You just finished your workout and you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You look radiant – your skin is glistening, your eyes sparkle and your cheeks are naturally flushed. Wish you can glow like this hours after your workout?

Well, with a few tips and tricks from makeup artist, Valeria Nova, your fresh, new look will glow on and on!

The first step to a luminous complexion is prepping the skin with a good moisturizer that is appropriate for your skin type. The moisturizer’s role is to balance out the skins texture and, once absorbed, plump up the skin cells for a youthful dewiness. “I love MAC’s Strobe Cream because it has a beautiful iridescence throughout that brightens and freshens the look of dull skin” reveals Valeria. “Not to mention that it’s packed with vitamins to soothe the skin!” Oily skinned gal? If you want radiance minus the shine, try a lightweight lotion such as MAC’s Oil Control Lotion which will lightly hydrate and balance your skin’s oil production. This way your skin is moisturized and ready to glow…

With your skin well-hydrated, the next step is to even out the skin tone. This means something different for every woman based on her personal needs. Some women wish for a fuller coverage foundation while others desire a sheerer, more natural finish. “I prefer to even out the skin by applying a liquid concealer like MAC’s Select Cover-up in darker areas of the face…around the eyes, nose and any spots,” Valeria explains. “Then setting the concealer with a dusting of mineral powder…try MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.”

The difference between a mineral powder and a regular powder? The blend of natural minerals found in most mineral powders offer a skin-flattering, luminous look when compared to the matte, almost-cakey finish of regular powders.

If you feel that concealer and powder is not enough coverage for your skin, you can always use a mineral foundation which usually contains more pigment to provide a medium-buildable coverage with a smooth, natural finish. Popular brands include Bare Essentials and Jane Iredale. The drawback to mineral foundation is most come as loose powder, making it slightly messy to use and somewhat inconvenient for the gym bag.

Your skin is even and glowing, time to add a touch colour to the cheeks! A bit of blush on the apple of the cheeks will enhance that natural flush you get after a great workout. “I find blush is one of the most commonly skipped steps in a woman’s makeup routine,” notes Valeria “but it is the easiest way to look healthy and radiant.” There are many different blush textures available, the most popular being cream and powder blush. The wonderful thing about a cream blush like MAC’s Blushcreme is it gives a vibrant, dewy look to the cheek but can also double up as a shadow or lip colour. The downside is the oilier your skin, the faster cream blush will wear off, in which case go for a bright powder blush like MAC’s Frankly Scarlet and apply it in sheer layers with a blush brush.

Top off your new cheek color with a dab of highlighter on the cheekbone and brow bone to create a little extra luminosity. Whether you choose a cream highlighter like MAC’s Cream Color Base in Hush or a powder like MAC’s Eye shadow in Shroom is up to you…just remember to apply in sheer layers to lighten and brighten specific areas of the face – naturally.

Your skin looks perfect, you have your blush on…finish off your glowing look with a bit of mascara to define your eyes and a dab of gloss for luscious lips. “I’m crazy about the coloured mascara trend,” admits Valeria “You can really brighten your eyes by switching to a coloured mascara that compliments your eye colour.” Mascara brands worth trying are Almay’s i-Colour Collection or Cover Girl’s Lashblast Luxe. Worth-noting, these mascaras are not the bright colors we saw in the eighties but deep shades of navy, plum and brown to help intensify your eye color with a simple swoop of a wand.

Apply a hint of color and shine to your lips using a sheer-color  lip gloss – MAC’s Plushglass in Ample Pink is a wonderfully natural pink that suits just about every skin tone.

And there you have it – five easy steps to a youthful and radiant look. Follow these steps and you’ll have people thinking you work out all the time – just don’t use your new makeup routine as an excuse to skip the gym!

You glow, girl!

The Best Bronzers

I don’t know about you, but these Two Chicks love a good bronzer…especially mid-winter when our skin has long forgotten what the sun feels like. We need SUN! We want TAN lines!! We want to look BRONZED! Since we still have some time before we can naturally get a tan, here are some of our favourite bronzing tips so we can get our glow on anytime:

First you need to find a bronzer that complements your skin tone.

If you have a yellow undertone (Medium – Dark ) you should stick to a bronzer with a yellow or warm undertone.

TRY:

Nars Laguna

Guerlain’s Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder for Medium Skin

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Give Me Sun!

If your skin has a pink undertone (Fair – Medium Skin) you want to look for a bronzer with a red or cool undertone.

TRY:

Guerlain Terracotta Four Seasons

Benefit Hoola

MAC Bronzing Powder in Golden

When applying your bronzer, you want to use a medium sized powder brush with soft and natural bristles. Using the proper tools makes precise application and blending easy. Once you have your bronzer and brush, it’s time to try the bronzer on! Do NOT apply all over your face, unless you’re into the Jersey Shore look.

Bronzer should be placed on the areas of your face that the sun would naturally kiss; cheeks, forehead, chin and a lil on your nose.

Be sure to blend well and remember to start with a sheer layer, you can always add more; plus, bronzer is something that looks more natural when applied in layers.