Conceal…
1. Splotchy Tone
Self-tanner is your friend—it will even out discoloration. Before you start, exfoliate with a body scrub. After showering, dry off completely and rub on the tanner in long, even sweeps from your neck down, says Victoria’s Secret makeup artist Colleen Creighton, who recommends Victoria’s Secret Beach Sexy Self-Tanning Tinted Lotion ($15, victoriassecret.com). Allow to dry before dressing.
2. Blemishes and Bruises
A concealer pencil or stick in your natural tone can easily camouflage bruises, scars, stretch marks, body acne, even leg veins. “Just draw or trace over the spot or line and lightly blend the concealer in with your fingertips. If it doesn’t match perfectly, take a dab of your face foundation and put that on top,” says Creighton. Try Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil ($19,urbandecay.com). The formula isn’t too creamy, so it won’t transfer onto your clothes.
3. Trouble Areas and Cellulite
For zones you’d rather not draw attention to (say, your tummy or thighs), darkness creates shadows that optically shrink them, explains Creighton. (Sounds like hocus-pocus, but it works—we tried it.) Mix a sweat-resistant foundation—like DermaBlend Professional Leg and Body Cover Foundation ($28, dermablend.com)—that’s two or three shades darker than your natural skin tone with a body butter. Use a damp makeup sponge to cover the area you’d like to minimize. Let dry for 10 to 15 minutes.
Highlight…
4. Sexy Curves
A shimmering body balm or highlighter, like Benefit Cosmetics Bathina “Take a Picture…It Lasts Longer…” ($30, sephora.com), attracts light, making your breasts appear firmer and fuller, says Katie Quinn, cofounder of Kona Tanning, an airbrush spray-tan company. Rub it over your collarbone, the top curve of your ladies, and down the center of your cleavage.
To play up a perky bum, use a bronzing powder to create shadows on top of and under your cheeks in rounded M- and W-shaped lines. Then blend like crazy!
5. Toned Muscles
Trying to make unsculpted muscles look buff becomes obvious as soon as you move—don’t go there. But you can make your natural definition pop with the help of a shimmer-free bronzing powder that’s one or two shades darker than your skin; try Laura Geller Beauty Baked Impressions Bronzer with Brush ($38, laurageller.com). Stand in front of a mirror and flex to spot the indents in your biceps, triceps, quads, calves, and the curved “parentheses” on the outer edge of your abs. “Use a cotton ball or brush to apply the bronzer in a thin line where you can see the muscle, then keep layering to make the line thicker for a more natural look,” says Quinn.
6. Prime Spots
To make your gams look even leaner, use a highlighter to draw a line down the center (back and front) of your thighs and calves, then blend, says Quinn.
Next, take a metal nail file and scrape a pearl-size scoop of a dry pink blush—try Physician’s Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush ($12, physiciansformula.com)—and another scoop of shimmer-free bronzing powder into the palm of your hand. Mix them with two pumps of body lotion until it takes on a rosy hue. Blend the mixture onto the top of your shoulders and right above your knees. “This gives you an allover radiant glow and makes you look toned,” says Quinn.
