Could this be Hannah Waddingham’s most glamorous beauty look yet? The actress glowed from head to toe at the Ted Lasso Season 4 premiere in Los Angeles last night, teaming her golden minidress with the most incredibly flattering self-tan.
As well as looking like a golden goddess, Hannah proves that self-tanned skin looks youthful and healthy with a few clever makeup adjustments. Many of us don’t appreciate that self-tan acts like a form of makeup in itself, so it’s important to take that into account with everything else we apply on our face, especially when we’re older. (Magda from Something About Mary is not the tanned look we’re aiming for!)
Less is often more when you have a tan doing some of the work, and Hannah’s red carpet look proves that point perfectly. She’s combined her tanned glow with a fresh, sheer base, a soft shimmery lip and lighter eye makeup (even skipping her beloved lower lash line mascara).
It’s little makeup tweaks like these that turn self-tan into the perfect canvas for a healthy, glowy look like Hannah’s. Even celebrities feel that boost.
‘I find most clients feel differently about their makeup when they're tanned,’ says celebrity makeup artist Hannah Martin. ‘Whether it's worn on the face, décolleté, arms or legs, a tan really does help even out skin tone, which is an immediate confidence booster if you have things like high colour, broken veins or capillaries, hyperpigmentation. Once those concerns have been somewhat neutralised with tan, I find that clients do generally feel a bit more confident.’
Here are the 5 things you need to know if you want to make self tan look ageless and ultra-flattering this summer.
Tweak your base
Beware trying to colour-match your tan with a fuller-coverage foundation (mixing your regular foundation with a liquid bronzer is unlikely to end well!). Instead, switch to lighter base, which is more forgiving and ‘stretchy’ on self-tanned skin. ‘Going for lighter, fresher, healthier-looking base makeup makes sense when you have a tan,’ says Martin. ‘Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Foundation is excellent for this.'
Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint
Create definition
The one downside to a self-tan is that it can slightly flatten the face. ‘I find this is less of a problem with celebrities because their spray-tanning artist will use brushes for the face, so it's more of a contoured look,’ says Martin. ‘However, I’ve had brides who have a spray-tan that’s somewhat one-dimensional, So, part of my job is putting some dimension back in.’
To do that, you’ll want to put a bit of light and shade back in, using concealer and/or highlighter. ‘I’ll add light ever-so slightly under the eyes, on the centre of the forehead, and around the nose and chin, just to ensure that we get some of the natural shade and shape back to the face,’ she says.
Adjust your blusher
You’ll want to adjust your blusher to suit your tan. ‘A shade that once made the complexion pop might be too pale or too blue, advises Martin. ‘Some of those blue-based pinks that I love usually don’t work with a tan.’
A self-tanned complexion comes to life with blusher in a more reddish tone, she advises. ‘These might seem alarming but they’re not.' Just use sparingly and blend – you'll be surprised how flattering they look.
She adds: "KHJ Beauty Soft Smudge Lip & Cheek comes in a shade called Soft Tomato, which looks particularly brilliant with a tan. It just gives a really soft flush.’
Lean into highlighter
Strategic shimmer is the key to tanned glamour. ‘I think all tanned skin looks great with a bit of highlighter,’ says Martin. ‘I wouldn't do it everywhere, because you don't want to become metallic-y but certainly top of the cheeks and temples would be a beautiful look.’
Finish with a dab of shimmer
A soft shimmery lip looks great with tanned skin, she advises. ‘A product that looks lovely against a glowy summer complexion is Hildun’s Peptide Pearl Balm,’ says Martin, who has just collaborated with the brand on a beautiful summer makeup edit.
Hildun Beauty Peptide Pearl Balm
‘It comes in three shades to flatter different skin tones, and has micro-pearls to add a luminous look.’
Golden goddess glow, here we come.
