Matte bronzer
If you don't want a shimmery effect, choose a bronzing powder with a matte finish. Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder has a soft matte finish and is designed to add color in any season. Estée Lauder's Bronze Goddess is an oil-free velvety powder that the house suggests for face, shoulders and décolleté, enriched with a sebum-regulating complex.
For a luminous complexion
If you also want glow, choose a luminous formula. Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Glow Bronzer uses a cream-to-powder technology for a luminous, radiant complexion. Tom Ford's Soleil Glow Bronzer is silky and contains a blend of plant butters, which the house offers to hydrate the skin as it illuminates it. Sisley's Phyto-Touche Illusion d'Été is a powder-gel with a soft-focus effect and micronized pigments, which the house recommends both to add color to fair skin and to brighten skin that's already tanned.
For a light touch of color
For a light touch of color there's a talc-free powder and a tinted cream. Mazzolari's Magnificent Bronzer is a lightweight talc-free bronzing powder with highly micronized pigments. Sensai's Bronzing Gel is a sheer-coverage tinted cream with a subtle, natural sun-kissed finish, which the house formulates to nourish the skin.
Sculpting your features: contour and brushes
If you want to sculpt your features, add a contour, which is a different product from bronzer. Danessa Myricks Beauty's Balm Contour is an easy-to-blend, buildable cream that the house offers to give cheekbones a sculpted, lifted look.
A brush lets you control the amount of color and follow the shape of your face. Tom Ford's ultra-soft Cheek Brush is designed for the cheekbones: a little color gives an almost sheer effect, more layers a deeper tan. Shiseido designed the Hanatsubaki Hake Polishing Face Brush for contouring and a smooth finish, with a four-petal head that follows the curves of the face.
Face color continues with blush and highlighters, and more tools are among the brushes. Self-tanners have a collection of their own.
Frequently asked questions
Is bronzer the same as bronzing powder?
Yes, bronzing powder is simply another name for bronzer: a golden or amber color, in powder, cream or gel, that gives the complexion a tanned look. Contour is instead designed to sculpt the features, and Danessa Myricks Beauty's Balm Contour is a cream example of it, blendable and buildable.
Is a matte or a shimmer bronzer better?
It depends on the finish you're after. For a matte effect there's Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder, with its soft matte finish, and Estée Lauder's Bronze Goddess, with a natural, non-shiny color. For a luminous result there's Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Glow Bronzer and Tom Ford's Soleil Glow Bronzer.
What bronzer is best for fair skin?
For fair skin Sisley offers Phyto-Touche Illusion d'Été, a powder-gel with a soft-focus effect and micronized pigments, designed precisely to give the complexion a naturally tanned look. According to the house, the same formula also works to brighten a complexion that's already tanned.
Are there cream or gel bronzers?
Yes, besides powders there are other textures. Sensai's Bronzing Gel is a sheer tinted cream with a subtle sun-kissed finish; Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk Glow Bronzer is a cream-to-powder, and Sisley's Phyto-Touche Illusion d'Été a powder-gel. For contouring there's Danessa Myricks Beauty's Balm Contour, in cream form.
Can you use bronzer on your body?
Yes, for Estée Lauder's Bronze Goddess the house suggests sweeping the velvety powder over face, shoulders and décolleté to give them a bronze glow. Its description calls it a silky, luxurious and ultra-sensual bronzing powder.
Is there a talc-free bronzer?
Yes, the collection includes Mazzolari's Magnificent Bronzer, a bronzing powder with highly micronized talc-free pigments that make it feel very light on the skin. It gives an instant bronzed effect.
Which bronzer has a formula with plant butters?
That's Tom Ford's Soleil Glow Bronzer, which has a silky, rich formula with a blend of plant butters, offered by the house to hydrate and nourish the skin while illuminating it. The described result is a radiant, sun-kissed look.
What brush should I use for bronzer?
Tom Ford's Cheek Brush is an ultra-soft brush for color on the cheekbones, letting you build color to the intensity you want or sheer it out almost to transparency. Shiseido's Hanatsubaki Hake Polishing Face Brush, with its four-petal head, is designed instead for contouring and follows the contours of the face.
