Makeup Mondays With Mario: Bronzer How-To

Celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is answering your burning beauty questions!!! Every Monday, he will answer a beauty/skin care question as part of a weekly column on Spoiled Pretty, Makeup Mondays with Mario.


Hello Mario!


My question is about bronzer. Actually, I have a few questions. I am so confused! First, how do you choose your perfect shade of bronzer? Second, what is the best technique for applying powder bronzer? And do you have any favorites you can recommend?

Thanks a lot!
Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

When chosing a shade of bronzer, you should consider the following: dark skin tones look best with bronzers that have red in them. Lighter skin usually looks good with a more pale/pinkish bronzer. When applying bronzer, I like to frame the entire face. Sweep the bronzer along the hairline, on hollows of the cheeks and along your jawline. Don't forget to apply a bit to the neck as well.

Because I use bronzer pretty much on most of the face, I prefer to go with a non-shimmery, powder bronzer. My faves are Smashbox Bronze Lights Bronzer in Suntan Matte* and Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine SPF 20. If you're looking to achieve a bronze look but want to glow as well, try Eye M Glam highlighter at Giella.com*. Apply it on the cheekbones, inner corner of eyes, bridge of nose and on brow bones. It has a golden glow that looks amazing with bronzer. Thanks for visiting MMwM!

xo,
Mario

Got a question for Mario? Email your makeup and skin care queries to spoiledprettyquestions@gmail.com, and check back next Monday to read Mario's expert advice!

*Mario used both of these products on Kim Kardashian for the Leather & Laces Superbowl party (photo above). To get the face, visit Mario's blog!

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation: Buy Immediately!

No offense to mass market makeup, but with its new Photo Ready Foundation, Revlon just brought drugstore foundation out of the dark ages. In fact, many prestige brands could learn a lot from this particular foundation. Priced at around $13.99, Photo Ready is worth two or three times that.

For a few months, I've been hearing Revlon Photo Ready Foundation being touted as the discount version of my beloved Make Up For Ever's HD Foundation. I kinda dismissed it as hype, until I tried it last week. While there are a lot of similarities, there are some differences too – namely, the price (HD Foundation costs $40).

Photo Ready, like MUFE's HD Foundation, gives the skin an airbrushed look. It looks even more flawless when applied with a foundation brush or, my fave, the beautyblender sponge. The coverage is medium to full – and I find that when I use it, I don't really have to use concealer. It’s that good. Where Photo Ready differs from MUFE's HD Foundation is that it has a dewy finish; so if you like a more matte look, MUFE might be the way to go. My skin is on the oilier side, and I happen to love Photo Ready. It gives me perfect looking skin with a healthy glow, without it veering into oil slick territory.

Photo Ready wears well all day long, and feels very light; I often forget I'm even wearing it. I also appreciate that it doesn't oxidize and change color after a few hours – as that has happened with many foundations I've tried.

And before you ask me if gals with problem skin can tolerate this product, I'll tell you…the answer is a resounding YES. My skin is acne prone and likes to stage a mutiny every time I turn around, but Photo Ready has not caused an adverse reaction.

The only category where MUFE HD Foundation wins hands down is in the color options (Photo Ready has 12 shades and MUFE HD has 25). And it's too bad that you can't really test Photo Ready in the store (at least, there were no testers at the drugstore where I bought my bottle) - so you sort of have to take a leap of faith when you choose a shade. Personally, I spent about five minutes deliberating between Rich Ginger and Caramel. Then I noticed that the display had a photo of Halle Berry modeling the product and the caption read "Halle is wearing Rich Ginger." Halle and I have the same skin color (lucky me), so that's what I chose – and it was a perfect match. If I get some sun this summer, I may purchase Caramel and blend the two.

So, bottom line, this is one of the best foundations I've tried in a long time – on account of its performance and price. If you're in the market for new foundation, you'd be a fool not to check it out.

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation is my Recessionista's Fabuless Pick of the Week.