Hey girlfriend’s, spring has sprung! Time for a fresh start and all things new. Well…maybe not all things. One of my favorite reoccurring makeup trends has made its way back around again, all the way from the seventies…being “naturally” beautiful!

Remember the beauty icons of the seventies? Pam Grier, Raquel Welch, Cher, just to name a few. Their luscious bronze and terra-cotta skin, dewy hilites, and perfectly sculpted cheeks. The signature look of these 70’s glamazons made a huge resurgence on the runway for Spring/Summer 2011 makeup (See Rachel Roy, Todd Lynn, Iceberg 2011).

Some of our favorite makeup guru’s have taken hints from this era and modernized it to perfection. Gone is the order of skin that is smothered, covered, and chunked (that’s right, Waffle House makeup) with foundation. The key words for summer skin are: minimal, nude, matte/creamy bronze (minus the sparkle), and sculpted and shaped in all the right places.

Calm down. I know your saying, “I need coverage! I will look shiny!” It’s all about choosing the right products for the right finishes. Let me help…

Creating the perfect summer skin starts with preparation. Whether you are oily or dry, find the best moisturizer for your skin type to begin the healthy looking skin process. Kiehls offers two of my personal favs, Sodium PCA “Oil Free” Moisturizer ($18 2fl oz) for oily skin and Crème de Elegance ($29 2floz. kiehls.com) for dry skin.

Take your best facial features and accentuate them by using what naturally exists in your skin, fleshtones. For light to medium skin, think peaches, apricots, and taupes. For darker skins, think caramel, toffee, and chocolates with yellow to orange and red to purple undertones.   

There are a million ways to become “foxy brown” for the summer, don’t be afraid to mix up textures and finishes to create your summer bronze. Try MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish Naturals ($27. maccosmetics.com) for a modern day velvety matte finish coupled with creamy highlights on the eyes and cheeks. Try Revlon Crème Shadow Palette in Not Just Nudes ($5 Drugstore.com) And Make Up Forever Uplights Luminizer Gel ($29. 2FL oz. Sephora.com).                

As we all know girlfriends natural beauty is always best and never fails. So look deep within, tap into your inner seventies beauty icon, highlight, contour, and be you! Stay pretty…inside and out!

-K