If you, like me, are already the proud owner of naturally brown skin, you may wonder - what’s the need for bronzer at all? Our genetically bequeathed melanin does the work for us!
Sort of true, but then again - have you noticed how much nicer said skin looks after a sunny holiday? Bronzers supply that coveted sunkissed glow when your bank balance or workload simply refuses to accommodate another holiday.
Bronzers are also a great way to hack a soft-contoured look without going to the trouble of drawing various lines of brown across your face and winding up looking like a relief map. Simply sweep a loaded brush in an ‘E’ shape from your temples, under your cheekbones and back across your jawline, and bosh! Hassle-free contour in an instant.
Dusting a little to the bridge of your nose is the latest way to wear it and hints at a Mediterranean minibreak - even if the closest you got was watching Love Island reruns at the weekend. Bronzer is also a great emergency stand-in for eyeshadow if you’re out and about and feel your look needs zhuzhing for the next part of your day.
When it comes to formula, my money is on powder versions. Why? They’re easier to control than liquid and can be blended out if you accidentally go overboard with your initial strokes - no dramas here. If you’re going for the super sculpted, Kardashian-style look, opt for waxy crayons instead; they’ll give you the precise applications you need to make your features pop.
Whether you’re clinging onto summer via your makeup, or you want to breathe life into your complexion in between getaways, we’ve rounded up the best bronzers suitable for darker skin tones below.
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Chantecaille Real Bronze Limited Edition
When it comes to makeup, packaging counts almost as much as the contents themselves. Chantecaille ticks both boxes with its limited edition bronzer, part of its Cosmos range. The smooth mirror compact is patterned with a pretty geo-style print, clicking open to reveal a shimmery bronzer embossed with a stunning sun design. It almost seems a shame to erode it with your brush, but this isn’t a display-only piece.
The colour, named Sirena, adds gorgeous warmth and depth to the skin and is buildable so you can turn up the tan when you like. Try this if you’ve got a medium tan or an olive skin tone.
Buy now £74.00, Fenwick
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer
This bronzer is a beauty ed’s favourite thanks to the way it creates a second-skin-like finish. Charlotte Tilbury’s bronzer is offered in four tones suitable for fair, medium, tan and deep complexions.
The fine texture powder glides over the skin and blends seamlessly to create a realistic finish. The illuminating bronzer is a prize product that avoids any orange tinge — instead, you’re left with a smooth, flawless and golden glow.
Buy now £44.00, Charlotte Tilbury
Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer 6.23g
A makeup brand celebrated for its inclusivity, it’s no surprise that Fenty’s bronzer offers a dizzying array of natural-looking colours. Housed in an octagon-shaped compact, the single colour offers a matte finish, perfect for those who want depth without the added shimmer that many bronzers include in their formula.
The light formula is a dream to work with, and is transfer-proof, which makes it ideal for day-long wear. As a bonus, it comes with mango and papaya fruit extract to enhance the healthy glow.
Buy now £27.00, Sephora
NARS Mini Laguna Bronzing Powder
Sometimes you need a hit of sun on the run, but if the weather isn’t playing ball, reach for NARS’s travel-sized bronzer instead. The compact houses 3.3g of pressed powder in browns ranging from a builder’s tea to rich dark chocolate, which should cover a whole spectrum of skin tones. Fake naturally tanned skin with a travel brush or lightly dot across the highest points of your face with your fingers and blend well.
Buy now £19.00, Cult Beauty
Huda Beauty Tantour Contour & Bronzer
Transforming from cream to powder, this formula is as easy to daub on with your fingers if you’re in a rush as it is with a contour brush. From Huda Beauty, Tantour offers excellent shadowing and is the best option if you’re looking for high-definition contouring. Pair with a shimmery highlighter to really sharpen your features. A big gun to choose for events like parties and weddings.
Buy now £31.00, Huda Beauty
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light 11g
Hourglass’s pretty bronzer comes in four shades specifically designed for fair, light, medium and medium-deep skin tones with warm bronze, golden beige, pale yellow powder, neutral bronze and cool bronze hues.
The balance of pigments comes in a marbled design that, when swirled, gives a soft, subtle finish that glides over skin with an excellent level of coverage. The formula brightens complexions, leaving behind a flawless, sun-kissed look that few will be able to guess came out of a compact.
Buy now £54.00, Liberty London
Nudestix NUDIES All-Over Matte Blush face colour 7g
This 100 per cent cruelty-free and vegan cream stick is technically a blush but it comes in so many colours, it can easily be used as a bronzer if you pick a few shades darker than your usual hue. Another handbag essential, there’s a stippling blush for blending attached to the other end (twist to detach for cleaning). It’s a multi-use product that can be swept across the eyelids and lips for an extra infusion of sunkissed colour.
Buy now £30.00, Selfridges
Jones Road Gel Bronzer 35ml
Jones Road is the makeup artist Bobbi Brown’s venture after selling her eponymous label. It’s packed to the metaphorical rafters with hero products, including this bronzer, one of the new gel formulas in our edit.
The great thing about this style of bronzer is that you can easily build colour or turn down the heat by mixing it with moisturiser. Shea butter is in the ingredients line-up, so you can be sure of a nourishing glow.
Buy now £32.00, Liberty
Glossier Solar Paint
Staying true to the brand’s DNA of offering natural-looking, fuss-free makeup that delivers, Glossier’s Solar Paint is a cult favourite. The gel creme formula comes with an integrated brush making it an ideal handbag hero - no dirty brushes rolling around in the bottom of your bag - and its slim design means you can anoint the vegan bronzer exactly where it’s needed.
Available in four shades from the palest to the darkest.
Buy now £20.00, Glossier
bareMinerals Bronze Powder Bronzer
For practically foolproof makeup, bareMinerals has been delighting time-poor customers for years thanks to its products that are so simple to use that you can even apply them without a mirror.
Base products like foundation and this bronzer come in finely milled powder form; simply use a brush to pick up the formula, tap off the excess, and gently sweep over your face’s high points. It offers a realistic finish and won’t settle into pores or crease around the mouth or eyes.
Buy now £21.60, lookfantastic
