Even on days when I tone down my eye makeup to just mascara, I’m the sort of person who never feels complete without contouring and highlighting. It’s how I keep my skin looking warm and glowy despite the fact that my genes have cursed me and given me this perpetually pale complexion. It’s also how Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez look like such goddesses at all times. Once upon a time I used Bare Minerals bronzer to contour my cheeks and a MAC blush to highlight, but that has become a costly habit to maintain so naturally I have found a more frugal way to glow. When purchasing a bronzer to contour, you want to make sure to choose something without any shimmer. Contouring works by using shadows to create depth and if you want to create a shadow, using something shimmery is pretty counterproductive. My favorite drugstore bronzer is NYC Smooth Skin bronzing face powder in Sunny. I will probably never buy a high-end bronzer again after using this stuff and if it gets discontinued I will cry. This is not a hyperbolic statement; I will really burst into tears in the middle of Target. It is so amazing! It blends seamlessly and is just dark enough to give my face a more angular look without looking orange or like I had an unfortunate incident involving a large amount of mud. Also it costs $2.79. Buy it. Highlighting products are more about personal preference. You can use one without shimmer for a more natural look, but I tend to use shimmery products because I think they look the best on me. You can also choose between a rose, gold, or silver shade to complement your skin tone. Rose shades look beautiful on warm skin tones, but there is a lot of redness on my skin so I tend to stay away from anything rosey. The product that I have been loving recently is called Powder Palette: Mineral Glow Pearls in the shade Translucent Pearl by Physicians Formula (yes, its name is a mouthful). This product is hypoallergenic, fragrance free, gluten free (who in their right mind eats makeup?), and parables free. It won’t break you out and it’s so pretty! The packaging comes with a little pearl on it and the color is so subtle yet luminous. I’m a little obsessed. Unfortunately, it costs $13.95, which is more than I generally spend on drugstore brands. Call me cheap, I don’t care. If you’re looking for an extremely cheap way to highlight, try e.l.f. Studio Baked Highlighter for just three dollars. Just as beautiful, but a little harder to find in stores. Now when you see that the weather forecast throughout the next few weeks is looking grim, I hope the notion that you can be just as bronze as a sunbathing beach goer in June makes you feel just a little bit warmer.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hofstra chapter.