How to Bronze Like a Pro!

As you’re probably all aware by now, I’m a huge sunscreen advocate however that doesn’t mean that I don’t like a golden glow on my face, especially in the summer. To get a subtle glow without the sun damage I regularly turn to a bronzer; for both myself and my clients. Luckily, gone are the days when we just slapped some brownish-orange powder all over our face and called that ‘bronze’. What were we thinking??? Bronzer application techniques and products have improved massively over the years and so read on for the new way to apply bronzer for a truly natural look.

 

Find the right shade

The first step to perfect bronzer application is to choose the right color. Look for one that’s two to three shades warmer than your skin and is more golden-hued than brown or orange. Personally I prefer multi tonal bronzers such as Jane Iredale’s So-Bronze Bronzing Powders. You can bronze, contour and highlight with these light-diffusing, long-lasting powders and they come in 3 shades to suit everyone.

So Bronze 1 looks great on fair skin; So Bronze 2 works well on medium and olive skin tones and So Bronze 3 gives darker complexions a lit-from-within effect.

Go easy on the glitz

Makeup artists (including myself) agree that you don’t want an over-the-top glittery bronzer (no matter how old you are) but at the same time, “skin has an intrinsic brightness that you won’t get from a matte bronzer. For a balance I also use bronzers such as Jane Iredale’s Moonglow Bronzer which has a slight shimmer that boost radiance without looking overly sparkly or utterly drab.

Pick a formula

In my years of experience I have found a powder bronzer is easier to control and blend, and it’s less likely to leave streaks. I usually dust a light layer of a neutral or translucent face powder on first so that the bronzer goes on smoothly and doesn’t deposit too much color. I always add a little then step back to have a look as you can always add more but it is very difficult to remove without spoiling the rest of your makeup.

Know where to glow

Bronzer isn’t meant to be used all over the face. As a rule of thumb, focus your application where the sunlight naturally hits your face; the apples of the cheeks, center of the forehead, centre of the chin and down the nose, the temples and jawline and finally on your collar bones. For a delicate more natural application, use a big, soft fluffy brush. (Original photo can be found at Pinterest)

I hope this encourages you to try bronzer again after we have steered clear of it for many years.

If you have any other useful tips that I can add to this post, please comment below or comment on this post on my Facebook page. All additions will be credited.

Follow this blog for more tips on makeup, hair and beauty, info on how we pull shoots together, behind the scenes photos and post production information. If you have any ideas on what you want me to write about or give step by step tutorials on, please email me at info@makeup-byclaire.co.uk and sign up to my Newsletter at my website – http://www.makeup-byclaire.co.uk.

Claire xx

 

Follow / Share