It’s just as important for male dancers to apply makeup and tanning as it is for female latin dancers! While it might be true that the application of men’s makeup is not as complex as for ladies, and they certainly don’t have to tan as much, they still need to learn. Of course, men don’t get as much day to day practice as ladies do! So in today’s tutorial, we are going to teach all of you men out there how to apply makeup and tanning for latin competitions.
By the way, you can also use this tutorial for Salsa and Bachata competitions. It’s applicable to all forms of dance that require a darker skin tone! So hang tight, let’s hear from Simeon himself how to apply makeup and tanning for latin dance competitions.
If you’d like to watch a video version of this tutorial, you do that here instead! And a great companion to this post would be our tutorial on ladies makeup for Latin, which you can read right here!
How to apply makeup and tanning for latin – what you need
There are five things you need for applying makeup and tanning. These things are non-negotiable! You cannot do it without them! But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Just click on these links to buy the items directly from Amazon if you don’t have them already.
1. Silicon Makeup Applicator
2. Liquid Foundation (a few shades darker than your actual skin color – you want it to match your tan color, not your actual color!)
3. Aery Jo Bronzing Powder
4. Aery Jo Tanning Cream (we buy #3)
5. Makeup Brush
6. BONUS! Exfoliation Gloves
The Steps in How to Apply Makeup and Tanning for Latin
1. Apply Liquid Foundation
We love using that silicon sponge to apply liquid foundation because, although it’s a little more difficult to use than the traditional makeup sponge, you waste less foundation! You see, the silicon doesn’t absorb the foundation like the traditional sponges do. And when liquid foundation is so expensive, saving every last drop is certainly worthwhile!
Pour a small glob of foundation onto the sponge and spread the foundation evenly over your face and neck. Make sure you cover the skin on the back of your neck and behind your ears, too! We don’t want any white spots showing!
2. Blend Bronzing Powder Over Face and Neck
Take your makeup brush and your bronzing powder and lightly brush the powder over your face, ears, and neck to blend and mattify the liquid foundation. Be careful not to jab the brush against your skin. Just lightly dip the brush into the powder, give it a quick shake to rid the brush of the excess powder, and swipe the brush across your skin.
3. Apply Aery Jo Tanning Cream
Even though the cream is a strange, kind of disgusting brown color, you want to squeeze some out on your fingers and blend in as if you’re applying lotion! It’s actually not too difficult. Just make sure you blend the cream with the liquid foundation on your neck. Also, it’s a good idea to know where your Latin shirt ends. Simeon does not apply the cream everywhere. He only applies the cream to the area of the skin where his skin will be exposed, plus a bit extra just in case the fabric shifts while he’s dancing.
Generally he applies the cream to his chest, his hands, his wrists, and the nape of his neck.
4. Blend More Bronzing Powder
Back to the bronzing powder! This time, you’re going to blend the bronzing powder over your chest, the backs of your hands, and the back of your neck. You can also use the bronzing powder to blend the border between the tanning cream and the liquid foundation. This way, no one should be able to tell that you used two different products.
5. Want to Wash it Off?
Aery Jo tanning cream, although it will rub off on your clothes, is very difficult to get off your skin. That’s where those exfoliating gloves come in! Soap up those gloves until you’ve got a rich lather going. Then scrub away! Not only will the exfoliating gloves get all that makeup and tanning cream off, but it will leave your skin feeling nice and smooth afterwards!
What is your makeup and tanning ritual for Latin dance competitions?
If you’ve tried and love something else, perhaps another product or another technique, we’d love to hear about it below! What we just described above is the technique that most competitive Latin dancers use, and the technique we’ve found to be the most successful. But if you have other ideas, we’d certainly love to hear from you. Sharing information is always the way to grow!
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