Serve Sun-Kissed All Year With Bronzer Done Right
We’re only becoming more aware of the adverse effects of sun exposure. We know now that wearing SPF is non-negotiable. But that beachside holiday won’t enjoy itself, and glowy skin boosts confidence.
Use your favorite facial sunscreen abundantly while retaining a compliment-worthy glow by learning how to apply bronzer — this makeup miracle replicates that sun-kissed look without damaging skin. There’s a bit of a learning curve to using it, so let’s explore how to apply it correctly.
Choosing a bronzer
Start your bronzer search by determining your skin’s undertone. The color of your wrist’s veins under natural light gives the best indication.
- Green-tinted veins → Warm undertone
- Purple, pink, or blue-tinted veins → Cool undertone
- Olive, beige, or vermilion-tinted veins→ Neutral undertone
Another method is considering the jewelry that looks best on you. If you look better in yellow jewelry, your undertone is warm. Those with cooler undertones look great in silver. Lastly, gold looks best on neutral undertones.
Once you know your undertone, choose a bronzer shade within that family, picking something 1–2 shades darker than your skin tone.
Another consideration is skin type: oily, dry, normal, or combination. All three bronzer types below work for normal skin, but some are better than others for those with special concerns.
- Powder bronzer: Powders are great for oily skin because they absorb excess oil and don’t contribute more moisture. These come in every shade and finish, including matte and shimmery. We love Too Faced’s best-selling matte bronzer because it uses natural ingredients like cocoa powder to provide skincare benefits and a subtle glow.
- Cream bronzer: Creams are ideal for combination and dry skin because they don’t mess with your skin’s natural moisture barrier while supplying much-needed hydration. They’re also easy to apply evenly with a makeup sponge or your fingers (wash your hands before and after).
Saie’s Sun Melt Bronzer is worth trying because it’s lightweight and easy to build as you figure out how you’d like your bronzer to look. It’s also available in four shades, making it easy to find one that matches your undertone.
- Liquid bronzer: Skin that’s quite dry will love a liquid bronzer, as these provide moisture without becoming cakey in dry patches. Try Elaluz’s body bronzer anywhere you’d like hydration and a natural-looking glow. It also improves and brightens skin tone’s appearance, protects against environmental stressors, and minimizes the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
How to apply bronzer
Once you’ve found that perfect product, it’s simply a matter of putting it on. Here’s how to master bronzer use.
- Prep your skin: Use a gentle face wash to clean your skin, following this with your favorite moisturizer. For longer-lasting makeup, apply a face primer.
- Set the base: Apply foundation and concealer.
- Apply bronzer: Using a makeup brush designed for bronzer, dab the brush in your bronzer and shake off any excess. Starting mid-cheek, sweep the brush just underneath your cheekbones, around their high point (near your temple), and slightly onto your temple and forehead.
You can suck in your cheeks to find the line that sits right below your cheekbones, applying a little higher than this line to give the effect of higher, more pronounced cheekbones.
Bronzer works well as contour, too. Just brush a little bit onto each side of your nose to make it appear smaller and along the underside of your jaw for a more pronounced jawline.
Bronzer application for every face shape
You can apply bronzer differently depending on your face shape to flatter certain features. Here’s how to complement each shape.
- Heart: Accentuate your face’s winnowing curve by blending around the hairline and the hollow of your cheeks, finishing with your chin.
- Square: If the length and width of your face are almost equivalent, bronzer is an excellent way of adding shape and accentuating your cheeks. Move the brush from under the apple of your cheeks to the bridge of your nose.
- Oval: Accentuate your light, rounded jawline by sweeping the bronzer along the underside of your jaw.
- Rectangle: Similar to square-shaped faces but slightly elongated, rectangular features are striking. Complement them with a sweep across the cheekbones, chin, and hairline.
- Round: Use those prominent cheeks to your advantage by sweeping bronzer from the apples of your cheeks to your temples.
The best bronzers
While application mastery helps, the best products provide the best results. Here are the top three bronzers available on Flip.
- I’M MEME Multi Stick Shading Bronzer: Bronzer application has never been easier — simply swipe this bronzer stick just underneath your cheekbones and you’re glowing.
- e.l.f. Cosmetics Putty Bronzer: This unique putty-to-powder bronzer delivers a highly pigmented, buildable color for a natural sun-kissed glow.
- KimChi Chic Beauty Thailor Bronzer: This bronzer provides a barely-there tan that’ll have everyone asking for beach vacation photos.
Go forth and glow
Adding a new step to your makeup routine can be intimidating. But with the above tips, you’ll forget you ever wondered how to apply bronzer.
To make sure you feel excited about your new product, browse video reviews on Flip. You’ll find folks with similar skin tones and beauty concerns spilling all the details about the products already in your shopping cart.
