☀️ The bronzer: a sun-kissed complexion all year round
It's for you if... you want to warm up your complexion with a few brush strokes! Bronzer is supposed to imitate the tanned effect typical of those returning from the beach. It creates a sort of golden filter on the complexion. Bronze(u)r, bronzing powder, sun powder: several names, same makeup vocation.
- You prefer creams: choose the Buriti Bronzer from RMS Beauty. Its chocolate shade enriched with light-reflecting particles offers a healthy glow and a natural glow without an orange effect. Its adjustable pigmentation adapts to most skin tones. For a result that blends into the skin, apply it using the Skin2Skin brush from the same brand.
- strong> You prefer powders: opt for the NightLite bronzing powder from Ilia Beauty . It has the particularity of containing no glitter, which makes it ideal for those who prefer matte tans. Subtly pearly, it reflects enough light to give a "sunkissed" effect that is more real than nature. For a perfect diffusion on your skin, use the Kabuki Polisher from RMS Beauty.
The good products
How to apply it?
As you can see, with the bronzer, we want to give the illusion of having spent a week under the tropical sun. To make the result as realistic as possible, we must therefore apply the pigments where the sun naturally hits – that is, on all the prominent areas of the face.
1. Place the bronzer at the roots of your hair. Move it very lightly down your forehead, stopping roughly at the first third.
2. Warm up your cheekbone. Apply your bronzer to the base of the rounded part and stretch it towards the ear, horizontally. Avoid bringing the bronzer too close to your eyes, as this could weigh them down.
3. Do you tend to get freckles in the summer? Play on this effect by applying a small amount of bronzer across the bridge of your nose. Pretend you're drawing a horizontal line to connect your two cheekbones through your nose. Don't overload your brush for this step, the pigmentation should remain very soft and subtle.
4. Optional: Finish with your chin. Mark the bottom of your face along the bottom of your jaw. Again, keep your hand light.
5. If you're wearing a low-cut top, don't forget to extend your makeup. Blend your bronzer onto your shoulders, collarbones, and the base of your bust.
Our tips for a perfect complexion
Choose satin or iridescent formulas to play with light and highlight the volumes of your face.
Always choose a shade close to your natural tan color: golden, caramel, terracotta, brown, etc.
Respect the undertones of your skin tone. If you have warm undertones, choose a warm bronzer. If you have cool undertones, choose neutral shades.
🌑 Contouring: a face sculpted according to your desires
It's for you if... you want to refine the shape of your face. Contouring is to shadow what bronzer is to light. It helps intensify the natural shadows of the face to structure it. It requires a little more skill, but lends itself to many scenarios.
The good products
The trick: If you don’t have a contouring product at home, you can use a darker shade of your favorite foundation or concealer. For example, consider Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 30 in Pavones ST16 (for light and warm skin tones) or Lovina ST19 (for cool and darker skin tones). Its texture is so lightweight that it feels like you’re wearing nothing!
Highlighter: is sort of the counterpart of contouring. If you are doing a sophisticated makeup look (for an evening, a photo shoot, etc.), do not hesitate to add light on strategic points to create an even more striking contrast with the shadow of the contouring. For example, if you hollow out the underside of your cheekbone, apply a little RMS cream highlighter on the rounded part of the cheek to modulate the volumes.
How to apply it?
With bronzing powder, we enhanced the voluminous areas of the face that naturally catch the light. With contouring, on the contrary, we focus on the shadows of the face. The idea is to further mark the hollows in order to structure the features and reshape the oval.
To highlight your cheekbone: locate the contouring in the hollow located under your cheek. To identify it more easily, do not hesitate to pull your cheeks inside your mouth, as if you wanted to imitate a fish. Blend the line harmoniously from below your cheekbone to the start of your hair. For an even more plump effect, do not hesitate to place a little highlighter on the upper part of your cheekbone.
To blur your double chin: If the skin on your neck starts to sag, apply pigments to the jawbone to redefine the contours of your jawline. Blend well: the idea is not to have a sharp line, but a blurred and diffused effect.
To refine your nose: if you want to correct a flared shape, draw a thin line on each side of the bridge starting from the head of the eyebrow and blend it with a brush or makeup sponge. If you want to refine the tip of your nose, you can finish these two lines with a triangle shape. In any case, the result must remain very discreet: make sure to choose the right color and keep your hand light.
Pitfalls to avoid
No warm undertones, to be reserved rather for bronzers. In contouring, it is better to favor cool shades (for rosy complexions) or neutral ones (for golden complexions).
No iridescent, pearly or glittery finishes, which risk drawing too much attention to areas that you are instead trying to "shade". Whether you opt for powder or cream products, always choose matte formulas.
No big kabuki-type brushes (keep them for bronzing powders). For precise application, opt for dense, flat tips with a flared shape.