The Best Drugstore Bronzers (2024)

FAQs

Which is the best brand for bronzer? ›

When applied correctly, the right bronzing products can actually help older skin look younger, healthier and more radiant.

The first step towards finding the right bronzer shade is to consider your skin tone. A bronzer should be, roughly, around a shade or two darker than your regular skin colour in order to deliver a realistic-looking radiance. Go too dark, and you run the risk of your bronzer looking muddy.

All in all, liquid bronzer and powder bronzer both work to give you a bronzed look, and they each have their own benefits. Overall, liquid bronzer is perfect for those who want a shiny bronzed look, and powder bronzer is wonderful if you want a matte bronzed look.

PONi Unicorn Chocolate Bronzer is the best bronzer for beginners. This silky bronzing ombre pressed powder effortlessly blends from light to a dark bronze for instant, sunkissed luminosity to flatter all skin tones.

The general rule of thumb is to opt for a bronzer one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Knowing whether your skin undertone is cool, neutral or warm is also relevant; you want to ensure your bronzer harmonises with your natural tone as much as possible.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Bronzer

It provides a silky smooth finish on the skin and is designed to be hydrating on the skin thanks to the addition of hyaluronic acid. It's got great staying power throughout the day and comes in a huge compact, with a mirror for easy application.

Where to Apply Bronzer. Because bronzer aims to replicate a sun-kissed glow, when you're applying it, think about the spots on your face that tend to tan first: your forehead, across the bridge of your nose, your cheekbones, chin, and philtrum (the area between the nose and upper lip).

Avoid heavy makeup

Instead, opt for a lightweight foundation—specifically one specifically formulated for mature skin. This also applies to eye and lip makeup; heavier makeup with higher pigmentation levels can weigh down your features. Keep it light, fresh, and minimal to support a more youthful appearance!

Match Bronzer To Your Skin Tone

It is important to consider your skin undertone when choosing a bronzer as well. If you have cool skin undertone, a warm brick-toned bronzer will cause your face makeup to look too orange and unnatural.

How do you apply the perfect bronzer? ›

Apply the darker bronzer shade to the highest point of your cheekbones and the side of your forehead, blending the powder upwards in order to accentuate your features. Add a touch of the lighter bronzer shade to the bridge of your nose and chin. Lightly blend everything for a softly sunkissed complexion.

A good rule of thumb with bronzer is to apply it lightly to all the spots where the sun naturally shines, including the temples, under the cheekbone, nose, and chin. Some makeup artists like to brush a bit onto the eyelids for lighter eye makeup looks.

Bronzer is one of your finishing steps. Apply it after foundation, concealer and powder, but before you start sculpting in cheekbones with blusher and highlighter.

Steps for applying bronzer

“I like to put my foundation and concealer on first then use a big powder brush and apply lightly all over the face for a golden sun-kissed glow. Then I use a slim sculpted brush for contour under the cheek bones and bridge of the nose.”

Cream makeup is beneficial for mature skin due to its hydrating properties and ability to provide a natural, radiant look. However, it may require more touch-ups compared to powder makeup. Powder makeup, on the other hand, is excellent for oily skin types as it helps control shine and offers long-lasting wear.

Match Bronzer To Your Skin Tone

If you have warm skin undertone, wear warmer bronzers such as mocha or golden-brown to accentuate your natural warmth. Cool-toned bronzers will make you look too ashy and pale. Cool: If the veins on your wrist appear blue, you have cool skin undertone.

Which is best for you depends on your tanning goals, although we generally recommend a bronzer. You are less likely to get any streaks, and the better skin care is a plus. Self tanning lotions are similar to bronzers EXCEPT they are stronger, and designed to use less frequently.

There are two main categories of bronzers: natural and DHA. Natural bronzers provide immediate results without streaking or staining. They typically include ingredients such as walnut shell extract, fig and henna. DHA bronzers contain DHA (dihydroxyacetone), a colorless tanning ingredient.

Contour and bronzer have two different functions; the former adds shadows and sculpts the face, while the latter adds warmth and mimics where the sun would naturally hit. For this reason, contour generally wouldn't replace bronzer because it has a different function and the formula tends to have a different color.