Tuesday evening my local Macy’s department store had a Lancôme Beauty School event. Alex Sanchez, (above) a National Artist with Lancôme, taught all of us lucky women how to get that Summertime Glow. I got the Summertime Glow along with smokin’ hot sexy eyes, courtesy of Alex.
With the advances of HDTV there’s no more hocus pocus to make us look good – every little thing shows on TV and digital camera and your best defense is to have your skin looking the best it can. Alex recommended a couple of products to help that along – exfoliate with ReSurface-C Microdermabrasion Kit once a week and use Génifique dialy to give your skin that glow from within. Of course cleanse, moisturize and use SPF daily.
Now to get that Summertime Glow…
(I’ve ** and highlighted really important and new tips)
First apply foundation primer to make application easier and give your face a smooth finish. Then take your foundation and warm a dollop of it on the back of your hand with a foundation brush, and to give the foundation a little glow – **mix in a touch of highlighting cream together with the foundation. Apply it with a brush, but around the nose area or if you have rosecea anywhere on your face, use your fingers as it’s more gentle.
Next apply concealer. Start at the inner eye socket and apply at the darkest area and work your way out – **you really shouldn’t need concealer at the way outer corner of your eye. Besides, that’s where more wrinkles are and with your facial and eye movements it will just cause the concealer to make those dreadful wrinkles more prominent.
Blush is up next – tap a pink/reddish blush to the apples of your cheek to give your face a flush. **If you are wearing an open necked blouse, put a little on your neck and décolleté as well.
The all important bronzer – how can we get that perfectly bronzed skin look? You know the kind – not a flat, heavy, dull powdery look and not the super shiny greasy look. Well Tropiques Minérale is the answer to your bronzing prayers! This is the magic that gives you the “glow from within”. Seriously. Use a bronzer brush to swirl the powder in the lid to pick up the right amount of powder and then swirl all over your face. Do a rocking motion with the brush on your cheek from the outer eye area to the nose as well. Can I tell you – that bronzer brush is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
For the eyes Alex used on the model a pearly tone eye shadow primer. With this you could put it on your eyelids and **use it as an eyeshadow and out the door you go. But he did a more “finished” look, so next he took a large fluffy brush and a champagne colored shadow and swirled it on to control the pigment. **Are you getting the theme – swirling your brushes for application will give you the correct amount of product – not too much or if too little, just add more.
Continue with the big fluffy brush and do a matte finish shadow to contour the eye. **Keep your eye open when doing this step. This is the area above your eyeball that follows the shape of your eye. If you keep your eye open you won’t apply too much pressure, and then you’ll get just the right amount of color.
Most of you will now be putting on eyeliner in a way that you never have before – and it will help all of us that are having a more difficult time seeing, to get that eyeliner on right! Forget looking at the mirror in front of you. ** Get one of those stand mirrors (I LOVE mine!) and set it on the counter, tilt the mirror back, and look down at the mirror. Now apply your eyeliner – and NO pulling your eyelid tight! You’ll get a thin line right up to the lash line. Alex used Artliner in Smoke on my eyes. Use small strokes with the pencil at an angle, not straight on. Perfect application every time!
**To accent your eyes a bit more, take a tissue and fold it in half. Lay it across your face from the outer edge of the nose to the outer corner of your eye. Use a smaller eyeshadow brush and place a little darker shade at the outer corner of your eye. Then carry the brush to the under eye to softly line the lower lashes – don’t use a pencil for your under eye area, this brush method will give you a much softer look. Alex used the new Color Design Beauty Palette in the Runway Temptation Collection on my eyes. Top your lashes with Cils Booster XL and then Ôscillation mascara.
Groom your eyebrows to finish off the eyes. On the model, she had a lot of eyebrow but very light hairs, so Alex used brow groomer on her brows to make them appear darker without looking fake. On my eyebrows, which are darker, but maybe more sparse, he used a brow pencil to fill in and polish off the shape.
For the lips, apply lipstick first with a brush. For this summertime look, he used a light pink on the model and a light nude on me. Then apply lip liner starting on the outer corners working in and fill in lightly. **If your lips are thin, do not apply liner heavily at the outer corners, you’re better off making the shape rounder at the bow (but don’t go overboard ladies)! Top the center area of your upper and lower lip with gloss. Alex used La Laque Fever in Optical Rose on my lips. And ladies, if you do not own any of the La Laque Fever lip glosses – you MUST get at least one now! These are 8 hour lasting glosses and they don’t dry out your lips like other long lasting lip colors do.
Tousle the hair and out the door you go! Now you may think this will take you forever to do, but I went into a lot of detail so you can replicate the Summertime Glow at home by yourself. It will not take you 30 minutes to do this look. I did the next day for work, and I have to say I did a pretty fabulous job!
Be sure to catch Alex and all his great tips on HSN June 18th & 19th and check your local department store for Beauty School classes in your area, you’ll be thrilled you did!
There is a must read book for the hairstylist coming out of hair school called ( From the bowl the the chair ) a must read for ten dollars
In the pic where he is applying the lip color, he looks like Ian Tracey