This summer—my, oh my! It feels like this summer started about two months early this year and that beautiful, warm sunshine is continuing to knock it out of the park. As a makeup artist, summer is my busy season and all too often it feels like the sunshine disappears before it even started (I’m sure almost all of you can relate). But this year, I’m taking every moment possible to slow down and savor every moment of it. As a result, I’ve found I’ve been more inspired than ever before, especially by those glittering golden sun-rays.
For the last few weeks I’ve constantly found myself reaching for all my bronzing products to make every look warm and glowing. Bronzing has been a common summer trend for years and this year it has continued to grow upwards with some innovative new product releases. Creating a strong bronze look can be really simple but not only that, it can look great on all skin tones so it’s hard to go wrong. Whether you’re new to bronzing or wanting to learn so new tricks, I’ve got the easiest 3 step guide for you! Follow these quick steps and you’ll be ready for anything—from the beach to date night to whatever else possible in between!
Eyes
The first step to creating your best bronze look is spending a couple minutes on your eyes. Although the focus of a bronze look is often the cheeks, your eyes are what radiate warmth and thus will make the look appear complete. Pick your favorite warm bronze eyeshadow and blend it across your lid. If you don’t have a great bronze eyeshadow, a bronze powder for your cheeks can work just fine (I use blush on my lids as a quick fix all the time)! Once you’ve done the first step, blend a little bit of a lighter gold eyeshadow right in the center of your lid. Then quickly and softly blend a light matte brown color into your socket across the length of your eye and lightly highlight under the brow bone (I prefer a soft white eyeshadow with pink undertones for this). After, mix a combo of your bronze and gold color and with an eyeliner pencil drag it across underneath your eye from the inner corner to the outer. To keep focus on the warmth of the look, finish with mascara and by using minimal to no eyeliner. If you’re in need of some gold and bronze options for your eyes try the “Unzipped GOLD” palette by Lorac ($42, Ulta).
Cheeks
If you’ve ever admired any bronzed look, I think it’s safe to say the cheeks are the staple and most coveted part. It is what provides that glistening, glowing, tan look that we all desire to achieve. The key to doing the cheeks properly is to make sure you get proper placement. You want to make sure you drag your bronzer across the top of your cheek bones, where you would normally place your blush. For a softer, easy glow, try a bronze powder such as the “Tango with Bronzing Powder” in Bronze Ensemble from NYX ($10, Fred Meyer). If you want a bolder, dewy look (my favorite!) mix 3-4 drops of a bronzing liquid with 1-2 drops of your foundation. Mixing it with your foundation helps make the look blend in more flawlessly. A wonderful liquid bronzer to check out is the “Aqua Glow Perfecting Bronzer” by Stila ($32, Sephora).
Lips
The last, final, and easiest step to achieve! A good bronze look is all about simplicity, so be careful not to over-do the lips (which is sometimes hard for me because lips are always my favorite part of any look!). A sheer medium-pink color with subtle gold/bronze undertones or shimmer is perfect. The best thing about lips is it’s easy to find a complimentary color that’s affordable! I’m in love with Sephora’s brand name “Glossy Gloss” in Chestnut Cream ($12, Sephora).
Beauty Q&A
Can you give me some tips on how to clean my makeup brushes? And how often should I do it?
– Vincy C., Bellevue, WA
Cleaning your brushes is so important – it will not only keep your face and eyes healthy and safe but it prolongs the life of your brushes too! It’s a simple step that will only take a few minutes of your time but will be well worth the minimal effort.
How often you put makeup on will probably determine how often you clean your brushes. At a minimum, you should be cleaning your brushes at least once a month, which is probably ideal for those of you who only wear makeup a few times a week. If you wear makeup on a daily basis however, it is best to clean them weekly. For my personal brushes, I only wear eye shadow and liner about once a week, so those brushes I will clean about once a month. But I use my foundation brush and blush brush daily so I clean those once a week.
To clean your brushes:
Step 1: Fill a small bowl with lukewarm water and a pump or two of brush cleaner; stir.
Step 2: Rinse the brush under lukewarm water, rubbing out the product that easily comes off.
Step 3: Swirl the brush in the bowl of soapy water.
Step 4: Rise under lukewarm water once more, gently rubbing out the excess product and soap.
Step 5: Gently squeeze out the excess water and lay flat on a towel to dry, or hang upside down to dry. (Do lot leave standing up to dry, as that will allow the water to seep down into the base of the brush, creating the possibility for breeding mold/bacteria through the excess moisture.)
If you’re in need of a good brush cleaner, there are quite a few out there! Most drugstore brands you will find at Target and Fred Meyer have their own that will work great. If you have to clean a brush and are in a pinch, a gentle soap or facial cleanser can do the trick if needed too!
