Tuesday 17 September 2013

#theSOproject Bronzer



Well I have been totally AWOL from my blog for a whole week now - I have been poorly and feeling sorry for myself but #theSOproject is the perfect way to beat the blues and kick myself into touch.  The biggest problem of being a teacher - new germs from all the children at the start of a new term!

Anyway, on with today's post all about bronzers.  I am not one of those lucky people who look stunningly beautiful with porcelain skin.  My skin tone goes so uneven, with pinkiness and red blotches when I do not have a tan so I am a big fan of daily face tanning lotion, the kind that works like a moisturiser too.  I tend to use this all year round to get just a slight hint of sun-kissedness on my skin, which means I think I use bronzer everyday that I wear make-up to complement this.

Different Textures of Bronzer
I have a lot in my collection, but only the MUA was bought at full price (which is cheap as chips anyway), the rest were either from blog sales, 3 for 2 offers, gifts or part of value sets.  It really pays to shop around and keep your eyes peeled for those bargains!  I like to use different textures for different jobs - cream for contour or blending with foundation, powder for a light tan all over the face or in place of powder if I have a strong summer tan.

Even within the 'cream bronzer' category, textures can be vastly different.
The Chanel is much firmer than the Bourjois.

Powders come in a massive range of colours and finishes, from matte to sparkly and pinky, through brown to orangey.
EXPERIMENT!!
 Bronzer does 3 main jobs.  The first - and this can be done by anyone, even if you don't like the 'bronzed' look - is contouring.  Applying a darker shade to the shadow areas of the face (under the cheek bones, jaw line and temples) can slim the face down and give the appearance of a more pronounced bone structure.  There are great video tutorials of this on YouTube which show you how to achieve the look.  

Secondly, bronzer can be used to warm up the complexion, adding a subtle tan to the skin.  This can be done by lightly (and I repeat, lightly!) sweeping a bronzer over your entire face, or focussing on the areas which tend to be hit more by the sun: the cheekbones, nose and forehead.

Thirdly, a cream, mousse or liquid bronzer can be mixed in with foundation to alter its colour (check out my #theSOproject foundation post) which I find saves me a heap of time and money matching foundation to my ever changing skin tone!

Some cream and liquid bronzers (blended underneath)
As with foundation, the key to avoiding the tango look is blend, blend, blend; buff, buff, buff.  Don't overdo it but build a subtle colour without harsh edges and you will achieve the sun-kissed, rather than carrot effect.



What are your favourite bronzers?

If you are part of #theSOproject, leave your links! 



17 comments:

  1. Wow wow! You have a lot of bronzers! I like that you've shown them blended out, that gives me a lot more confidence that I wouldn't be orange if I did ever try one :P
    The Oxford Owl

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    1. :)

      The MUA powder would be a good 1st buy - dead cheap and brown rather than orange in tone. Not very pigmented either so just gives a subtle colour!

      Rebecca x

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  2. Love this post! How did you edit your photos? :) x

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    1. Thanks! www.picmonkey.com it's ace - so easy to use and loads of different effects!

      Rebecca x

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    2. Thank you, will defo check that out! :)

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  3. Woah, that's a nice collection you've got there! I didn't even know you could get liquid bronzer! :O

    Hayfa
    http://londonloafers.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks! The liquid one is a new buy so I'll have to let you know how it goes!

      Rebecca x

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  4. Oh Wow you have so much bronzer! I didn't know half of these existed so was a very interesting read! I wish I owned the Soleil tan de chanel and the Laura Gellar bronzer looks really nice too. Not a brand I'd heard of but definitely going to have a look :)

    Love Em xxx
    whatemloves.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thanks! My friend bought me the Chanel for my birthday, I was sooo happy! i know they sell Laura Geller through QVC.

      Rebecca x

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  5. I love how you reall broke down what different types of bronzers there are! Really helpful to anyone who reads this post I'm sure xx
    Stephanieslook.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Steph! Really loving #theSOproject!

      Rebecca x

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  6. Chanel, Mac, Bobbie Brown, bare Minerals...I'm in heaven! Amazingly beautiful post as always :D

    Hannah xxx
    http://adayinthelifeofanortherngirl.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks lovely! The Bobbi Brown is my latest addition, loving it so far!

      Rebecca x

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  7. Hope you are feeling better!
    Absolutely love your selection of bronzers and really nice how you have included the various consistencies. Lovely post :)

    Sheen xxxxx
    http://goldenandsheen.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Ah thanks hun.

      The liquid one was hard to photograph cos it kept running down my arm!

      Rebecca x

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  8. Oh thanks for posting on the different functions! Mine were very limited. I need to venture outside my bubble. :)

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  9. great post, love the pictures too! my favorite is definitely the chanel one, so easy to use!! but the bourjois one looks scary!!

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Hi, I love to read all your lovely comments. Let me know if you stop by!
Rebecca x