Get That Glow

Are you tired of your regular beauty routine where the only color you get is from blush and eye shadow. Even if you haven’t been outside long enough in months to get any sort of tan, you can create the illusion of a sun-kissed face with the use of bronzer. Maybe you already have some that you haven’t figured out how to use yet or maybe you haven’t taken the leap yet. These tips are for you.

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Pick the right shade. Your bronzer should only be one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Any darker and you’ll look dirty.

Change your foundation. You don’t want to wear the same color foundation you normally do with your bronzer. You’re going to watch to get one shade warmer than you usually wear, so the bronzer works with your makeup rather than fight with it.

Get a good brush to use specifically for your bronzer. There are brushes for bronzer, but you can use a blush brush too, which can save you money if you have extras lying around.

Make a 3. Bronzer works best when you swipe it on the places where the sun naturally hits your face. Pretend you’re drawing a number three on both sides of your face: start with the top of your forehead, sweep across the apples of your cheeks and down your jaw. You can also lightly dust a bit on your nose.

What beauty or hair trend/product would you like to learn how to do better?

A Nod to Mod

There are some looks that will stand the test of time, either consistently staying the spotlight or coming around time and again. The 50s and 60s were times when makeup was precise and hair was high, but the mod look has made its way back to the forefront of beauty trends and we're happy to show you some of our favorite looks from the era that have been modified for today's woman. Some mod looks will always be an easy go-to to complete your look:

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The cat eye is a trend that won't be leaving us anytime soon. It's a fun way to do your eyeliner different and create interest by using the tools you already have. If this skill has eluded you, check out this video from The Hairpin for step-by-step instructions.

Nude lips aren't something you normally strive for, but when you have a lot going on somewhere else on your face, then it's good to pare down other areas. You don't have to go totally bare though. Check out kouturekiss's tricks to getting the perfect nude lip, by using your makeup bag.

Bouffants/pompadors are back all thanks to celebs like Adele and Bruno Mars. They give you a bit more height and a fun look for day or night. Here's a slideshow from Refinery29 for achieving a lady's bouffant and benjipow on YouTube gives men tips to getting the perfect pompador.  

Do you have a favorite retro beauty trend that you swear by?

Strawberry Blondes Forever

Win a makeover by entering our refer-a-friend giveaway in August and September.

Blondes are getting all the attention lately and non-blondes are trying to copy some of their natural hues. Last week we talked about the bronde trend, which is big in Hollywood. The other blondish color being asked for in salons everywhere is the strawberry blonde. These slightly coppery shades are slowly taking over the red carpet on people like Amy Adams, Julia Roberts and Blake Lively. These are great tones for those that don't look good as a full-on blonde, but still want to go lighter. It's also a fab way for natural blondes to get a new look, without going too wild, and create more depth and interest. 

strawberry blondes forever by shereentravels on Polyvore

Reds themselves are really hot right now, too, so this can give you the best of both worlds if you aren't ready to go bright and fiery. You even have the chance to try a new makeup routine with a new hair color. In fact, Elle gives beauty tips for redheads to help you look your best.

Are you hot-headed? If not, you might find your temper perking up a little more often if you go strawberry blonde, but at least you'll have more fun doing it. Ha!

BrONde Trend

Win a makeover by entering our refer-a-friend giveaway in August and September.

So, there’s this whole new trend this year when it comes to blonde. Out are the bright platinum blondes that everyone seems to be going for, but the natural mousy color of the natural blonde spectrum is all the rage. It’s the brownish blonde or dirty blonde colors everyone wants and the new term is “bronde” (brown-blonde). Stats are out and it seems only 2% of the population are actually born with light locks. Everyone else is just faking it. This new bronde trend may be even easier to fake, as it looks way closer to what you naturally have and the grow-out won’t be so noticeable either. Your roots may be dark, but they won’t be screaming that it’s time to go to the salon as you would if you were going for a Goldilocks look as before. Everyone likes a little easier upkeep.

 

 A lot of your fave celebs have this look: Jennifer Aniston, J Lo, Nicole Richie, Gisele, Lauren Conrad, Natalie Portman. They are all jumping on this fun color spectrum. We can totally help you get the look, too. It’s a great warm tone that will transition perfectly from summer to winter. What do you think? Are you seeing this as a trend you could get behind?

Win a Makeover for You and a Friend!

We have just given our salon a makeover and to celebrate, we want to give you a makeover, too! In the month of August and September, we are running referral contests. The end of each month we'll tally up the amount of new referrals clients have brought in and the one who has sent the most to us in that month will win an awesome makeover for them and a friend, because everything's better with a friend! 

Here's what you get if you win:

Manicure

Pedicure

Haircut and style 

Swag bag of amazing products 

Plus, your friend will get all the same things!

Sounds good, right? All you have to do is tell your friends about us, and send them to like our Facebook page. Let them know when they call to make their appointment, that you referred them and you'll get credit and they'll get $20 off their first service. We'll have a winner in August and a winner in September. We even have a fancy photo for you to share with your Facebook friends (click though to our event page):

So, start sharing and getting that word-of-mouth around, and if you're in the salon, you can grab some referral cards to give to your friends offline as well. This is your chance to get a new look that you've been waiting for, but might have been afraid to try. The holidays are coming and you can look awesome(r) for all those family get-togethers and parties. So, who is in need of a makeover? Good luck!

Contest Rules: Contest Period is August 1, 2013 through August 31, 2013. Contest open to all clients of Melange Beauty Bar and Salon. No purchase necessary. Referred client must be new to Melange and have a first service during the contest period. The client with the most referrals at the end of August will win this awesome makeover. (This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed by or associated with Facebook.)