Get Glowing.

Bronzer makes me nervous. Back in college, I abused it a bit… and when I look back at old photos, I see an oompa loompa looking back at me. Alas, as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten a little bit better with using a lighter touch – resulting in a look that is more glowy and “sun-kissed” than ummm… “sun-drenched.” Applying bronzer should be all about adding warmth radiance to the skin and enhancing your natural complexion to bring out your inner glow.

And when it comes to bronzer, Guerlain just gets what “glow” should mean. (Fun fact: they actually launched the very first bronzer over thirty yeas ago.) Since then, they’ve expanded the line to include a variety of finishes shades. (GUYS: bronzer is not one size fits all!) The formulas are luxurious and silky which allow the product to glide on with a big fluffy brush. And while Guerlain bronzers are highly pigmented, they’re still light — letting you build up to the level of bronze you are looking for. (Idiot proof for those of us with a heavy hand… present company included.)

So when Guerlain asked if I wanted to partner up on a post, it was a no-brainer… (and I got a little makeover out of the deal.) Their national makeup artist, Marcus Monson developed a custom face chart for me to help me get my own pretty, glowing look. I’ll let the photos tell the story but I am pretty excited by what I learned!

We’ll start with the before after pictures:

To show the best representation of the bronzer’s effects I’ve included one photo where I’m wearing all of my other makeup, and a second with the bronzer. Not overdone or crazy tan… just simple and glowing.

Here’s the before. Again, this photo includes me with all my other makeup… (based upon the face chart that Marcus created for me below.) Bronzer-free (and slightly translucent, I might add.)

I started by applying just the tiniest bit of foundation to my face. I used the brand’s Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03. I don’t use foundation every day, but I like this one as it’s very lightweight but still covers up red spots imperfections. After that, I used a bit of the brand’s (amazing) illuminator in 01 under my eyes and around the corners of my nose and the Meteorites compact in 03. I lined my eyes with their gel eye pencil in “Jackie Brown,” and defined my brows with their universal brow pencil in “Brun Ideal.”

Last but not least, my favorite step… lots and lots of Maxi Lash mascara which is one of my favorite mascaras (I talked about it more here!)

And then, it was time to bronze. I started with the classic Terracotta Joli Teint in 02. (pictured above.) This one is my favorite — it’s a great bronzer perfect for pale skin that blends in a complementing blush to make for a rosier glow. It’s important to note that the two shades are meant to work in harmony together… so you blend them together (vs. using them separately!) I used Guerlain’s signature “3” method, swiping the bronzer from my forehead to the cheekbones and down tot he chin to recreate the natural glow sunbeams.

And then, I contoured my skin using two of the Terracotta Light powders… 02 and 04. I used 04, the darker shade, on the hollows of my cheekbones and under my jaw (best trick ever) and 02, the lighter shade, down my cheekbones, across the bridge of my nose and over my brown bones temples. (When wearing a lower neckline, the lighter shade is also great for the décolleté collarbone.)

As an aside, I’d always been intimidated by contouring, but the easiest way to remember what to do is to use the darker shade where you want to define and look a little more angular (cheek bones, jawline) and to use the lighter shade for areas you want to stand out/pop (brow bones, tops of your cheekbones)

Note: This process sounds a little bit complex but takes all of two minutes.

Once I’d finished with bronzer, I followed Marcus’s recommendation for lips. I started by filling my lips with their long-wearing liner (I love this rosy shade, “63” and then sweeping on the KissKiss lipstick in “368, Fall in Rose.” To fill out my pout, I added just a little bit of their Maxi Lipgloss in “460, Rose Splatch” – the perfect clear pink.

And there you have it – the after… glowing, but still me!

PS – I’m wearing a gauze IRO Top and Samantha Wills Ring.

thank you to Guerlain for partnering on this post.

photography by Lydia Hudgens.