These are the products that helped me embrace my natural skin tone and ditch the fake tan
WORDS BY YASMIN GOWER
Embracing my natural fairness.
Embracing my natural skin tone has been quite a journey over the years. If you search ‘Australian girl’ on Pinterest, you are, unsurprisingly, greeted with an abundance of carefree-looking women. Usually on a beach, usually with wave-kissed hair, and always, always, tanned.
It’s no secret that here in Australia we love a bit of bronzing, no matter the time of year, and I believe the vast majority of our most popular beauty items reflect this standard. The phrase ‘everyone looks better with a tan’ is ingrained in our culture, and the ‘Bondi babe’ aesthetic is one we’re globally known for.
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But the thing is, I’m pale. My undertones are so cool my veins are purple, and even the smallest amount of sun exposure or physical exertion sees me turning into a tomato. For years I tried to change this using artificial tanning solutions, hating looking ‘ashy’ or ‘sickly’. But it turns out I was just using the wrong products.
I passed the point of no return when I did a deep dive into Elle Fanning’s beauty looks. With her gorgeous porcelain skin and rosy flushed cheeks, I found myself analysing photos of her in The Great’s makeup chair for longer than I’d like to admit. Here are some of the products that helped me put the tanning drops down and embrace my natural fairness.
Drunk Elephant O-Bloos Rosi Drops
Billed as ‘an omega-rich way to a rosy flush’, this is my hero product. Incredibly versatile, I mix a few drops into my moisturiser every day, as well as in my foundation. It brings colour to my base, without adding golden tones like so many other products do.
Super lightweight and incredibly low-maintenance, the colour perfectly creates that natural ‘post-O glow’ look. I love to mix it with a more pigmented blush to make my skin look youthful and healthy.
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Mecca Max Life Proof Camo Colour Corrector in Lavender
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Learning about colour correction is one of the easiest ways to create a makeup routine that enhances your natural skin tone. It’s also a great way to make any product work with your routine, as while I’m always trying to achieve a rosy look, sometimes I need to cool down my products.
This concealer is available in a multitude of colours, but I’ve found the lavender shade most effective for me. Adding just the tiniest bit of it to my foundation has allowed me to finally achieve that ‘second-skin’ look, and has certainly made my base look less cakey, as it’s a lot harder to notice makeup when it actually matches your skin.
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Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder in Rose
I have actively avoided powder of any kind for years, because, no matter what, it looked wrong. Supposedly ‘translucent’ powders would leave my face looking like I used banana setting powder instead, and completely derailed all the hard work I put into my liquid base.
The Laura Mercier powder is considered the holy grail of its kind for good reason, and only recently did I discover it came in a pink-toned shade. It’s brought my look together harmoniously, instead of throwing it off course.
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Glossier Cloud Paint Gel Cream Blush in Haze
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Incredibly pigmented and long-lasting, this gel cream blush produces that flushed look I’m after and provides an extra kick of colour. It settles on my skin so naturally. Mixing it with the Drunk Elephant drops and applying it in places usually reserved for bronzer, such as my forehead and chin, has been my key to unlocking that healthy glow. I found most of the colours complementary but Haze is the winning shade for the cool-toned beauties.
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Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Wattabrat
I don’t always want a no-makeup look and no one is doing statement products like Fenty. This highlighter also acts as a blush and the saturated fuchsia colour adds a pop of drama to my look while still complementing the colour palette I’ve been working so hard to preserve. With a buildable formula, I’ll sometimes do a light dusting for a little extra sparkle, or pack it on to create the blushed-out ’80s party look of my dreams.
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For more advice on embracing your pale skin, head here.
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