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Style > Beauty

How to Look Sun-Kissed Without Getting Sun Damaged

Katriel Orlean
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at OSU chapter.

In all of my twenty years of life, I’ve been resistant to wearing sunscreen. I always want to look sun-kissed, and even though the sunburn was painful, it was worth it. However, as I continue to age and learn more about protecting my skin, I realized that sunscreen should be a priority and there are so many other ways to get that sun-kissed look. 

Wear Sunscreen

The first step to achieving a sun-kissed look is to start applying sunscreen daily. I incorporate sunscreen into my morning regimen and it makes me feel so much better about the future of my skin. It is so important to take care of your skin and if you don’t wear sunscreen, you can face life-threatening health conditions as you age.

Applying sunscreen not only helps with preventing skin cancer, but it is a big help towards preventing wrinkles (something we try to avoid for as long as we possibly can!). I urge you to start using it as soon as you can! I absolutely love the brand Supergoop, as they make so many types of SPF lotions, sprays, moisturizers and more. I love their Glow Screen which is a tinted SPF that has a glowy finish. Its the perfect base for the best sun-kissed look! The Glow Screen really helps you kill two birds with one stone by protecting your skin from the UV rays while also giving you a radiant bronzy glow. I apply this every morning, no matter what. On days where I know I will be outside for a while I also apply their sunscreen spray or lotion to make sure I am fully protected!

Anyways, enough about the protection, and on to the best part of this look, the faux tan… 

Self-Tanner

Self-tanner is one of the greatest discoveries I made this year. I use the St. Tropez Express Tan and I absolutely love it. Using this product makes me feel confident and I use it every Thursday morning before the weekend. I love counting on this product to always make me feel better! I instantly radiate, both inside and out, after I apply self tanner.

The chemical in most self-tanners works by reacting with the dead cells on your skin, which simulates a tan. Although chemicals are involved, the tan only lasts as long as it takes to shed those dead skin cells. So, the tan isn’t damaging to your skin like a sunburn is. I have truly found that I love how my skin appears after using a self-tanner, and love it even more knowing that it isn’t harmful to my skin. 

Use bronzer, Blush and Body Shimmer

Blush and bronzer were created to mimic the effects the sun gives us, so take advantage of it! I recently became obsessed with both bronzer and blush because of the sun-kissed look I get after using them. I love the Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand in the medium-dark shade. When I contour with this product, it creates such a lovely tanned look. Along with that, I use the Dior Backstage bronzer or the Hoola Bronzer– both of which are amazing powders with such natural sun-kissed results.

I have so many blushes that I adore, but my favorite right now is the Nars Liquid Blush in the shade Orgasm. This blush creates the perfect pink cheek. I could go on and on about bronzers and blushes that I love, but those are just some of my current obsessions. In addition to bronzer and blush, the third ingredient to this perfect recipe for a natural sun-kissed look is to get a body shimmer oil. I am using the Anastasia Shimmer Body Oil and I am absolutely in love with it. I spray it on my décolletage as well as my shoulders and arms, and it creates such a girly glow. 

I love finding new products that help me to achieve this bronzed look, and the ones I mentioned are amazing products that I use every day. If you are looking to preserve your smooth skin and achieve a glow, I totally recommend buying some of these products, especially sunscreen. 

You’ll thank me later.

Katriel Orlean was previously an intern for the National Writing Program at Her Campus as well as the Instagram and Facebook editor at her Her Campus's Ohio State University chapter. She created graphics for her chapter's Instagram and Facebook, posted new articles on both social medias, and helps to recruit members through Instagram. During her time as a writer for the NWP, she wrote evergreen articles as well as articles that are news based. She wrote about five to six articles per month for this program. Beyond Her Campus, Katriel was an intern for Spoon University where she wrote 8-10 articles per month. These articles were sometimes evergreen and mostly they are based on timely news in the food world. She is a recent graduate from The Ohio State University, with a degree in Communications Analysis & Engagement. In her free time, Katriel loves to travel, workout, play tennis and pickle ball, and hang out with family and friends. She is a buckeye through and through and loves to exude all of her school spirit at the Ohio State football games. She loves to write, especially for HC!