We all know that prolonged exposure to the sun is bad for our skin, but a lot of us are willing to risk the rays to get a beautiful glow. However there are a lot of other ways you can fake a tan without having to use tanning beds or spray. Use these tips and tricks to get a sun-kissed look without baking under the sun.
Make-up Application. The best way to trick people into thinking you just went on vacation is to change up your makeup routine. The easiest way to do this is to brush a bit of bronzer on your cheeks, temples, forehead and chin where the sun would naturally hit your face. Bronzers may look a bit dark or dirty really pale skin tones so try finding a peachey-orange blush, instead of bright pink, and try the same technique.
Use natural looking bronze, brown and gold shadows on your eyelids and blend into your crease. Highlight your brows and the inner corners of your eyes with a very light cream or white colour. This will make a subtle contrasting look that screams “I just left the beach.” Top off with lipstick or gloss in natural looking peach or bronze shade that almost matches your lip colour or lightens it up just a bit. Avoid really dark shades, which will just make you look paler.¨
Try to pick colours that almost match your skin tone but are just a little darker and more golden. You can also consider tinted moisturize, but be wary of having your face looking darker than your neck and chest. Remember to use moisturizer with SPF and don’t cover up those freckles!
Hair Colour. A lot of people think getting highlights is the best way to look sun-kissed, but highlights can also wash out paler skin tones. If you do go in the sun to get natural golden strands it can cause your expensive dye job to fade. Consult your hairstylist and find a shade that is a bit lighter but still rich enough to compliment your natural skin tone. If you have a warm skin tone, look for shades that have warm overtones (and vice versa for cool skin tones). It’s better to bring out your natural glow than try to fake one with a colour that doesn’t work on you.
Consider getting subtle highlights through “minking,” a hair-dying technique where brighter strands are placed underneath the top layer of your hair and peak through to give a subtle glow. Don’t pick a platinum blond highlight if you have really dark hair. Go for golden caramels or hues bit lighter than your colour now. No one will be able to tell why you look so vibrant.
Clothing. Once again this comes down to what your underlying tone is (warm or cool). One way to tell is to look at your veins: if they appear blueish in colour, you’re cool, and if they appear a bit more greenish in tone, you’re warm.
Obviously, darker shades will make you look paler but dressing in light colours can still wash you out. However those with fair skin can still look good in ivory or off-whites, but pure white may wash you out. Whites work better on those with cooler skin tones (and can make your skin look darker in contrast).
Look for vibrant colours that work for you in the summer. This probably means avoiding pastels, but you will never know until you try something whether it will bring out your natural glow or wash you out!
