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Get glowing!

Here’s your expert guide to achieving the perfect summer glow – the natural way

It’s not necessary – and certainly not wise – to lie around in the sun for hours hoping to achieve a summer tan. Exposing our skin to the sun’s rays for a short period of time each day is a great way to top up our vitamin D levels, but staying in the sun long enough to burn is a big health no-no. There are plenty of natural and organic beauty products to choose from now to achieve a great summer glow. Here, our experts let us in on their top tips.

Face facts
Create a flawless summer glow with these make-up tips from Bridget O’Keeffe, beauty blogger, make-up artist and founder of Blush + Blow.

Base
The way you care for your skin is just as important as the make-up you apply to it. During the summer months, you don’t need a heavy lotion to properly hydrate the skin. Choose a lightweight, and depending on your skin type, oil-free moisturiser.

Primer
Adding a primer takes just a few seconds to apply and makes a huge difference to the staying power of your make-up. Use after your moisturiser but before make-up. A must-have during the summer months, primers don’t feel heavy and hold your make-up in place.

Foundation
Switch your heavy foundation for a light coverage BB or CC cream. A light foundation with SPF is ideal as it’s vital to use an SPF all year round, especially during the summer months, to protect your skin. Avoid anything too shimmery on your skin as hot weather and sweat can make you extra shiny and sweaty-looking if you have too much sparkle!

Cheeks
Richer tones last longer, so choose a darker, richer tone and blend until it’s sheer. Then use blotting paper on top to lift any oils out but leave the pigment behind for a deep glow.

Bronzer
Bronzer is great for making your eyes look brighter and your teeth whiter whilst adding warmth to your skin. Apply to the high points of your face for a sun-kissed glow, including cheekbones, chin, nose and forehead. Powder bronzers are so easy to apply and blend well for natural-looking results.

Eyes and lips
Avoid matte shadows which often crease quicker thanks to the natural oils on your lids. Something simpler? Just use liner – it’s easier to clean up smudged eyeliner than a messy shadow! Most make-up pencils are made of wax, which are prone to melting in the heat so opt for gel or liquid instead as both last longer. Finally, for a statement look, opt for strong brows with bright lips during the summer months.

Apply yourself!
Manjul Treohan, founder of So Me Beauty Salon (so-me.me) offers some tips on skin preparation and application to achieve the perfect fake tan.

Once the tan is applied, wait for it to completely dry before dressing.

To keep your tan looking fresh and natural, exfoliate every 2–3 days and then reapply using the same steps as above.

The natural option

There is a wide range of natural and organic fake tanning products now, so it can be difficult to know what to look for. Rebecca Goodyear, marketing consultant at Kinetic, distributor of natural beauty brands JĀSÖN and Alba Botanica, offers some advice.

“Dihydroxyacetone, or DHA, is the active ingredient in pretty much all fake tan products. This can be synthetic or naturally derived, often from sugar beets. Regardless of the source, as a molecule is the same in structure, the difference between natural fake tan products and synthetic chemical products is that the formulas of natural ones are more gentle and designed so that the DHA only reacts with the dead top layers of skin. Synthetic chemical products, on the other hand, will contain penetration enhancers, such as ethanol alcohol or propylene glycol, which can enable the often synthetic DHA to get into the dermis and potentially react with DNA causing mutations.

When looking for natural ingredients in fake tan to help care for the skin there are a few winners to look for: