Hey y’all! Since it’s winter and it’s the time where people’s skin tends to get more pale, I thought I would write a post about my personal favorite bronzers to combat this. Not that there’s anything wrong with being pale, but for me personally, I love using bronzer because it makes my skin (and me) look more healthy and, well, not dead. I have a light skin tone, so the bronzers I mention are suited for that, but most of these have several shades available. Most of them are from the drugstore, but I wanted to mention some non-drug-store ones as well that I’ve been enjoying.
First, for those of you who don’t know what bronzer is or how to use it, bronzer is a powder, cream, or liquid product that you use to warm up your skin (in color not temperature) and add contrast and dimension to the skin. Like I said before, it can help if you’re feeling a bit pale or washed out. I put bronzer right below my cheekbones to make them pop, around the perimeter of the forehead, including the temples, a bit on my jawline (contours double chins!!), and some along the sides of my nose. Really it’s anywhere you would naturally get more sun.
I tend to use bronzers to bronze and contour. To clarify, bronzer is mainly used to warm up the skin, where as contour is more for accentuating certain features of your face by acting as shadows. You can use almost any neutral brown shade darker than you skin tone, but you want to keep your undertones in mind when choosing shades. AKA I don’t like super warm, red-toned bronzers because my undertones are more cool-toned, therefore I go neutral browns or taupes. I also don’t go too gray because that will make me look like a zombie.
Of the bronzers I will be mentioning today, 4 are from the drugstore, and 3 are a bit more pricey. Just as a forewarning, bronzers are all somewhat similar, so my descriptions and swatches aren’t going to be the most ground-breaking thing you’ve ever seen hahaha… Nevertheless, I’m hoping this post helps you find your perfect bronzer!
The first product I’m mentioning is by far the cheapest. The Essence Sun Club Matt Bronzing powder is only $4.99, but it’s one of my faves. It is matte, so it has no shimmer, and it’s more on the warm side. It also has a tiny bit of a tropical scent.
https://www.ulta.com/sun-club-matt-bronzing-powder?productId=xlsImpprod3400079
Next is the L’Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Bronze It Bronzer (geez long name) in the shade light is a more satin finish, meaning it’s not flat matte. It has a nice large pan and no scent, and you can find it at Walmart for $11.97.
The Milani Baked Bronzer in Soleil has been a huge underdog/comeback for me. When I first bought it, I think I applied it too heavily or something because I was really not into it. But now I use it a ton and think it’s pretty great. It has some gold shimmer running through it, which gives a luminous finish, but it’s not too sparkly. I really like all of Milani’s baked products, and this one is available for $8.99
https://www.ulta.com/baked-bronzer?productId=xlsImpprod17081059
The last drugstore bronzer I wanted to talk about is the OG/classic/ride-or-die of the makeup world, the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer. I have the shade that’s just Bronzer, and it’s one of the best products out there. It smells real nice, and is matte. It’s a bit pricey at $14.99, but I’ve had mine for a long time and haven’t hit pan yet, so it’s worth the investment.
https://www.ulta.com/butter-bronzer-murumuru-butter-bronzer?productId=xlsImpprod13621011
The next three bronzers I’ve already talked about in the past, but they had to make the list. First, Ofra’s Midi Palette in Toasted Cashmere has a bronzer called Versatile Matte Bronzer in it, and it is of such good quality. The pan size is small because it’s in a mini palette, but if you get the right brush, it can be a really great bronzing option. The whole palette is $35, and their individual bronzers are also $35 but in a much bigger pan.
https://www.ofracosmetics.com/collections/winter-heatwave/products/midi-palette-toasted-cashmere
I mentioned this in my last post, but Winky Lux’s Coffee Bronzer in the shade Latte has been one of my most recent finds. It smells somewhat like coffee, and the quality is really nice, soft, smooth. The bronzer is $20 on their website, which is a mid-level price, but I think the pan size makes it worth it.
https://www.winkylux.com/products/coffee-bronzer-deep?variant=2687002378261
The last product I wanted to mention is kind of controversial for me personally. The Benefit Hoola Matte Bronze Powder in its original shade got a lot of flack from me in my Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty sale post, because I truly don’t think it’s worth the price. However, I think it’s actually good quality, and is a really good option if you’re willing to spend the $30. I got it on sale so it was half off, which was really nice and made it worth it. However, any of the ones I mentioned above would work just as well.
Here is a picture of all of them swatched together, as you can see they are very similar haha, but you can tell the difference in undertones and finishes.
Top row left to right- Essence, Milani, Physicians Formula, L’Oreal
Bottom row left to right- Winky Lux, Benefit, Ofra
So there you have it! These were seven of the best bronzers I have tried, and the ones I would recommend to anyone who is in search of a good bronzer. Let me know in the comments what your faves are or what you think of these! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
hope and highlighter 
that physician’s formula butter bronzer is SO nice & smells amazing 🙌🏻
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