Bronzers have so many uses, from giving you that golden glow, to sculpting and adding dimension to your face. You can extend your sun-kissed look into the fall and winter with a light touch and the right products. I always protect my face from the sun so I use bronzers to get my sun glow.
Finding the right bronzer can be so frustrating though! Some bronzers are too orange, pink or brown and many are just too sparkly.
Everyone has a different color skin-tone so testing is very important! Some guidelines that may help you:
- For fair skin try a bronzer that is sheer beige/brown with peach or rose undertones. You want to avoid anything that could turn orange.
- For medium skin tones: For warm undertones the majority of golden brown shades should work for you. For yellow undertones try tan, with a soft coral or peach tone.
- For olive skin copper and bronze colors tones work well.
- For darker skin try warm chocolaty brown bronzers with a soft shimmer, or choose a lighter color for a beautiful highlighter.
Contents
The Best Matte Bronzers
Matte blushes work well for a natural all over color or for contouring.
Marc Jacobs O! Mega Bronze Perfect Tan
This is one of the most natural looking bronzers out there. Perfect for keeping you looking sun-kist all year round. It’s pricey but this compact is huge! It gives a beautiful radiant matte finish. Made of micro fine jet milled powder for a smooth silky application.
It comes in the universally flattering color Tantric, which is not too orange, red or brown. It’s 28 grams (one ounce) where as most bronzers are are around 8 grams.
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder
This popular silky-smooth powder adds a healthy, sun-kissed glow to any complexion and instantly gives your skin the look of a natural tan with no glitter or shimmer. It’s nicely pigmented, build-able and easy to blend, even on fair skin. Great color selection to choose from for all skin tones from fair to dark.
Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder
This sheer, silky, light as air powder has buildable coverage that lets you customize your glow, while the multidimensional matte finish imparts a hint of soft luminosity. The bronze shades provide a neutral warmth in varying intensities, while the lighter color works beautifully as a highlighter.
Two Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder
A little dusting of this brown pigmented powder is all you need to give yourself a healthy glow. Too Faced combines real cocoa powder with their signature bronzing pigments, creating a unique matte bronzer that neutralizes red and evens out and enhances all skin tones.
The complexion is left with a flawless finish, a gorgeous radiance, and a subtly sweet cocoa scent. Goes on smooth and has no orange undertones. Fair skinned girls love this one. Colors are Milk Chocolate, Chocolate and Dark Chocolate.
Subtle Shimmers
Dolce & Gabbana The Bronzer Glow Bronzing Powder
This smooth silky powder delivers sun-kissed warmth and a natural glow. Each shade is layered with golden pearl for a subtle shimmer, adding a glistening radiance to the complexion. The sheer wash of build-able color lets you customize the level of bronze. With 5 beautiful shades to choose from your sure to find a match.
Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Bronzer
This sheer, airy formula sweeps softly onto skin for a healthy-looking, radiant finish. The beautiful warm blend of brown/copper tones are well pigmented so they require little product to achieve color and can be blended out beautifully.
Colors are Luminous Bronze Light & Radiant Bronze Light which work well for a wide range of skin tones. Try their Ambient Lighting Powders or Ambient Lighting Blushes for beautiful highlighters.
Kat Von D Everlasting Bronzer
This smooth, velvety powder glides onto cheeks and effortlessly blends into the pores to enhance the natural radiance of your skin. The fade-proof formula promises up to 24-hours of color and the rich pigment offers build-able, custom coverage for every skin tone.
The shades are Shady Business l and Shady Business II and are pearlized with a subtle gold shimmer. Great for light to medium/dark skin tones.
Diorskin Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder Bronzer
These ultra fine milled bronzing powders create a veil of sheer color for a natural radiant glow. The color is subtle and the application flawless. Perfect for use year-round. Colors are Sunlight or Sunset.
Diorskin Nude Shimmer Instant Illuminating Powder
These luminizing powders from DIOR use pigment with the softest shimmer to create a natural, fresh look. A gentle blush of color sculpts and contours, creating a complexion enhancing glow. Comes in Rose and Amber and can be used as a bronzer for light skin tones or a beautiful illuminator/highlighter for all skin tones.
How to get that Perfect Summer Glow
DIOR
- Chose a shade that is no more than one or two shades darker than your skin.
- Exfoliate to remove any dry patches.
- Apply bronzer lightly.
- Use a separate brush for your bronzer. Our favorites:
- Marc Jacobs The Bronze-Bronzer Brush No. 12 can be used on face neck and decollete. The brush is very large and super soft. It picks up just the right amount of bronzer powder and swirls it on perfectly without streaks or clumps. Building coverage is also easy because this brush applies it just right. It’s a splurge but worth it!
- Make Up For Ever Large Fan Brush 134 is perfect for applying bronzer and highlighters. Fan brushes are multi-taskers that are often overlooked. They give a soft diffused coloring with minimal blending and are indispensable for sweeping away excess product without disrupting the rest of your makeup. For a smaller fan brush try Make Up For Ever Medium Fan Brush #120.
- Choose a matte bronzer if your skin is oily, or you have blemishes or wrinkles. You can always add a touch of shimmer to your cheekbones.
- Don’t forget to dust your neck and decollete also.
- For a natural radiant look lightly apply a matte bronzer, add a soft sweep of color on the apples of your cheeks, and finish with a highlighter on your cheek and brow bones.
We hope you enjoyed these tips!
