The Basics of Bronzers and Blushers

So, as requested (I love requests) this post is all about bronzers and blushers; how to pick the right colours and how to apply them. Personally I feel that bronzers are optional, but blushers are a must. Coming in to Summer bronzers are a great way of adding a little colour to our sun-starved complexions!

I’ll start with bronzers. I am very pale so instead of using a bronzer all the time, I use it as a contour to give me a more sculpted look. I will do a post about contouring and highlighting at a later date so this post will deal with bronzing for the sake of bronzing, instead of contouring. The first mistake a lot of people make is using bronzer to give them a darker complexion. That is not what bronzer is for, bronzer is designed to give us a warm and healthy complexion. Bobbi Brown says to look at the colour of your arms and neck when picking your bronzer shade. Bronzer should complement your foundation without being too harsh or extreme. Avoid orange tones or the frosted effects, these will not look natural. Any face or powder brush will do the job but it is worth investing in a bronzer brush as the brush head is bigger and the hairs are packed closer together which will give a better distribution.

To apply bronzer I use the figure 3 (see photo below). Start in the middle of your forehead and, in sweeping motions, bring the product down across your cheekbone and then down along your jaw line. Do the same on the other side of your face. Then bring the product, very lightly, down your nose and chin. Be sure to be light handed with your application and blend, blend, blend.

The figure 3

Blusher is one of my favorite makeup products. A well applied blusher looks so pretty. The rule when picking a blusher shade is; the lighter your complexion, the lighter the blusher pigment. People with very pale skin tones should wear soft pastels; light skin tones wear pale pinks; medium skin tones can opt for warmer pinks and tawny colours; olive, or yellow skin tones can wear bolder colours like rose or darker pinks; and dark skin tones wear plum and cranberry colours. Pink, coral, or peach, pick your colour as you please but keep the level of pigmentation in line with the tone of your skin. I always tend towards the pink shades for any skin tone as I feel it always looks pretty and compliments any eye colour.

There are a variety of blushers on the market at the moment, the classic powder, cream, mousse etc. I personally prefer a powder. Cream and mousse are best for oily to normal skin, as my skin is on the drier side I find these difficult to blend.

There are several manuals for how to apply blusher based on the shape of your face but I choose to ignore these! Instead I follow the cheekbone. Even if you think you don’t have cheekbones, you do, trust me. Taking your blusher brush pick up your product and always tap off the excess. The first place you put your brush on your face is where the most pigment will be deposited (this is true for eyeshadow, bronzer, powder highlighters etc). Smile and hold your brush over the apple of your cheek, right at the front of your face, now, before you even touch your skin, move the brush outwards. Don’t put blusher on the apples of your cheeks, move to the side instead and work upwards from there (see photos below). I use buffing motions and work the product up along my cheekbone, ensuring it fades as it moves away from the apple of my cheek. I am the biggest advocate of makeup brushes and I never use my fingers, a nice blusher brush is very easy to come across. We have all made the error of over doing it and looking like Bosco! The key is to blend, I say that about everything and maintain that is the most important thing to do. The best way to add blusher is start with very little and add more as you go; you can’t easily undo a Bosco cheek!

I hope this post makes sense and it is somewhat helpful! xx