The Bronzer Thread- rants, raves, tips etc

[ellastica]

I love Bronzer but it's such a tricky item to get right. there's a zillion of em and most of the ones i tried have been either OKAY or really BAD. i think Bronzer is a bit of a misnomer since suntanned skin isn't BRONZE. anywhoo, i thought this would be a great way to share recs, not so hot product pans, tips etc.


What are your favorite bronzers? What you you look for in a bronzer? What do you use to apply it?


for me i prefer subtle shimmer, but most i've come across OD on glitter and it's just not the look i'm going for.


also believable color is important. and being asian with light-medium yellow, slightly olive skin tone most Bronzers clash with my coloring: too brown, too peach, too ash. and the few matte bronzers out there are grossly brown. i mean how hard would it be to make a medium-toned golden bronzer sans glitter

the best thing i've done is simply finding a more neutral toned, non-shine imbued pressed powder a couple shades darker than my skin. that's been interesting because some pressed powders labeled mineral have glitter in there and even for instance Maybelline Dream Matte pressed powder has glitter in it. ARGH!

 

[Street_a_Licious]

you might wanna try the Dior bronzers. they have a matte version and their products are usually yellow based (big consumer following in Asia)

and as a fellow asian, i DO turn bronze after enough time in the sun

 

[Andielee]

go for Nars Laguna.. I have never looked back

 

[tifa]

mac matte bronze and chanel soleil tan.

 

[FleurDeLys]

YSL Terre Saharienne in the lightest shade (Sand I believe) and Bourjois bronzer, also in the lightest shade.
The YSL one is a peachy bronzer which has a tiny bit of shimmer in the pan but it's not shimmery on the skin at all.
The bourjois bronzer is matte.

I also have a bronzer by the Body shop, which is more shimmery. I sometimes use that one on my cheekbones, just to add a little glow.

For reference I'm a NC15 in winter, NC20 in summer.

 

[lifeistiffanyblu]

I am a NC15(sometimes even that's too dark for me in winter) and I love Guerlain's bronzer. Number 10. No shimmer in it and adds a nice depth to my make up, if I want subtle shimmer I make sure my blush has some.

 

[Belowen]

NARS Laguna has the best bronzing rep in my experience. Personally I've started to use the Napoleon Perdis Blush Patrol as a bronzer...

 

[Sylwiasta]

^ That is a good idea, Belowen!

I often use Bourjois in 03 Brun Cuivree in that way - gives a very natural result on a pale person B)

I do not use bronzer that much so I would not fork out on NARS but Clinique makes really nice ones and I have a True Bronze one in 02 Sunkissed (I am pale with slight yellow undertones). I think a good brush is a starting point of a good application so I would use either MAC 138 (tapered brush) or 129 which is for blush. I like Clinique brushes too - for bronzer I use one for powder foundation as I noticed that it distributes product evenly and I can dose the amount that I put on my face.

A! Do not forget about your ears and neck when you use bronzer. A white neck and pale ears look wird with a bronzed face...

 

[ellastica]

thanks for all of those great suggestions! i'll have to look into some of those i haven't yet tried.


i think i did try out the MAC "matte' bronze a while back and detected glitter particles which turned me off. also Dior makes a Matte Sunshine bronzer and while the finish is indeed matte without looking flat the colors were waaaay orangey, at least on me.


i've also tried out Guerlain which makes a nearly Matte bronzer 00 artist edition, something along those lines but wasn't super excited about the color, not enough to drop $50 for it.


the one powder with iridescence which i find believable in pressed form (loose powder drives me mad esp for on the go) is Shiseido Luminizing Satin Face Color in " Soft Beam Gold " which looks quite yellow, almost mustard in the pan but lightens in intensity and cools down on the skin. (when i'm in a hurry which is most of the time, i use it alone, all-over as it does a decent job of reducing redness without looking glaringly obvious or shiny). sometimes i dip the brush in regular face powder and just the left over shimmer makes the face powder look less powdery and more dimensional. when blended with a darker matte face powder it creates the bronze effect.

the Satin Face Color was created by make-up genius and Shiseido Creative Director Dick Page. It comes in Blush colors as well as High Beam White which would be super pretty as powder or highlighter for cooler, lighter skin tones.

