April’s beauty obsessions post is all about my favorite products to get you that bronzed dewy look. I picked up some new items recently that I’ll share, but there are a couple of must-haves that I’ve been using for awhile in today’s mix.
It’s recently been pretty hot in Los Angeles and every time I put on a dress and look in the mirror I’m reminded how much I painfully need a tan. Does that ever happen to you? I always get so excited to wear that first dress of the season. However, I put it on and cringe at the disparity between my white legs and that perpetual left arm tan from driving. Sometimes I feel like sandals even look funny on my less than bronzed feet. So, that’s what drove this post, because we can all use a little help in the tan department without getting sun damage.
Enter my first product, COOLA Sunless Tan Firming Lotion. In full disclosure I was sent this from the team at COOLA as a gift but can honestly say (not sponsored) that I love this lotion. I have been using this a couple of days prior to my most recent blog shoots to give my legs some color. It’s more expensive than your average drugstore formula, but that’s because it works quicker than those formulas. Seriously, at most I put this on 2 days prior to a shoot and I wake up the next day with golden legs.
You know that weird fake tanner smell? It’s very minimal on this. I didn’t find this to be streaky or overly orange on me, and I have olive skin that can get pretty orange with other tanners. I used to really love a Sally Hansen spray but I was always so worried about it getting all over, so this was a happy discovery in my mailbox. If you don’t want to spend a lot and you are looking for a drugstore alternative, then I recommend this one by Jergens. It takes a bit longer for the gradual tan to appear than the COOLA one, and requires more daily use, but it’s my favorite in terms of drugstore self-tanners at a lower-price point.
With any self-tanning product, even the COOLA one, just be sure to wash your hands. I always, always forget this.
Now that we’ve got our bodies nice and tan, let’s move onto the face for that bronzed dewy look. I’ve been using Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Color for years and it’s really the perfect product for a subtle face tan. I wouldn’t call it a blush or a bronzer, but somewhere in between. Even if you have a heavy hand, it’s pretty hard to overdo it. For reference, I use color No. 40. I’ve used this for years and have tried other powder bronzers and I keep coming back to this powder because it’s a soft tan rather than a cakey orange.
Next up is this recent purchase; Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer. It’s kind of a vague name, but basically it’s a multi-use formula that can be used with foundation for all-over luminosity or by itself for targeted color. I love products that have multiple uses because you can get extra mileage out of them. Plus, they’re also perfect for travel so that you don’t have to pack a ton of stuff. I have yet to mix this in with my moisturizer since its coral (shade 5) but it makes a perfect light flush on my cheeks.
Another multi-use product that I absolutely love is the Marc Jacobs Beauty Coconut Drops Dew Highlighter. A little goes a long way here; I’ve had this bottle forever. Similarly to Fluid Sheer, you can use alone or mix in with your moisturizer. I have actually mixed this in with my moisturizer, and it gives an all over dewy appearance, but I love a dab or two right on the highest points of my cheekbones to really catch that light.
I hate to talk about all of these cheek products but I really can’t write about a bronzed dewy look without mentioning Glossier Haloscope in Topaz. While the Coconut Drops Dew Highlighter is a highly reflective silvery color, this cream stick highlighter is a little subtler. It’s a beautiful golden color that depending on your skin tone will have either a slight glittery sheen or more of a bronzer effect. Since it’s a stick, it’s basically foolproof (and once again, travel-friendly).
My last product to finish your bronzed dewy look is this 2 in 1 eye shadow from Tom Ford. I’m all about a good palette because brands provide shades that work well with one another so you don’t have to seconds guess anything. This eye shadow is like the un-palette version of that; the top section is a powder and the bottom is a complementary cream shadow.
I can’t describe how much I love this cream shadow. I’ve only ever used Tom Ford powder shadows, but this has cream one has amazing staying powder and has almost a metallic foil finish. I love adding a gold eye to a bronzed look because I feel like it takes your face from “out in the sun” to “golden J Lo goddess.” This is the Golden Peach combo but there’s a couple to choose from. (Just remember when you see the price to remind yourself that you’re buying not one, but two eye shadows.)
Now go and get your glow on, girl!
SHOP THE LOOK
