The Bronzers

Hello lovelies, let’s discuss bronzer, shall we? When I first started wearing makeup, I refused to wear bronzer! I thought bronzer was only for people who were trying to achieve a “tan” look and I didn't fit into that category! While this is still the case for some, I realized quickly how amazing and versatile bronzer can actually be, so let’s begin with my favourite bronzers.

The first bronzer that I bought and still use up until this day is MAC’s Give Me Sun. Before I begin, let me forewarn you that this bronzer is not for everybody, for reference I wear Nars Sheer Glow in the colour Stromboli. If you have olive/tan skin with yellow/golden undertones then you will love this bronzer. It has a warm terracotta base. The warmth in this bronzer really give a radiant look to the skin and as an added feature I use this on my eye crease and it really opens up my eyes. It is a skinfinish, therefore it’s a bit pricier but it last for years and is mineral based, which means no clogged pores!

I also love Benefit’s Hoola ($36 CAD), I had heard so many raving reviews for this product but I would always walk past it thinking it wouldn't show up on my skin even after swatching it on the back of my hand I wasn't convinced. Eventually I caved and bought it and it did show up on my skin and is perfect for a daytime contour because of it’s true matte finish with a neutral undertone. It looks so natural and it’s comes with a brush perfect for contouring. I really love that it’s also buildable, so if you require a bit more colour, say for the summer months, you can intensify the colour and it won't look muddy. 

I only have one cream bronzer to mention. Cream bronzera are not too common and honestly I don’t know why. The Chanel Soleil De Tan – Universal ($48 CAD) is my favourite and for good reason. This one is a terracotta base and is absolutely perfect for medium/tan complexions. I absolutely love this product in the summer, it gives such a natural and smooth finish and is easy to blend. I also like it to really define my contour, so I’ll use it under a powder contour. If you live somewhere hot or are going on vacation this is the bronzer for you as it’s really radiant and glowy.

I can’t have a bronzer list without mentioning Nars Laguna ($45 CAD). This is another cult product from my favourite brand. Like Hoola, I had heard so much rave about this bronzer but thought it would be too light to use as a contour. It’s a warm brown with very fine flecks of glitter that are not apparent once applied to the face. I was at a duty free store at JFK airport and they had a Nars counter where they were selling this for I think $34 and I had some extra USD cash on me so I thought I might as well give it a shot. I really like this bronzer for an everyday contour, it’s got the perfect amount of warmth and hue to it for an easy application. I also like that it can be buildable to provide a stronger contour should you desire it. Additionally, I really like to use it as an eyeshadow for a brown smoky eye. I think if Hoola is too light for you, this might be more to your liking!

For the ladies that like a little more shimmer in their bronzer I would recommend MAC’s Delphic (limited edition) if you can get your hands on it. It’s a neutral tone bronzer that’s an Extra Dimension finish, which means it provides a beautiful sheen. If you’re unable to find it another bronzer I love is the Illamasqua duo in Glint and Solar. Glint is a highlighter with a champagne sheen and Solar is a warm bronzer with a red-bronze sheen. I like to mix the two together and it give my cheeks the most luminous glow, I always get compliments when I wear this and sometimes when I’m wearing minimal makeup I just add this to my cheeks without anything else and it provides a nice hint of colour and glow!

  

Last but certainly not least is my main contour the Balm’s Bahama Mama ($22 CAD). This is the bronzer I use when I want to really sculpt out my face. This is definitely not a bronzer I use all over my face as it’s a straight up deep brown. The pigmentation, like with all other the Balm products is insane, I just use the smallest amount and it gives me enough pigmentation. I use a contour brush from Morphe that I picked up at IMATS to apply the two lines in the hollow of my cheeks and then use my MAC 109 contour brush to blend it out and that’s it, I’m done. It blends well and give a very defined contour.

I should mention that I use a Real Techniques blush brush for all over bronzer application and my MAC 109 brush to contour. Let me know some of your favourite bronzers! xo.

Real Techniques Blush Brush

MAC 109 Samll Contour Brush