Best Drugstore Bronzers (2024)

FAQs

What is the best retail bronzer? ›

When choosing your bronzer makeup shade, consider your skin tone. Opt for a color two to four shades darker than your skin tone—light skin will show any mistakes or streaks easily. Therefore, those with light complexions should stick with light, sheer, shimmer-free shades like City Bronzer in 'Light'.

Powder bronzer formulas provide more control and precision when it comes to applying and layering. Cream formulas, on the other hand, offer the benefit of a natural finish with a dewy skin-like sheen, sans shimmer.

All in all, liquid bronzer and powder bronzer both work to give you a bronzed look, and they each have their own benefits. Overall, liquid bronzer is perfect for those who want a shiny bronzed look, and powder bronzer is wonderful if you want a matte bronzed look.

Apply the darker bronzer shade to the highest point of your cheekbones and the side of your forehead, blending the powder upwards in order to accentuate your features. Add a touch of the lighter bronzer shade to the bridge of your nose and chin. Lightly blend everything for a softly sunkissed complexion.

A bronzer should be, roughly, around a shade or two darker than your regular skin colour in order to deliver a realistic-looking radiance. Go too dark, and you run the risk of your bronzer looking muddy.

Bronzer is one of your finishing steps. Apply it after foundation, concealer and powder, but before you start sculpting in cheekbones with blusher and highlighter.

Understanding the 3 Types of Bronzer

Bronzers come in cream and powder formulas and in matte or shimmery finishes. Matte products look most realistic and are more versatile, while shimmery products work great as a highlighter, applied sparingly on the high points of the face or just on the cheekbones.

Should bronzer be matte or shimmer? ›

Luminous bronzer is best used on parts of your face that aren't naturally oily, though, as adding a shimmer will only bring out more shine. For oily skin, it's best to use matte bronzer on these parts of your face, and luckily, Elizabeth Mott carries both!

Our makeup artist gave this bronzer near full marks, scoring it four out of five for its versatility, buildable colour and as a contour. Almost all of our testers agreed that it offered a natural-looking and easily customisable colour that layered well with their other products.

Luminous bronzer is best used on parts of your face that aren't naturally oily, though, as adding a shimmer will only bring out more shine. For oily skin, it's best to use matte bronzer on these parts of your face, and luckily, Elizabeth Mott carries both!

The first step towards finding the right bronzer shade is to consider your skin tone. A bronzer should be, roughly, around a shade or two darker than your regular skin colour in order to deliver a realistic-looking radiance. Go too dark, and you run the risk of your bronzer looking muddy.