Bronzer: With Great Powder Comes Great Responsibility
Bronzer can be one of the greatest tools in your kit, but only if you do it right. Done well bronzer can add a nice seasonal glow, sleek contouring, and aid in creating subtle contrast. Unfortunately, I find myself pulling more bronzer-ventions than anything when educating my clients. There are several identifiable bronzer "sins" that I encounter on a regular basis.
"Too Damn Much"
The primary infraction I encounter is simply too much bronzer. One of the most pervasive lies the beauty industry tells us is that a kabuki brush, pictured below, is the optimal tool for bronzer application.
LIES I SAY!
A kabuki brush has tightly packed bristles for a high impact application of color. Bronzer should be subtle, not enter the room before you do.
Here Kourtney Kardashian is doing it right..Kim not so much.
Here are some fan brushes which are more suited to the cause:
A fan brush is not only an elegant-looking addition to your arsenal, it will allow a light dusting of bronzer. If you are dipping your toe into the world of bronzer I'd start with a fan brush and a light bronzer such as these below:
"Bronzer is not foundation"
Let me repeat that:
Bronzer IS NOT foundation.
Bronzer is meant to sit in the low planes of the face as a contrast for the brightening that blush and highlight offer. Bronzer offers the unique opportunity to control how light interacts with your features therefore depriving your face dimension is completely counterproductive to all your other makeup efforts.
Nah son, I'm good on that.
A gentle E-3-W will do the trick, as illustrated below:
If you do choose to wear a body bronzer, consider your venue. Do not stain your boyfriend's sheets. Do not wear light colored clothing. And above all else, do not go too far, as seen below:
[hint: that's the same person!!!]
Here are my favorite, long-lasting, least smudgey body bronzing options. (Note these are NOT Self Tanners which have been proven to be harmful in that they still attract harmful UV rays.)
"Blend that ish"
Contouring has apprently been added to the already ridiculous ideal of the daily makeup routine and I'm not exactly sure why. It seems a little bit unrealistic to expect women to walk around with stage ready makeup on a daily basis. I cannot control trends but I can educate you on how to properly execute them.
Below is a contouring diagram which I see pop up all the time.
This is a ridiculous amount of steps and I don't know any civilian makeup enthusiast that would take such measures. You are not Kim K. You do not have paparazzi popping out of bushes to take your photo to the degree that you must do your makeup thusly.
If you do want to contour, here's the easiest method. After your basic E-3-W, load your brush with a dark shade of bronzer. Apply the product to the natural hollow beneath the cheekbone using a gentle windshield wiper stroke.
When you apply your blush, gently overlap the bronzer to create instant dimension.
If using a highlighter for pop, brush your highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones, once again gently overlapping the blush.
Now blend, blend, blend, blend!!! There is no such thing as too much blending, unless you forget to gently overlap your colors. Then you're not blending anything.
Here's some blending tools to aid you:
This method has never proven me wrong because it's practical! The more makeup you use, the more makeup is going to fail on you. Long story short: dont end up like my girl Taraji. The photo on the left is all sorts of casket-ready awfulness, but she's perfectly snatched and blended on the right.
"When you mean to go to tan town and take a left to orangeville instead."
There are as many shades of bronzer as there are foundations, so there is a little bit of guesswork involved in choosing the proper one for you. If you are just starting out, err on the side of caution, and pick a bronzer that wont make you look scary. Here are even more lighter, easily blended shades:
Once you are feeling more confident, you can always add more.
For the initiated and those seeking good contouring/highlighting options,here are some multi-tasking palettes:
Friends don't let friends bronze irresponsibly, so I sincerely hope this guide helps you in seeking the appropriate tools for your quest. Now you'll be an expert and a certified bronzer-ventionist.
Stay make-up'd not Caked Up.
Mona
weLOVEyou
ToTheMoonAndBack
xoxo
ThisSideOfTheMoon
weLOVEyou
ToTheMoonAndBack
xoxo
ThisSideOfTheMoon
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