I use my eco tools retractable brush which i adore (metal case/cap). it's super fluffy when extended all the way out but doesn't get bent or misshaped when contracted like other retractable brushes. the more intense coverage i want i simply expose less of the bristles or visa versa for more sheer coverage. it's a couple brushes in one and i can throw it in my purse.


for those who don't mind (expensive) shimmer Fresh Face Luster is amazing and i did use Chalet Girl (as powder foundation) and the darker Sandy Lane as a bronzer for a while. but it's about $50 after tax and altho the packaging is super sleek vintage it's a very awkward screw cap compact with more metal packaging than actual powder! this is only for those with money to burn.


for drugstore bronzer i've had the best luck with: Hard Candy So Baked in Tiki which is very pretty but more peachy almost cool bronze and Physician's Formula Baked Pyramid Matte Bronzer in Baked Tan isn't too brown or orange and shimmer is there but not over-powering.

 

[December_25th]

ARS Laguna is also a reliable bronzer, although I can understand why some people might think it makes their complexion look "dirty".
I am Asian and was looking for a matte bronzer forever until I settled for CARGO's medium in matte and I've never looked back. I never realized how difficult it was to find a bronzer that was 100% matte. I'm still open to trying out other brands, so if you can recommend any, I'd love to hear! N

 

[The_Ida]

Soleil Tan de Chanel is completely matte and I love it very much.

 

[ellastica]

i've been using Too Faced Chocolate Soleil blended w/ aforementioned Shiseido LSFC (add warmth) and it's nice. not holy grail but workable. wish it was more pigmented and less ashy but the shine is very diffused. it does smell like tootsie rolls, kinda fun but i could have done without the gimmicky scent.


TFCS swatch

makeupbyjoyce88.blogspot



i've also read rave reviews for Mark Pro Bronze; it gets compared to NARS Laguna
but with a much more palatable price tag ($10). Pro Golden Shade shown:

NARS vs Mark (The reviewer mentioned that the NARS has finer shimmer particles but both have super subtle shine).

katthebeautyaddict.blogspot

 

[ellastica]

Some pretty mineral bronzer swatches: the Lucy Minerals Glow (blush actually) divine for that glow and
the Silk Naturals Tahiti Sweetie a beautiful golden tan.

The two blended together would make my ideal 'tanner.' If only these were pressed

Those two reminds me of my beloved, long dc'd pressed powder Prescriptives Sunsheen bronzing Duo in So Warm

art-and-beauty-by-maggielet

 

[vanessaxox]

I love Benefit Hoola Bronzer purely because it is matte and i don't like tons of shimmer all over my cheek/cheekbones.

a cheaper alternative is the bronzer in the e.l.f blush/bronzer duo- it's meant to be a dupe for Nars Laguna (which i also have) and i actually prefer it! it's a bargain price too.

 

[ellastica]

I'm completely obsessed with this REVLON blush in their bronze shade. I wanted to try this a few months back but several stores were out of this shade. Since most Revlon powder products have terrible pigmentation it's puzzling to me why I became so gung ho about this in the first place. I blame Cindy and Gucci

Anywhoo the shade is 'Bronze Beauty' # 024. The version I purchased last week reads Matte/Mat on the front sticker. However on the backside it reads Satin/Satine . Although in this presumably older image I found online the sticker states Satin/Satine.

Shockingly there are no swatches online for this product and maybe 4 reviews for this overall.

The texture is smooth and silky although pigmentation is pretty lackluster. However, it's sheerness makes it almost foolproof and great for those who want an ultra subtle sheen which brightens the skin. I'm so tan right now it almost matches my summer skin. On me it's a nice complexion picker upper rather than bronzer. I imagine it'd be beautiful on both fairer and darker skintones also. The undertone leans on the warm, golden side while managing to not turn gold, coppery, orange-y, brown or muddy.

 

[ediesedgwick]

I like Benefit Hoola Lite. It’s a perfect shade for my fair skin. I find it looks more natural when applied with a big round fluffy brush. I used a more concentrated brush to apply it when I first started wearing it, but the effect that the huge brush gives is so much more natural. A friend had me try her Nars Laguna once and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it looked. I always expected the glitter to be overwhelming. It was subtle and natural.