A bronzer is a skin cosmetic that is used to give a warm and sun-kissed appearance to the skin. Bronzers are available in different textures and shades and they offer different effects.
Bronzers can be used onto the face, as well as to any other parts of the body, like the hands or legs or the neck and shoulders to get a smooth tanned appearance.
A bronzer can make a very important part in your makeup kit if you can use it in the right way. Here is some information that can help you to use bronzer in the right way.
How to select the right bronzer
Choosing the perfect bronzer for your skin is the most difficult part in using a bronzer. As already mentioned, bronzers come in different formulations and you need to pick the one that matches with your skin to get the right effects.
Primarily there are two types of bronzers, the matte ones and the shimmery ones. The mat bronzers are devoid of any shimmer particles and can be more appropriate for giving a natural day look.
On the other hand, the shimmery bronzers can do havoc to give you a nice, glowing evening party look. For the beginners, the matte bronzers are the best way to go. Apart from these two types bronzers also come in different textures; read on to know,
- Pressed powder bronzer: This is the most common types of bronzers available and can be ideal for all the skin types, but is better suited for oily or normal skins compared to the dry skin beauties.
- Cream bronzer: These bronzers come in a thick formulation like a cream and are easy to apply and blend. These types of bronzers are mostly suitable for the dry skinned girls and it keeps their skin moisturized from within.
- Loose powder bronzers: Loose powder based bronzers come in powder forms and are ideally used by girls with oily and acne prone skin.
- Liquid bronzer: The liquid bronzers come in a runny texture and they can be applied and blended with maximum ease. Liquid bronzers can be used by girls of any skin type.
For picking up the right bronzer for you, it is essential to have a thorough knowledge about the available options of bronzers, and now once you know that now your task is to pick the right shade according to your skin type.
Selecting the color of the bronzer is another tricky thing. Most of the people either opt for a too warm shade or a too darker one, which invariably gives them a made up look instead of making them appear more natural.
As suggested by beauty experts, the first time bronzer users should pick a bronzer that is only two shades darker than their natural skin tone. If you are not sure about the tone while it is in the pot, ask for a demonstration before you select the shade.
If you have a fair skin always opt for peach to honey colored bronzers for a naturally tanned look. For women with medium skin color, golden to rosy shades of bronzers go best.
For darker skin tones copper to red shades of bronzers can be effective to add the right look. It is really important that you get the right shade of bronzer to get the right look.
Get your tools ready
It is not only the right bronzer that you need to get the most attractive sun-kissed look, in order to apply it in the right way you also need to have the right tools.
For applying any powder based bronzer you can buy a dedicated bronzer brush which comes with more bristles at the end. If you are not up to spending more for a dedicated bronzer brush you can also use the blush brush in your makeup kit to apply the bronzer.
The cream based bronzers can be used with the help of a brush or fingers, and if you are looking for an all over tanning effect you can simply mix the cream bronzer with your liquid or cream foundation to get a naturally warm look.
For liquid bronzers you either need to use your fingers to dab onto your skin or you can mix it with your regular foundation for the effect. You can also use a makeup sponge for putting on the liquid bronzer. Using liquid bronzer with a brush can be messy and will surely lead to wastage of product.
Applying bronzer
You can mix your cream or liquid bronzer with your foundation and use it all over to get an overall sun-tanned look.
Otherwise, you should apply a bronzer only after putting on your foundation. Blend on your foundation perfectly and let it set in before you start applying the bronzer.
- If you are using a powder or cream bronzer swirl your brush in the pot lightly to pick a little of the product. Keep in mind that the trick is to apply repeated light coats of the bronzer to the skin to reach a natural look. Smearing a thick coat of bronzer on your skin at the first sweep is not the way to go.
- You should apply the bronzer to the sections of your face where the sun would have naturally tanned the skin. Using small and light swirling strokes is the best way to apply your bronzer.
- Start at the top of your forehead dusting the bronzer lightly and evenly. Slowly get down and smear the bronzer on the cheekbones and then onto your jawline till your chin. On both the sides of your face the bronzer should be applied in the shape of “3”.
- Once you are done, blend it in properly with soft round strokes, and if you find after blending that you need some more effect, repeat the process, but ensure to not to go overboard.
- You should also blend in the bronzer onto your neck to make the total appearance more natural and even.
Once you have become confident about using matte bronzers you can move on to the shimmery ones.
Shimmery bronzers can be used as natural highlighter under your cheekbones and also on the bridge of your nose. Also apply a bit of the product at the middle of your forehead and at the end part of your chin to get a contoured, glowing skin.
Tips for applying bronzer
- If you are going to apply the bronzer over your foundation, opting for one shade warmer foundation than your natural skin tone can be ideal. According to the makeup artists, warmer tone of foundation will naturally add some tanning effect to the skin and when bronzer will be applied, it will not give a very dark effect, instead will give a more natural sun-tanned look.
- You can use the bronzer effectively for contouring your face. The contouring should be done according to the particular shape of your face and you should collect some idea about how to do it before you start.
- Once you become a pro, you can use both shimmery and mat bronzers of two different shades on your face to get the best effects of bronzer.
- Highlighter, bronzer and blush you can use all the three to get the perfect glow on your face. However, it is not a very easy thing to achieve perfection while working with these three together. So try it only when you are fully confident about your makeup skills.
- Before you move out after putting on your bronzer, always check under natural light to realize how exactly your skin tone appears. If it looks over done and unnatural use a blotting paper to remove some bronzer. You can also dust some loose translucent powder on the bronzer in case it looks too much.
