The
Spring/Summer 2014 runways were a veritable gold rush, full of glorious
metallic hues, with models looking like Goddesses from a bygone era.
For those of
you who are aiming to look like Dolce and Gabbana’s golden Sicilian beauties
but instead are finding yourself gazing in the mirror at some warped version of
Cleopatra, here is a little road map to pulling off the golden look to
perfection.
First you
need to understand that the objective is to radiate a slightly golden glow, not to look like you’ve
been painted gold.
It all begins with the complexion.
Skin needs
to glow, so therefore you have to get it ready long beforehand. Keeping your
skin nicely exfoliated and well hydrated is absolutely key to achieving
success.
With your
skin in great condition you need to build in some color. Either with a facial
self tanner, or with foundation. The most important issue if you are using
foundation is to get a sheer formula that lets you see through it. Anything
heavy or opaque is going to kill your look before you get started.
Thick or
heavy foundation looks hideous in the summer, and anything overly powdered is
going to make the complexion look dusty, old and tired.
Add some
warm golden highlighter with a slight sheen to the upper cheekbones. You can
use it alone or mix it into your foundation. You want to create a soft glow,
not a mad sparkle.
When you add
sheen to your cheekbones, also hit your collarbones and shoulders if they will
be exposed. You can’t work a golden glowing complexion if your shoulders and
chest look flat and lifeless.
The golden
accent must be worked into the skin and not sit on the surface. When it melts
into the skin you look gorgeous and exotic.
The Eyes
The trick to
making golden shadows work is to go for warmth. Yellow golds seldom look good
on anyone, but bronzey warm golds and pink champagne golds look stunning on
everyone. Keep the shimmer to the lid and then blend out to matte formulas to
build into the crease and fade out to the brow bone. If everything shimmers we
wind up looking like Cleopatra again.
Line the eye
with deep expresso browns or eggplant tones instead of black.
The Lips
If you add
shimmer to the eye then you need to avoid shimmer on the lip. Instead opt for a
gentle shine. Avoid anything too porno-glossy, opting instead for a luscious,
succulent sheen.
Understand which gold is for you.
If you are
fair skinned look at rosey pink champagne golds. Yellow golds will stand out
against the skin and golds that are too coppery or bronzey will look muddy.
If you are
medium skinned look at peachy golds to warm the skin, or if you are more olive
try bronze golds.
If you have
dark skin look at deep, warm coppers and bronzes.
Don’t Abuse Bronzer
My ultimate
pet peeve in makeup-land is the misuse and abuse of bronzer.
Learn how to
apply it correctly, and understand its objective, which is to make you look
like you’ve been out in the sun.
It is not to
color in the face, fix a foundation shade that is too pale, or the worst
offense of them all – it is not a contour product.
Everyone
second person with a youtube account or an Instagram tells you to contour with
bronzer. Bronzer is made up of bronze tones designed to be a little reflective,
and as I said above is to make the skin glow like you’ve just been running
around outdoors on a sunny day. Contour products are made up of black , red and
grey and are designed to absorb light and recede features that you want to
diminish. Bronzer used as contour looks ridiculous, especially once it has worn
in for a couple of hours.
When used as a contour product bronzer will ultimately make your face look muddy.
