The Prettiest Blush and Bronzers
for Right Now

Our favorite time to conjure a careless, summery, just-back-from-Sardinia vibe is when the mood is decidedly…not careless and summery: A gleamy suggestion of sun is perhaps at its most appealing when we’re curling up on the couch in plush sweaters, sipping mugs of soul-warming hot drinks.

All it takes is a great shade of blush and a bit of luminizing bronzer. This is not a one-size-fits all situation, it should be noted: Deeper skin tones benefit from deeper shades of rouge (pale pink smoothed into dark skin shows up chalky, while intense red can be too much drama on someone pale). Bronzer, too, is best when shade-matched: Warm golds—and rose golds—blend most beautifully into dark skin tones, while cooler shades of bronze light up fairer skin. That said, play around and see what color makes your own skin sing.

Start with gorgeous blush—makeup artists recommend smoothing it at the apples of the cheeks, then blending it upward at a slight angle toward the temples for a lifting effect. Once you’ve worked it into skin, blend a little bronzer over the top, anywhere the sun would naturally hit. It’s easy to control the intensity of any of these lush formulas, since each can be layered; start with less, and layer as you need.