STYLE

Are you feeling like a ghost this summer next to all your gorgeously-tanned besties? Or have you wandered up and down the beauty aisle in a desperate search for a foundation or concealer light enough for your skin?

All skin tones are gorgeous and unique, but makeup and skincare can be tricky if your skin is very fair. If you want a dewy glow this summer that won't be too dark for your light complexion, check out our top 5 makeup tips for the palest girls.

1. Never skimp on the SPF

Wearing sunscreen every day is important for *all* skin types. But if you're in the fair-skinned girlie club, your daily SPF is even more crucial to protect your skin from UV rays (besides, who wants a horrible sunburn on their fun beach vacay?).

You can sneak even more sun protection into your makeup routine by keeping an eye out for foundations and other products with a built-in SPF. Just keep in mind that you still need to put on facial sunscreen as a base layer under everything else (makeup products with SPF don't always apply evenly!). Luckily, there are so many fab sunscreen products out there that you'll have no trouble finding a great one you'll love using every day.

@supergoop

2. Use a light-colored, cool-toned bronzer

If you have very pale skin, an orangey red-toned bronzer might be too intense on your face, since pale skin often has cool undertones. Instead, go for a light beige tint like the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer ($11).

Meanwhile, make sure to really blend in your bronzer when you use it, or consider putting it only under your jaw to define your jawline. Bronzer streaks can be especially visible on fairer skin, and no one wants random dark lines when they were going for a dewy and sun-kissed mermaidcore look.

@physiciansformula

3. Mix foundation with SPF or moisturizer for a lighter shade

Have you ever walked down the cosmetics aisle, trying every sample on your skin... and every single one of them was too dark? If you're an extra pale girl, you might not have had much luck finding a foundation that makes your skin look naturally glowy instead of deep-fried.

Here's a neat little trick: when you're doing your makeup, mix the lightest foundation shade you can find with a dab of white sunscreen or daytime SPF moisturizer. Not only will this lighten your foundation to give you that perfect glow, but adding sunscreen to foundation will give you extra sun protection over your base layer. (Because you already put your sunscreen on first thing. Right???) 

@beautyofjoseon_official

4. Use brown mascara and eyeliner if you have light hair

If your hair is dark, you'll probably have no issues using black mascara. But if you're blonde like me or red-headed, and you have blonde eyelashes and blonde eyebrows, black mascara and/or eyeliner might be too intense for you (especially if your eyes are blue or green).

To avoid overly dark rings around your eyes, opt for a brown mascara like COVERGIRL's Clump Crusher Mascara in Brown ($9), as well as a brown eyeliner. Depending on where you are, brown shades of mascara and eyeliner can be tricky to find in stores, but you should be able to order them online. Check to see if your fave mascara comes in a brown shade for those of us with "Nordic lashes" (as I once heard blonde eyelashes called).

@covergirl

5. Wear blush for a pop of color

Blush makes any skin tone summery, glowy and gorgeous! But it's especially helpful for all the fair-skinned girlies who may feel like they look a little washed-out on the regular.

Dabbing a light pink blush onto the apples of your cheeks will bring out your skin's natural glow and add a pop of color to your beautiful face. Try out a coral- or peach-colored blush for a warm look that will flatter your pale skin's cool undertones. (If you're willing to splurge a little, check out Glossier's Cloud Paint in Beam—a nice, soft peach shade).

@physiciansformula

What are your top makeup tips for your skin tone? Tag us in your fave looks @girlslifemag!

Looking for more beauty inspo? We've got you covered, bb!
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👁️ Metallic eyeshadow is the ultimate summer beauty trend
☕ Latte makeup is TikTok's latest beauty trend: Here's how to get the look

Slider and top image: @shayrudolph

by Ava Slocum | 8/16/2023