and yellow-y. My life.
Yeah, it’s the yellowy part I don’t really like… Dita Von Teese type of pale is gorgeous!
You are stunning. I started reading your arthicles in English to improve my English. I’m a little bit rusty ehehe. The YSL Bronzer *_*
Haha, I hope they help! 🙂
It does look very natural, and not at all orange, which is what many bronzing products tend to look like! I have Mister Radiant, and while I like the way it looks on my skin I haven’t really found a good way to incorporate it into my routine. I need a pore blurring primer, and I also need foundation of some kind (I can’t get away with just Mister Radiant) so I feel like it doesn’t make much of a difference.
The MADINA Exact Color Bronzer would be perfect for you, because it combines the bronzing and pore-blurring effects… I don’t know if there are any other brands that have anything similar, though.
That lipstick looks sooo great on u!
Thank you, Anusha! It’s my favorite lipstick ever. Both the formula and the shade are amazing!
The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzer (surprised much?)
Haha! Well, it does look like a great bronzer. I don’t have a TBS near me, but when I was in Edinburgh I was very tempted to pick it up.
Oh I should totally try that Hourglass powder as a bronzer. I seem to go through phases of not being able to get any color and actually getting a tan in my life. When I do get a little color, it’s a peachy pink undertone more than a true “tan”. I like using Chanel Les Beige for a more true tan looking vibe because it’s so sheer a whisper light layer looks believable if I do it all over my face, neck, and chest.
I LOVE Chanel Les Beiges, but I’m not using it much these days because I’ve practically finished it and I don’t want to repurchase it since I have so many bronzers…