Hair Care
First thing I want to mention are my dark features including my hair- I have very, very dark brown hair. Almost black. When I am pale, I find that my dark hair with brown eyes makes everything way too harsh. Instead of lightening my hair in the summer with highlights, I actually do this in the winter. It brings a touch of sunkissed hair to the winter to brighten up your features and mood! Hair care also includes keeping it healthy and moisturized because winter months can also make my hair seem dull. For that I use my trusty Oloplex no.3. This treatment keeps my hair strong, healthy, and soft.
Beauty
A few beauty products I swear by help to keep my summer glow into the fall and throughout the year while also enhancing the glow in the summertime. Some of my favorite sun kissed products include the NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna (my favorite bronzer & LOVE the newer packaging, the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops, and the NUDESTIX Nudies Matte Blush & Bronze in Bondi Bae.
The NARS bronzer has been my go-to for about 10 years now. It so beautiful in the summer to enhance the natural glow while still being able to be used to contour if you wish to do so. It’s buildable so in the winter you can do a lighter sweep and it will still bring a natural summer tan and glow to your face.
I’ve had the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi drops for a few years now but just started really using them in my routine this past year. They are considered anti-pollution drops but I can’t speak to that because I don’t know if that claim is really true or not. What I do know is that it’s a great product to mix in with your moisturizer and be on your way with an extra bit of glow! I mix it in with my moisturizer and do nothing else , OR I mix it with moisturizer and add a bit of concealer under the eyes, OR mix it with my moisturizer and then do a normal face of makeup with foundation over that. I sometimes even double up and put it in my moisturizer and foundation when my body is super tan in the summer. Any way you use it, you get to see that beautiful natural glow! It gets washed away when washing your face so it is not a self tanner. After summer, I use it the same way and it still looks just as natural.
The Nudestix Bondi Bae bronzer stick is a cream bronzer and I am so glad I discovered this a year or so ago. I use this as a contour on my cheekbones and nose but also swipe it across my eyes for a natural looking eye if I’m not wearing any shadow (which is almost always). It’s another product that works so well in the summer to enhance the natural glow while also being so natural when using it in the fall, winter, and spring. I use this on its own as well as layering my NARS bronzer over it.
Skin Care
Obviously SPF matters the most for a healthy glow…healthy being the keyword. You can still get tan even when wearing SPF! I have found that tanning my face isn’t worth it anymore because I would rather a less wrinkled face when I age than having a sometimes tan face. Makeup and the items mentioned above can always help get more of a faux glow to match your body! My face never matches my body in the summer even though it is tanner than it is in the winter months. I have very temperamental skin that gets clogged extremely easily. I need a face specific sunscreen that is oil free. I’ve tried several over the years from drugstore to expensive ones to trendy ones and the one I used this year has been the best so far- Neutragena Clear Face Liquid Sunscreen Lotion. I go for longer runs outdoors all throughout the year so I make sure to put this on before a run no matter how cold it is outside. It’ll help keep your skin youthful!
I’m the worst with putting lotion on my body. I actually don’t like how it feels and hate when it gets in between my fingers but it is necessary especially for keeping your healthy glow! I worked in a tanning salon in my early twenties (don’t come for me!) and something that really stuck with me was learning about the ingredients in your actual regular body lotion. You have to make sure your lotion doesn’t have mineral oil in it. That ingredient actually strips your color so if you are getting a natural tan outside, you don’t want to moisturize your body and actually take that color away. So next time you grab a body lotion, be sure to look at the ingredients!
Going along with the body lotion, it’s important to keep your body moisturized if you are self tanning. I have two types of self tanners and I would recommend both. The first is a mouse which really is my favorite and the second are drops that you add to your body lotion. The St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse has lasted me years and its a nice darker bronze without too much of those fake orange tones. The hand mitt makes the application perfect every time which is why it’s my favorite. I make sure to lotion up the following days to keep the faux tan looking smooth and glowy. The drops I use are Tan-Luxe The Body Illuminating Self-Tan Drops in medium/dark. I like that it mixed right in my with lotion so I remember to actually moisturize but it is not as perfect of an application and I often get blotchy spots even if I think I rubbed it all in evenly. It is also not as dark as the St. Tropez and much more expensive. I got the drops last winter when QVC was running a really good deal where 2 bottles cost less than 1 bottle! If they go on sale like that again, definitely snag them to try it that way. PS- I don’t self tan my face at all.
Shop the Post!
