I’m so excited. It’s spring! If you’re like me, getting outside and enjoying nature, sunshine, warmth, and family are top of my list. With that though often come sunburn, skin damage, and potential dehydration we all want to avoid.

How can we get the lovely, bronzed beauty look of the sun, without the negative downsides? What’s more, how can we avoid foundation altogether, yet not have the weird look of a pale-face (from using sunblock) with a lovely, tanned body?

Looking weird is, well, bottom of my list, so with that in mind, here are my suggestions to have a sun-kissed look without the sun damage.

Bronzing Gel

In the above video, I demonstrate how to use a bronzing gel without foundation to add color. Bronzing gel can be amazing, or it can make you look like you’ve been vomiting. I used FACE Atelier Pro Ultra Sheer Bronzer, which goes on sheer and adds a lovely warmth to the skin without heading toward the crazy-lady orange-face look.

You can also combine your foundation with the gel bronzer, or apply a sheer foundation on top of the bronzer. I chose to go for the no-foundation look, with a little Amazing Concealer to brighten under my eyes.

Powder Bronzer

Having some definition under your cheekbones, jawline, and forehead can be really stunning in the summertime. It’s a simple trick and makes a huge difference. I used Bobbi Brown Medium Bronzer blended in on top of the gel bronzer to achieve this.

As a warning, if you have oily skin, be sure to powder your gel bronzer before you use the powder bronzer. You know that streaky makeup look you see on some ladies in the grocery store checkout queue? We want to avoid that. It’s an extra step, but worth the time spent.

Cream Shadow, Cream Blush

Break out the cream makeup! Cream eye shadow and blush hold up wonderfully well in hot, sweaty weather. Recently, I worked on a photo shoot in the 90-degree heat of Costa Rica.

Besides getting dehydrated, diarrhea (too much information, I know), and nausea through the whole four-day shoot (yikes), the makeup looked gorgeous and didn’t need retouching because I used almost exclusively cream products.

Thank goodness, because I kept dashing to the bathroom and guzzling Coca Cola to keep me from passing out (always fun).

In the video, I used MAC Pro Longwear Paint-pot in Groundwork all over my eye lid, and Jane Iredale Gel Mystikol Eyeliner in Dark Topaz. On my cheeks I used MAC Glowplay Blush in Cheer Up blended on top of my cheekbone and into my brow bone. It’s a lovely peachy shade that makes my skirt fly up.

Don’t Forget the Sunblock!

There must be a million sunblock products on the market. I love Image Skin Care Prevention SPF 30, and have been using it for years. In truth, you don’t need an SPF higher than 30, as the difference in length of time and quality of protection between 30 and 50 is minimal.

If you’re out in the sun, be sure to reapply every two to three hours. Having said that, we have all been locked inside for a year due to the pandemic, and we need some vitamin D! My advice is to protect the skin on your face but allow your body to receive the full suns rays until your skin starts to turn color, then apply sunblock.

Enjoy the summer sunshine, protect your skin, and look like the bronzed goddess I know you are! Happy family time, outdoor activities, and sunshine!

What do you expect to do as the weather warms up and summer arrives? How do you plan to protect your skin? Do you use sun tan makeup to look sun-kissed? Which products are your favorite during the summer season?