As a mum, makeup artist, and PIXI creator, my life is bursting at the seams with inspirations & impressions. I live my life by the motto “live love & laugh” and whether I am working or focusing on my family, I try to infuse passion and creativity into everything I do. Here I hope to share with you some of my ideas of all things beautiful.
With love, Petra


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Terracotta Tan

Terracotta - encompassing hues from peach to bronze, this colour is gorgeous for both home & beauty.

Living in a Spanish-style house in Southern California, I am constantly surrounded by terracotta and I think it’s taking over my life…I see hues from softest peach to deepest bronze everywhere – and I’m LOVING it! It’s so far removed from my comfort zone in home design that is usually a mix of antique white, pale blues & greens and Gustavian grey – all very Swedish. Now I just have to embrace my exotic side, which I’m sure is in there somewhere!

Go to www.rugsandmore.com for similar wall art - this one is an antique bedcover!

Find this & other cute comforters at http://www.target.com/

As much as I love the warmth that terracotta gives to the items in my home, the effect is even more stunning on the skin.

Usually we talk about bronzers a lot in the spring when we all need a quick pick-me-up – that’s probably when you are at your palest and need very gentle, soft colour. Now, at the end of August, you may have been in the sun and your skin is probably slightly deeper in tone. The correct bronzer will prolong your summer-fresh skin and keep you looking healthy & outdoorsy well into fall.

I’ve been asked many times what is the secret to the perfect bronze look - you need to know about 2 basic things to avoid buying the wrong product: colour & texture. Once you have the right product, you need to know how to use it and maximize its potential through correct application.
Let’s clear up the bronzing mysteries once and for all!


Colour
It may seem obvious, but the main point of bronzer is to make you look like you do when you have been in the sun. Try to find a neutral colour that is not too orange or too grey on your skintone. Peach undertones work well for medium to light skin and rose and gold undertones work well for medium to olive skin.
When doing my own makeup, I tend to choose warm honey beige undertones with a hint of gold, peach or pink – I have a medium olive skintone that tans easily without going red.
· Always test a new bronzer colour on your jawline. The bronzer should naturally blend into your skintone & give it warmth - 1 shade deeper than your skintone usually does the trick.
· If it looks too orange, you are trying on a bronzer too dark for your skintone.
· If it makes your skin look ashy and tired, you need to find a deeper bronzer color to try.
· Always check your face in daylight and wait 5-10 minutes to make sure that the product does not change colour on your skin after application.

Texture
By texture, I mean the consistency of the product – this affects the final look on the skin.


1. Powder – Pressed or loose, this is easy to control during application and great for normal to oily skin. The most popular form of bronzer, powders are easy and quick to apply all over.
Application: Lightly swirl a medium-sized firm powder brush into bronzer and tap off excess. For an all-over sun kissed effect, buff along jawline and hairline using tight, circular motions. Swirl brush in bronzer & tap off excess again, and now sweep brush onto cheekbones, nose, forehead, chin and neck.


2. Cream & mousse – This is great for dry skin. The result is a plump & dewy skin-like finish, and the look is very natural.
Application: Tap colour onto cheekbones with your fingertips or nylon brush & blend well. Smooth any leftover colour onto eyelids & lips.

3. Gel & liquid – These have great staying power and look sheer and natural on skin. They feel fresh and are great for those with normal skin. Easy-to-blend and easy-to-build colour from sheer to more sunkissed, gels & liquids also work well to add some colour to lips.
Application: Dab onto clean skin with fingers and blend well. Apply to cheeks, eyelids and lips - it will stay on until you wash it off. 

The look above is all about the texture of bronzer - there is no powder here. This sun kissed skin's translucent & natural look is achieved with a fluid bronzing gel. Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in Sun Kissed is my go-to product for a "no-makeup" look.
It is designed to provide the most believable bronze: it's tan with a hint of red to make it look like real skin. Apply as suggested above in gel texture section, or mix it with tinted moisturizer for a super natural effect. 


Completing the Bronze Look - Lips


My current favorite gloss is Aqua Lacquer from Pop Beauty. It's so silky & light, but still plumps lips and fills in fine lines beautifully. 


Completing the Bronze Look - Eyes



To do stunning eyes with a sun kissed look, you don't have to do a lot to get maximum impact:
1. Use an eye primer from lash root to just below eye brow.
2. Contour eyes slightly with Fairy Light Solo in Warm Autumn, blending into the crease and slightly outward at outer corner. 
3. Swish Fairy Light Solo in Champagne Glow all over lid and dot into inner corner of eye. 
4. Line eyes, following the lash line, with Lid& Line in Smoky Bronze and blend shadow into the line & slightly above.
5. Curl lashes and apply 2 coats of mascara to upper and lower lashes.


Healthiest Honey


I love to use honey-hued blushes as bronzers - this works especially well for those with fairer skin who have a hard time finding cheek colours or bronzers that look natural. This is a very soft way to add a warm glow to the skin.


 
And what could possibly be a more beautiful accent to your late-summer sun kissed skin than a deep peachy dress?
Find more Johnny Was at http://www.zappos.com/johnny-was

What I love about this Johnny Was dress is that you can dress it up with colourful jewelery and high heels or keep it really casual in sandals and some bangles. I also love that it comes with a slip dress to layer under if you want.

With this dress I need to show some leg…this dry oil takes away my not-so-attractive snake skin legs and transforms them into Brazilian Gisele legs…well almost!
As summer winds down, I am reminded to relax & enjoy life...my orangey-bronze coin purse below shows my favorite motto.



Posted by Petra at 6:25 PM 0 comments
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