Is your skin looking a bit dull and washed out? It’s not surprising, given that we are emerging from the dead of winter. Here are a few ideas to bring back that glow and warmth.
Skin that isn’t too sensitive or reactive may benefit from using a glycolic face pad. While working at Bluemercury, I was introduced to the M61 power glow peels. With a combination of both glycolic and salicylic acid, these pads help to exfoliate and brighten skin. You will definitely feel the tingle! I recommend that you use the pads no more than twice a week in the beginning, to see if you can tolerate them.
Moisturize sensibly. Find a product that feels good on your skin. If you have dry skin, use a serum with hyaluronic acid (sounds scary, but actually helps the cells in the skin hold on to water). The HA Intensifier from Skinceuticals is a good option. Apply this first, and then add a cream or lotion over the serum. If your skin tends to be oily, a hydrating serum can take the place of moisturizer. Top it off with a generous coat of sunscreen.
At the risk of repeating myself- ALWAYS apply sunblock daily when using any products with ingredients such as glycolic acid, retinoids/retinol, and vitamin C. These products make the skin more sensitive to sun damage, and after everything we are doing to brighten our skin, the last thing we want to do is to create more damage! One of my favorite sunscreens is “Unseen Sunscreen” by Supergoop. It feels weightless on the skin, and is a fantastic makeup primer. Even my clients who say that they hate the feel of sunscreen, don’t mind wearing this.
The next step is to fake it with make up! Bronzer adds both warmth and definition to the face. True sun exposure is obviously not healthy, however, adding a faux tan can often make us feel prettier. Check out the tips below for creating a natural-looking tan.
Start with a tinted moisturizer and concealer, letting it dry completely before applying powder bronzer. This assures that the color goes on evenly. If you have skin that tends to get shiny, dust on some translucent powder first.
Using the brush of your choice, swirl into the bronzer, tap off the excess powder, and hit all of the high points of the face. Make sure to really blend that color into the hairline, ears, down the sides of the next and chest if it is showing. Don’t forget to pat some into the part line of your hair. You can even use two brushes-one to apply the color, and one to blend it out. Also, you don’t necessarily have to use a traditional bronzer. I often use the MAC Mineralized face powders to create warmth. I will start with a shade slightly darker than my skin, and apply it just like bronzer. This warms up the skin in a less dramatic way. One of my new favorite products is Nars Matte Bronzer in Vallarta. The color is a light golden brown, which looks great on fair to light skin. You will need to experiment with different shades and undertones in order to find the most flattering and natural-looking bronzer.
As a final step, add blush and spritz your skin with a hydrating mist like Odacite Aloe hydra-repair treatment. Thank you again friends for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to seeing your comments below. xx
