When it comes to makeup, there could lie only two teams in this world—whether you’re team blusher or you team bronzer. And if you’re in team bronzer (like me), you’ll understand the concept of the more colour, the better. We love a good visage of bronzy, illuminating skin that radiates good health and sun-kissed complexions. There’s just something about those radiant summer looks that makes us somewhat glow confidently. Not to mention, that’s the close we’re getting to a tanning session on an expensive island vacation. 

However, with over a thousand bronzing products in the market—including hundreds of technique applications from beauty gurus online, the question is, how do we know we’re bronzing our face the right way? Are we all just aggressively swooshing brown patches onto our cheek all these while? 

But thank God for all celebrity makeup artists, am I right? They always came through with the best tips and tricks they got up their sleeve and never arrogant away to share their makeup knowledge and skills. And recently, Sir John, better known as Beyonce’s trusted makeup artist finally revealed his secret on getting those tanned, sun-kissed skin that we all desired. I mean.. coming from Queen B’s MUA himself, is pretty legendary. So, without further ado, Beauty Insider has all the secrets to achieve those Beyonce chiselled cheekbones!

Prep Your Canvas

Taking cue from the legendary Sir John, he began by explaining that a good canvas is always a good start. So you will want to prep, cleanse and smooth out your base before applying any products. Always make sure that you hydrate your face with a good moisturizer or even some light exfoliation. ‘’Make sure you hydrate and clean your face,’’ says Sir John. And since we live in a humid, hot sunny-weather, he suggested we stay away from any products that contain alpha-hydroxy or beta-hydroxy acids. It will worsen your complexion and mess with sebum, causing your face to appear more oily than it used to be. He recommends light products to be layering on top of your skin, think of a tinted moisturizer, water-based primer and lightweight foundation that contain SPF. Your skin will thank you. 

Cream-Based Bronzer

Next, pay attention to these details. Instead of using the usual powder-based bronzer, Sir John recommended using a cream-based formula instead. This is due to cream formulas that can be blended easily onto your skin, thus creating a more natural and flawless effect, as opposed to powder. You know how powdery products can sometimes give you that chalky and messy makeup look? That ain’t cute. And before you ask, yes, Beyonce is a big fan of cream-based products, that’s how she got those perfect, unblemished but in a natural-way look. 

For beginners, who are strangers to cream bronzer, you can try using stick bronzing products as an alternative. Their texture can come close to cream-based products. And instead of using a brush as an applicator, he recommends using a beauty blender or a sponge. You will get that natural summer vacation glow that you have always desired. You know those feelings of sipping coconut water by the pool, looking up to the sun, kinda look? That’s the one. 

The Right Application

To answer the early question on whether we just blindly swooshing the products onto our skin, which results in us looking all patchy.. yes, we could be. Here’s a thing, according to Sir John himself, when it comes to applying bronzer, you need to focus on the temples of your forehead, underneath your cheekbones, in between your neck area and on your jawline. It will elevate your face structure, giving us ‘’Yass Kween’’ vibes all day, all night. He said the key is to make those perimeter of your bones pop, giving you a slimmer appearance. However, he said make sure you’re trying your best to avoid applying bronzer on the centre of your face, that area was supposed to be for highlighting. 

But he didn’t stop there, here’s a little secret that you want to remember when applying bronzer, make sure you’re looking directly at the window or anywhere that can bring the sun to hit your face, when you find that ‘’golden hour’’ spot on your face, that’s where you’re supposed to apply bronzer. So, avoid applying makeup in closed and dim-light spaces. You need some lightning to guide your bronzing technique. The more we know. 

Layer Up With Some Powder

If you’re prone to oily—or combination skin—layering up with some powder can help your bronzer stay on your skin for more longevity. Sir John referred to this technique as ‘’Teflon Face’’. Make sure your powder is one shade lighter than your actual skin tones, you need to avoid a cakey look. Just imagine doubling up the same colour at the same place, how dark would it be? Learn how to contrast. It may take a few times for you to master the art of bronzing, but once you get there, you’ll be unstoppable. Don’t give up for the sake of Beyonce. 

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