The Best Of Bronzers
Some say bronzers are a summer essential, but for me, they are an all year round essential. A natural looking bronzer is part of my everyday makeup routine, whatever the occasion, season or month, I always always always use bronzer. When you apply foundation, you kinda of loose all shape and colour in your face, so a bronzer perfectly warms back up your complexion and adds a bit of structure. Gone are the days of orange, dirty looking bronzers and when looking for a bronzer now, I go something that is cool toned, matte and one that will look natural. So, with 6 in my collection, lets talk bronzers...
NARS Laguna... My all time favourite bronzer. I will never stop loving this product, ever since I first picked one up about 3 years ago, it has been a staple product in my makeup bag. The medium brown shade is very cool toned, slightly ashen toned, meaning it makes a perfect contour shade but also suitable for an all over wash of colour to warm up your skin. The very very subtle shimmer particles add a beautiful natural glow and give that sun kissed skin we are all after. The buttery powder is incredibly smooth and pigmented, it doesn't leave a streaky looking finish and this is possibly one of the easier bronzers to blend out for a light bronze, or you can really amp it up for a deeper bronze.
Kiko Sculpting Duo... Again, another medium toned matte bronzer! They seem to be a favourite of mine... Both the bronze shades in this little kit are perfect for contouring- they add a natural shadow without looking dirty or streaky and create those cheek bones we all lust after. The powders are incredibly buttery and natural looking, I tend to mix both together for an everyday bronzer and dab the highlight shade on top! (Sadly no longer available but the Sleek face palettes are a great alternative, cheaper and you get a blush!
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Dark... This is the darkest out of the bunch so definitely one that I leave alone until Summer. The deep bronze, slightly matte, slightly shimmer powder works really well to wear just on the cheeks, but the way I love to wear it is actually all over my face to add some warmth and colour. When I have caught the sun in summer, my face is a lot darker than usual and I tend to opt for no foundation, so a bit of extra bronze is perfect!
Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer... A very much perfect dupe for NARS Laguna, just a little less pigmented and not so cool toned. The colour of this is pretty natural and adds the perfect amount of bronze to my face, I swirl my Real Techniques Blush Brush around in the pan and dust it over my cheeks, temples and down my neck to ensure it is all blended. There's no need to blend this one out or worry about it not blending in properly, everything merges as one for a flawless complexion. A product for £7.99 which feels and looks as though it is a high end.
No7 Dual Bronzer... If you have slightly darker skin tones, then this would be perfect for you- the bronze shade is a deep, rich matte and the highlight is slightly shimmery, but I would say is still very much a bronze shade. I tend to stay clear of this one in the winter, but as soon as Summer comes and I catch a tan then this is the bronzer I will wear throughout the summer. The buttery pigments blend beautifully on top of foundation and instantly add warmth and really structure my face. With a big fluffy brush, these are so easy to apply, I swirl mine around on the brush and dust back and forth across my face. Oh, and this comes with a mirror- essential for travelling or on the go!
Rimmel Natural Bronzer... After watching one of Lisa Eldridges videos and realising she recommends/uses this bronzer, I went straight out to buy it and I have been using it to amp up the bronze on my skin ever since. The rich, golden shade is perfect for an all year around bronzer, although it isn't cool toned like the others, it doesn't add too much bronze or shimmer to my skin, it dishes out the perfect amount and adds a beautiful, soft glow. The other bronzers all work perfectly with my Real Techniques Blush Brush, but for this, I use a huge powder brush and my Clinique one is ideal.
What are your favourite bronzers?