Makeup Tips That Will Make Your Skin Glow Without The Tanning Bed

You need to be strategic about faking a tan with makeup. It's easy to make a mistake and look like you're just using the wrong shade of foundation. In fact, instead of reaching for foundation at all, grab a tinted moisturizer (like Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer) in a shade that's one to two notches darker than your skin. The sheer formula will give your skin a sunkissed glow without any harsh lines or the cake face look of a thick foundation formula.

Attention, pale-skinned beauts; the biggest mistake you can make is to try too hard. Brushing on a dark bronzer won't necessarily make you look tan. It can, however, make you look like you applied your makeup in the dark. Instead of bronzin' it up, try a warm blush, like a peachy shade from L'Oreal or a warm nude tone from Physician's Formula. They'll look so much more natural than dark bronzer!

A face tan will only look real if you continue the glow past your jawline! Don't forget to dust a little bit of bronzer on your collarbone and shoulders, too, because the sun would naturally hit those spots. If bronzer feels too heavy, you can use a regular face powder that's one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone, instead. You'll end up with a totally natural-looking glow from head to toe.

To fake a beach glow, ditch your usual frosted highlighter and opt for warm, golden highlighter instead. Anastasia Beverly Hills has created the ultimate makeup products for this with the Sun Dipped Glow Kit. The highlighter palette features four sun-kissed shades including Bronzed, a smooth shade with a copper finish and Summer, a luminous shade with a white gold finish. 

Kabuki makeup brushes were originally used by Japanese theatre actors to create flawless, full-coverage makeup looks, blended to perfection. Today, you can use a kabuki brush to give yourself a flawless fake tan! 

Here's how to do it:

1. Load your kabuki brush with bronzer and tap it to get rid of excess product.
2. Swirl the brush on the back of your hand before you use it on your face (this step is crucial for avoiding a muddy, overdone look).
3. Swirl the brush on your hairline, temples, cheekbones, chin, jawline, neck, and on the bridge of your nose. 
4. Repeat as many times as you think necessary, but swirl it on the back of your hand before each application!

You can get a kabuki brush for as little as $6 from beauty brand E.l.f. Cosmetics.

Make your makeup work for you! A warm shade of lipstick will bronze up your skin and emphasize a golden glow. So what shades should you reach for? Anything in the nude, peach, or pink family will do the trick. You can also make a bold statement with a bright coral lipstick like Too Faced's Melted Long Wear Lipstick in Coral.