This time every year I start getting a little antsy for sunshine, warmth, and the feeling of sand beneath my toes. After a vacation to Florida, and a week of unseasonably warm March weather in New England, well let's just say that the itch for summer winds has increased tenfold as the temperatures have plummeted back down to a chilly 44 degrees. With that being said, I've been inspired to create a uber natural, warm, sun kissed look... without overdoing it. Let's face it, as winter drags on, skin can reach a certain shade of paleness that creates a thin line between bronze-goddess and muddy cake face.
Long story short: If you can't lay out on the beach somewhere with an umbrella embellished drink, you might as well at least look the part.
To start: a clean face is a must for this look, preferably after a little, minor exfoliation to remove the dullness.
- Apply a good moisturizer and let in sink in fully. I'm partial to Clinique's "Dramatically Different" moisturizer. It's clean, scentless, and non-irritating. Makes your skin look moisturized and glowy.
- For a little sheer coverage I do a layer of Aveeno's Tinted Moisturizer, (I know, I know, we just did a layer of moisturizer, but I find this gives you coverage without looking too make-upy - * If you're oily, you may want to skip the first moisturizer) and let that set.
- Then I dab just a touch of Covergirl's Natureluxe Foundation on my forehead, chin, and each cheek and blend. This gives me a little more coverage where I need it. You can use what you want, I personally like this foundation because it's super light, a nice cross between a standard foundation and a sheer coverage. Whatever you choose, it's important to use only a touch of it. Remember the idea is to look natural. You just want to enhance what your mama gave you.
- If your eyes are looking sleepy or dark, just a touch of under eye concealer on the interior corners, should do the trick. Sweep on a powder to set.
- I do a light dusting of theBalm's Bahama Mama (the name is just yummy isn't it?) just on the spots where the sun naturally touches the skin - the cheeks, chin, tip of the nose, slightly along the jawline, etc. This is a great, high quality bronzer... a nice deep camel color that I find to be flattering on many skin tones. TAP your brush before application! I cannot stress this enough.
- Then you sweep just a touch of theBalms Hot Mama blush on the apples of the cheeks... this is a peachy, slightly shimmery blush that really brightens up the complexion. Instant fox-i-tude... I promise.
- I swept theBalm ShadyLady eyeshadow in Shameless Shana (a pretty pinky-bronze) on the lids, with Mischevious Marissa on the brow bone. To finish, I lightly applied the same Hot Mama blush that I swept on my cheeks, over my lids. The result is a golden pink shade that makes the eyes pop. I also lined it around my eyes. Subtle and pretty... kind of the "anti-smokey eye".
I am currently obsessed with MAC Surf, Baby! Lipglass Strange Potion. I picked up a tube while I was at a cosmetic outlet outside of Ft. Myers... what a gem! Now, it's not a current collection (came out in summer of 2011-limited edition) but I did some web surfing and discovered that it is more than easy to purchase a brand-spankin'-new tube of this gloss from several online vendors. Actually, you can find *most* of this collection online. It really is fab: a pink coral non-sticky gloss in a fabulous cream, orange, teal, and yellow beachy tube, adorned with a hibiscus flower. Let's face it...just looking at the packaging can brighten anyone's spirits. This gloss has great pigmentation and is wearable and flattering for many skin tones.Previous reviews for reference: http://beautyconfessions5.blogspot.com/2011/03/natureluxe-my-new-love.html
