By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Summer's here, and women everywhere are wondering how to evolve their look for the season. Makeup artist and lifestyle beauty expert Jessica Liebeskind, answers your most important beauty questions.
Q: I love the look of tan skin in the summer, but am afraid to try a self-tanner for fear of looking streaky or orange. Any suggestions on how to get a summer glow without sitting in the sun?
A: First of all, I applaud you for taking a stand on sun-tanning. While it may be true that we appear to look warm and healthy from a summer glow, and that doctors do say that small doses of vitamin D can be uplifting, it can pretty much be agreed upon by all women that nothing is glamorous or sexy about brown spots, premature aging, and the risk of skin cancer.
For those of you who have reservations about self-tanner (I'd be lost without mine and my sister destitute without hers!), another safe and fool-proof way to get beautiful sun-kissed skin is through the use of a bronzing powder. Be sure to find one that is slightly deeper and warmer than your natural skin tone. Make sure that it's not too yellow, not too orange, too red, or too deep. Apply the bronzer with a large, soft brush. Stroke the product on the face where the sun would naturally hit your skin, including the cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. I've found that the biggest mistake women make when selecting a bronzer is that they choose a color that they want to be, rather than select a color that looks closest to the shade they are when they tan naturally. Another great tip is to make sure you don't forget to bronze your neck and ears for the most natural-looking finish.
Q: How do I get my foundation to last so that I don't have to reapply it throughout the day?
A: Oh dear — reapply your foundation? I'm sure there's more than one of you doing it out there, which is why I feel compelled to answer this special question.
One does not reapply foundation. The purpose of foundation is to even out your skin tone, resulting in a smooth and flawless finish. The look these days is about healthy, glowing skin, and more heavily pigmented formulas are saved for women with textured skin. Sheerer finishes look best on everybody else, mature women included.
Foundation should be a perfect match to the face and body, so make sure to test several different shades on your jaw line and into your neck. The shade that is best for you is the one that blends perfectly into skin and "disappears" completely.
Not to make life confusing, but I also need to raise another point. Some of us have pale necks with warmer shoulders and foreheads. Select the shade that exactly matches the warmest part of your body and apply a bronzer to your neck, making sure everything appears perfectly smooth and "connected." Then, dust the face lightly with loose powder to set for all-day wear.
In the event you like to "touch-up" the areas around your nose or just around the lips after a meal or beverage, go right ahead, but nowhere else. Remember, foundation was not developed to be re-applied, but rather designed to appear sheer and natural.
Q: I'm stuck in a beauty rut and am getting bored with my makeup — I need a change. How can I create a new look and still look like me?
A: Change is good!
It's so good that the word usually scares people. This is why I encourage all women to evolve their beauty routines from season to season rather that stay stagnant. You don't want to wake up one morning and suddenly look and feel dated. We've evolved our hairstyles from 80's bangs to the 90's pencil straight blow-dry into today's soft, beach-inspired waves. Our fashion sense has changed in an analogous manner, from high-waisted jeans and tapered legs to a more modern, low-rise boot cut. So, why not stay just as current on the beauty front?
The best way to evolve your makeup routine is not to create that much of a departure from where you already are today. Cosmetics companies have access to the best formulaic and technological advances in their product development, in addition to having a clear understanding of their consumer in knowing exactly what it is she wants, so the first step in modifying your beauty routine is to look to texture.
If you wear a full face of foundation, switch to a sheer tinted moisturizer. If matte shadows are regularly your thing, incorporate a soft shimmer on the lower lid instead. Look too dry with your current powder blush? Try a creamy colored one. Always into opaque lipsticks? Experiment with a flush of color layered with a sheer gloss.
After texture, we move into tweaking your color choices, but one thing at a time. It's my sincerest opinion that evolving your beauty routine is the single greatest thing you can do to keep yourself looking more modern, more youthful, and more beautiful.
"It's about individualized beauty: looking like yourself and enhancing your best features." — Jessica Liebeskind on Make-Up Artistry
To get your beauty questions answered by Jessica, email us at fncimag@foxnews.com
https://www.foxnews.com/story/summer-beauty-q-a