It's that time of year again, summer is around the corner, and you've just pulled out your summer clothes and realised your arms, legs and face are the same colour as a fishes belly.
What's a girl to do?
The easy answer: Bronzer.
Bronzers have come a long way in the last five year let alone since your mother's era of bronzer when there were only three or four orange toned bronzers. From powders to creams, self tanners to tined lotions there are so many ways to get your bronze on.
I generally classify bronzing/tanning products into three categories:
Temporary
Semi Permanent
Permanent
Admittedly I rarely use semi permanent bronzers generally preferring a temporary or Permanent bronzing product.
Temporary:
Temporary Products are just that you apply them and at the end of the day you wash them off. Typically temporary bronzers are best used on ones face, neck, shoulders and decolletage. they come in either powders or creams, creams tend to be a little more dramatic, where as powders are more natural. Both come in matte or shimmery finishes, if you have fine lines of any sort, a general recommendation is to go with a matte product, a shimmery product will collect in and emphasise these areas.
Some of my favourites are:
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze
Shimmery Bronze strips when mixed together give the perfect bronze glow also doubles as a highlight if you just sweep the lightest shade across your cheekbones.
Tarte Park Avenue Princess
This is a matte bronzer good for both actual bronzing and contouring great overall product.
Hard Candy Glow all the Way
Semi Permanent:
Semi permanent bronzers are applied once, to leave a semi lasting tan or multiple times to help maintain a tint to ones skin. Usually found in a cream or lotion form, be very careful with these oftentimes they will turn out ORANGE, and you want to look sun kissed not like an Oompa Loompa.
Clarins Self Tanning Milk
This is one of my overall favourite self tanners, gives off a lovely natural tan, its not orange tinged and is incredibly build able so you can go from a light tan to a really deep bronze.
Spray Tans
I think these things are vile. As far as I am concerned the tans that come out of spray tan booths have not improved, ever. They continue to to be orange, if you've ever been close to anyone who has had one they smell awful, and they apparently last only a week or so. Not only that but I seriously question how healthy they are, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone doing a study into the affects of the airborne chemicals that are used.
Permanent:
Permanent tans last for quite a while, or at the very least all summer and part way into fall. To the best of my knowledge there are only two ways of going about getting one and both can be rather dangerous.
Tanning Beds
DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER USE ONE OF THESE! I can not overstress this enough. If I would not use one of these I would not recommend that you use one of these. Tanning beds are incredibly dangerous, the likely hood of melanoma or skin cancer is incredibly high with tanning beds, not only that but it puts and incredible amount of strain on your skin.
Natural Sun Tanning
This is my preferred choice of permanent tanning, admittedly still quite dangerous in that there is the possibility of ending up with melanoma. However, IF you do not allow for prolonged sun exposure and you use a high SPF sun screen (i.e. over 15) not only do you get a fairly good tan, but you also get your daily recommended dose of Vitamin D.
So that's how I get my golden glow on, and hopefully you guys will be getting yours on too, just remember to be safe about getting your bronze on and if your unsure about a permanent tan, try out a temporary or semi permanent tan first.
The Makeup Breakup
No comments:
Post a Comment