For over 30 years, legendary makeup artist Sam Fine has mastered brown skin beauty. From supermodels, like Tyra Banks, Iman, and Naomi Campbell, to star-studded covers like ESSENCE’s May/June 2005 issue with Monique, Alicia Keys, and Angela Bassett, Fine’s work isn’t hard to find. Not because his techniques aren’t coveted, but because he’s authored a number of books and DVDs demo’ing just how to achieve the special touch seen on his top clients.
We invited the makeup maven to the 2025 Essence Festival to teach Black women his summer-approved secret to bronzing and blushing (which, when combined, is known as “blonzing”) live from the Beautycon stage. “Blusher and bronzer: two things you should never be without,” he tells the audience. “But, you have to learn how to manipulate these products.”
Starting with Juvia’s Place Liquid Bronzer, Fine adds dimension on the outer perimeter with a color two shades deeper than his models’s complexion. “I’m going to start by putting a little on the back of my hand,” he says. Using either his finger, brush, or in this case, a Beauty Blender, he says the tool doesn’t matter as much as placement.
“I’m working [the bronzer] into the hairline, so you’ll never notice where it stops or starts,” he says. “Anytime you’re using a product that’s a bit deeper in complexion, you want it to be on the outer perimeter.” Carving out “cheek space”, he says even as you age, your contour lines don’t change much.
“Your cheekbones are still there, they’re just not as well-defined,” he says. “It’s up to you to define it.” Tapping and layering, he suggests gradually defining your features without getting too close to the center of the face. Now enters the “blonzing” part.
Picking up the Juvia’s Place Liquid Blush, which has gained viral acclaim for its color payoff on darker skin tones, he adds the blush to the back of his hand then taps around the bronzer. Using two different sponges, he warns against mixing your bronzer and blush, except when blonzing. “[Bronzer] is about structure, finding that cheekbone, enhancing that contour and that complexion, [while blush] adds color.”
Although powder blush may be easier for beginners, like Juvia’s Place Duo Blush, Fine prefers to layer cream, over powder, over liquid. While liquid is the most pigmented, he says cream is the most sheer. “Once you start picking up color, it’s going to change the payoff,” he says, using a different brush for each. “The more you layer, the more seamless.”
The ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® will take place July 3-6. For more information and updates on the festival, visit our website and follow us on social media @ESSENCEFest on X, Facebook, and Instagram.