WHAT I USE… BRILLIANT BRONZERS
WHEN YOU GET PAID TO TEST BEAUTY PRODUCTS FOR A LIVING, WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY PAY TO USE? ELLE’S BEAUTY DIRECTOR Katy Young COMES CLEAN
Beauty Director Katy Young on her tried-and-tested formulas for a natural, sunkissed finish
Hello, I’ve been expecting you. Because with the first sign of sunshine comes the first flurry of bronzer mania. While high summer means deploying it to eke out a post-holiday glow (or fake one, if you’ve stayed put in Blighty), bronzers are capable of far more than tactical tanning. In fact, my stalwarts (Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury and Nars) have a reserved parking space in my make-up bag 365 days of the year. Bronzers are for life, not just for summer, you see. A good one is a deft multitasker – it can also shape, brighten and warm the complexion; an underused option to fake good face, whatever the season. The problem is people don’t realise this. I guess ‘bronzer-shaper-brightener-warmer’ wouldn’t fit on the box…
During winter, I rely on cool taupe shades to swipe under cheekbones to create shadow, and, well, cheekbones. Use your fingers to feel below the bone and work pigment in under the length of the cheek. Go for two shades darker than your skin tone. Cream bronzers are best for this: they make contouring far easier to fake because they can be blended into skin without any tidemarks. Here, shimmer is a no-no – I prefer my make-up to mimic skin.
By spring, our complexions are crying out for a bit of warmth, so I love to wear a pink-hued bronzer brushed over the bridge of my nose and apples of my cheeks. A rosy-toned bronzer works on any skin to give you a healthy look – unlike a classic pink blush, which can make you look as though you are either embarrassed or over-heating (but if you just can’t live without yours, you can always gently dot it on the centre of your cheek, over the bronzer). I like a powder bronzer for this effect, and there’s no need for a translucent setting powder over the top (that’s only required over creamy textures).
When it comes to ramping things up for the summer, you need to know the capital ‘E’ method of application. First, take your brush (I use a fan brush for cream colour and a big fluffy number for powders) and start with your bronzer at the centre of the forehead. Slowly move the bristles down towards the temples. Once there, move the brush along the undersides of the cheekbones and back again, then down towards the jawline, taking the brush inwards to the chin. Repeat on the other side, then add a dot of colour on the bridge of the nose. This mimics how the sun would kiss our face, so it works a treat for tan trickery. Watch how much product you load on your brush, though – it’s easier to go back over it to darken than to try and take it off afterwards. The idea is to fake your own tan, not someone else’s, so go two shades warmer than your complexion. And fake it we will this season, if the full-on, sun-baked faces spotted at many a SS2O show were anything to go by. Try a warm (but not orange) bronzing cream and dab on the cheekbones and bridge of the nose. Au naturel? Not exactly, but faux be fabulous.
“BRONZERS AREN’T
just for summer. A GOOD ONE CAN SHAPE,
brighten and warm THE COMPLEXION”