There’s nothing like a flawless golden complexion. Bronzer in all it’s forms whether powder, liquid, or gel can deepen, and warm up any skin tone. Here are 6 Tips to get sun-kissed skin:

1. Use a medium size dome shape brush to apply bronzing powder to the face.
2. A soft brush will pick up and deposit less colour than a more dense brush. Decide how dark you want to be before choosing your brush.
3. A duo fibre buffing brush works well with a liquid or gel bronzer.
4. Apply bronzer to forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin for all over colour.
5. Drop a bit of liquid bronzer into your foundation to give skin more colour, and glow.
6. Try shading under cheekbones with a matte bronzing powder.

Chanel’s new moisturizing bronzing powder is a must-have for gorgeous, tan skin. Swipe all 4 colours for a quick blush and bronzer, or use the colours individually to shade, highlight and blush cheeks to perfection.

I’ve worked with gel blush in the past and I have to say its not my favourite thing to use on the cheeks. Often they can be a pain to blend, or too sheer upon first application. On the other hand most wear very well, and give a natural “just went for a run outside” look. Givenchy Blush Gelee launched with their latest Spring collection. The sponge applicator makes  it pretty easy to dab on the cheeks and then blend out with the fingers. The texture is very smooth and not at all sticky so it feels comfortable on the skin. The rosy shade is suitable for a variety of skin tones, and it could do double duty as a lip stain as well. If you’re a fan of the cheek stain then chances are you’ll quite enjoy this one.

Sadly, Winter is still here. For many of us this means that our skin is less than radiant thanks to the cold weather. Fortunately there are some tips and tricks that will help you beat the dull skin months, without heading to a warmer climate.

Apart from being diligent with skin care I highly recommend a liquid illuminator. Liquids like creams mimic the way healthy dewy skin looks. The idea is to have your skin look like it has a glow from within. Use it underneath your foundation, or after on the high planes of the face, or put a few drops into your moisturizer or liquid foundation. Choose an illuminator that has peach, gold, or pink tones.

If you do prefer powder use one that has sheen rather than large particles of sparkle. MAC highlight powder is a good option.

1. MAC special reserve highlight powder 2. NARS orgasm illuminator 3. Topshop skin glow 4. Make Up Forever Uplight

Makeup images from style.com

Scarlett Johansson has been on the media circuit a lot  lately  (Iron Man 2 release) looking gorgeous. Never one to go to extremes with her make up, the key features she focuses on are: brows, lips, and cheeks.

For perfectly groomed brows Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil has a pencil on one end to fill in gaps and create definition, and a brush on the other to make sure your brows are in place. To get glowing cheeks with a hint of pink, try YSL Blush Variation is a combination of matte and shimmer that adds colour and shine to your cheeks. Scarlett Johansson is of course the face of Dolce and Gabbana The Make Up. I love their lipsticks. Really creamy and smooth they also last a longtime on the lips. For a pink similar to the one Scarlett wears try Dolce and Gabbana Velvet.

Images from justjared.com

Love the 80′s bright blush in this image. For a “real way” version first dip your blush brush in translucent powder, and then the blush. The powder helps to tone down the blush colour and makes it easier to blend for a more subtle look.

The most common misconception when it comes to contouring the face is where on the face to shade and highlight.  Most people think that you need to draw a diagonal line from your ear to the corner of your lip. The reason people think this way is because when we look at ourselves straight on, the cheekbone appears to be on a diagonal. We get the illusion of a diagonal line because we’re 3 dimensional. The best way to figure out placement is to feel for your cheekbone with your fingers. You will see that it actually runs across the face, and then turn to the side to see yourself in profile.

Before you get started you will need the following things:

1. A dark colour for shading in either a cream or powder, and it should be two to three shades darker than your skin tone but in the same undertone. If you choose to use powder it should be matte.

2. A light colour for highlighting in either a cream or powder. The colour can be considerably  lighter than your skin depending on how much you want it to show. The highlighter can be matte or shimmer depending on the effect you want to achieve.

3. An angled or medium sized blush brush. Using a angled blush brush makes shading much easier as the angle of the brush will fit perfectly under the cheekbone.

Here’s our simple step by step guide to create prominent cheekbones:

1. Using the angled part of the brush and your darkest colour, sweep under the cheekbone starting close to the ear and finishing with the brush leaving your face.(#1 in above image) Repeat until you get desired intensity.

2. Dust off the dark colour on a tissue before picking up the highlight colour.

3. Apply the highlight colour to the top of the cheekbone by gently tapping or brushing. (#2 in above image)

Anywhere you shade with a darker colour will recede and what you highlight will be brought forward. Remember to do both to beautifully contour your cheeks.

This is the question that plagues so many women. If your skin is dry this is definitely less of a problem but if you have oily skin then your make up has a tendency to slide. Make sure you start with a good base for your makeup to stick to. My favorite primer is the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Creme products can also help your makeup go a lot further. Try the YSL water proof cream shadow, the Stila convertible colour for your cheeks and of course some oil absorbing papers to get rid of any extra oiliness and shine.

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about blush…

1. For an everyday make up, colours like pink, peach, plum, or red look the best when applied to the apple (the fullest part) of the cheek.

2. Bronze, caramel, and taupe shades are perfect for sculpting cheekbones and can be applied under the bone.

3. Add dimension to the face by lightly dusting beige, pale pink, gold or silver to the tops of the cheekbone.

4. Use the right tool!  Round soft brushes are best for the apple of the cheeks where as a flat or angled  brush is best for sculpting cheekbones.

5. Cream vs powder? The majority of women use powder blush under the assumption that the application is easier. Cream blush can be just as simple, use a small amount on a brush and then buff into the skin.   The result is actually more natural than a powder since cream mimics the natural sheen of skin.

Image from models.com