Camila Coelho's Tips for Maintaining Your Summer Glow
From self tanner to contour sticks, the Brazilian beauty and Elaluz founder shares her secrets to staying bronze all year round.
As we head towards fall, soon our summer tan will be one of the only reminders of the sunny days spent at the beach or poolside. For Camila Coelho, however, golden, radiant skin is an all-year accessory and doesn't need to be limited by the seasons.
Seeing the tan glow of Coelho, you may assume that the only way to achieve a comparable bronzed look is to jet set to the same sun-soaked destination she was last spotted in, or have lucked out on the genetic lottery with the same olive-toned skin. While it's true that the fashion and beauty leader's Brazilian, Spanish, and Italian background makes her partial to a golden tan rather than a lobster-red burn, she has a few tricks up her sleeve for achieving and maintaining the bronzed look that are useful for all of us trying to prolong our summer tans.
Don't be afraid of self tanner.
Bronzing is an all-over affair for Coelho. "It’s not just my face but my body as well. It’s a thing for me," Coelho tells L'OFFCIEL. "In summertime, it's easy to look tan. You can get the natural tan; you can go to the beach. But during the fall, I’m really into self-tanners and body shimmers and body glow products."
The beauty expert is a big supporter of SPF and practicing sun-safety, so she often turns to at-home self-tanning to enhance her color. Tanning mousses are her favorite mode of application, and she recommends trying out different brands to find the right match for your skin. For the best application, Coelho stresses that prepping your skin is an essential step.
"Make sure your body is ready for the product," Coelho advises. "Scrub your skin before, hydrate it, and then give it like an hour break, and then do your mousse. Then apply it with a mit so that you don't get any streaks." Then, for additional maintenance, a gradual tanner applied like a body lotion as often as you like can help prolong your desired shade.
For an added glow, Coelho also likes to mix a loose shimmery bronzing powder with lotion for a homemade body glow product. It provides an instant glow, and you don't even need to have a base tan for it to work.
Tan responsibly.
When being in the sun is inevitable, Coelho makes sure to use SPF all over her body. In fact, SPF is one of her tips for achieving a healthy tan in the first place. "When you use SPF, your tan will last longer from the summer through fall and winter," she shares.
Coelho also notes the importance of hydration after being in the sun—in addition to making sure you're drinking enough water while in the sun, cooling off with a shower, and locking in the moisture with lotion post-shower will help keep your skin hydrated and less apt to peel.
For her face, the influencer prefers SkinCeuticals' SPF, which she says is lightweight and good for layering with makeup.
Make sure your tan is even.
This may sound like a no-brainer, but with varying sun exposure or uneven SPF application, some areas of your body are probably darker than others. Coelho notes that her face is usually paler than her body because she's diligent about keeping her face out of the sun. To match the rest of her glow, Coelho developed the Elaluz Overnight Facial Glow which contains just a touch of self-tanner for naturally radiant color. One of the best-selling products of her line, it's one of Coelho's personal favorites and a part of her daily routine.
Use bronzer to contour and enhance.
Whether you prefer an all-over glow or a sculpted contour—Coelho loves both—bronzer is your friend when it comes to playing up your summer tan. "A big trick especially for people who are scared of contouring and not blending it well is to contour face before foundation," Coelho says. It's a trick she picked up from pro MUA Mary Phillips, and offers a softer result than contouring after your foundation. "It doesn't look like you contoured, but you look snatched," Coelho confirms.
As for products, Coelho has another standout from Elaluz that helps in this department. The Stick Bronzer with Camu Camu allows you to easily swipe the bronzer on your face or body and blends seamlessly on its own or with other makeup. Already sold out (with limited shades available on Ulta and a restock planned for September), the Stick Bronzers are a multi-use product and finishing touch to Coelho's bronzing routine.
"I love to apply it to the higher points of my body—on the top of my shoulders, the bone at the top of my chest, even on my shins," she says. Coelho recommends moisturizing the body first, then going in with the stick, so your skin looks hydrated and radiant. "You are literally going to look like a golden goddess."
