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The best bronzers for a natural-looking glow
From illuminating liquids to clever contouring creams, we reveal the bronzers with the most flattering finish
Whether you're in pursuit of a subtle sun-kissed glow or seeking to contour, define or sculpt, you can expect modern day bronzers to be true multitaskers.
The best glow-givers are almost impossible to detect. Rather than disco-ball shimmer, terracotta tones or tell-tale streaks, the best new bronzer formulas look almost imperceptible on skin, veiling your complexion with believable luminosity and gentle warmth all year round.
From creams to powder, gel or liquid, bronzer can also be used to add definition, enhancing cheekbones and sculpting the jawline, delivering fast gratification with one strategic swipe.
The best bronzers to buy now
Cream, powder or liquid?
Traditional powders are no longer the only option, with a host of liquid, balm and cream bronzers available, capitalising on our obsession with skin that glows.
Generally speaking, a liquid formula will deliver less in the longevity stakes but excel when it comes to luminosity, offering more of a natural, radiant look than a powder. Some, like Westman Atelier's, are infused with highlighter-style pigments that'll bounce the light beautifully, while others can be blended into your foundation, taking the tone a little deeper while looking entirely realistic.
A cream bronzer sits somewhere in-between a liquid and a powder, offering translucent colour without sliding around your cheeks. Glossier's bronzing iteration of its bestselling Cloud Paint has become a swift favourite on the Bazaar beauty team, while Drunk Elephant's antioxidant drops are ideal for deepening your foundation and offering a customisable approach throughout the seasons.
Oily skin can benefit from the mattifying effect of a powder formula, with offerings by Vieve and Victoria Beckham among the Bazaar beauty team's most reached-for.
Bronzer or contour?
This question isn't quite as simple as either-or. In fact, according to legendary British make-up artist Dame Pat McGrath, both bronzer and contour are fabulous tools in a makeup artist's arsenal."They serve different purposes," she explains.
"Bronzer is meant to create a sun-kissed glow and add warmth to the skin. Contour, on the other hand, is designed to sculpt and define facial features, typically with a more neutral or cool undertone and a matte finish."
How to apply bronzer
Finding your perfect bronzer is a great start, but the success of your final look also rests on your application skills.
When it comes to achieving a natural-looking result, it's all about placement. Don't be tempted to simply sweep your bronzer over your cheeks, as this will create too much contrast against your natural skin tone, and leave you with an obviously faux tan. Remember, you're using your bronzer not as a blush, but to accentuate your features.
Make-up artist Olivia Devey shares a few expert hacks to ensure a seamless result. “Try swirling the brush around in the product and then press the product into the brush using the palm of your hand. For formulas with a little radiance, I love to apply horizontally across the top of the cheekbone, just under the eyes, and across the bridge of the nose."
"This 'sunstrip' mimics the way you catch the sun if you were sat out for a few hours, so looks super natural. With what’s left on the brush I’d add a little to the top of the forehead in a horizontal line and on the chin."
"I recommend incorporating bronzer after your foundation and concealer, but before blush and highlighter," adds McGrath. "A tip for beginners: you can build up your bronzer gradually using light touches and multiple shades to create sculpted dimension and warmth."
Here, discover the bronzers to rely on for a ‘you look well’ glow, from finely milled mineral powders to a genius illuminating liquid, and the most cult-classic bronzing cream of all time.
The best bronzers, from radiant powders to dewy liquids
We've long been hooked on Hermès' lipsticks, but the brand's powder bronzer has usurped the statement-making Rouge Feu bullet to become our most treasured piece in the collection.
In short, the Plein Air H Trio powder is the ultimate complexion perfector, working to blur, brighten and bronze in one fell swoop. The mineral-based powder is so light it's almost impossible to over-apply, while the clever combination of colours imparts multidimensional warmth, bringing sun-starved skin to life. If you introduce one thing to your make-up kit this summer, make it this.
Type: Powder
Shades: 5
Glossier's beloved Cloud Paint blush is also available in five bronzer shades. These tan-enhancing formulas work in much the same way as the fan-favourite cheek colour, delivering a sheer and shimmer-free wash of colour that doesn't slip and slide around on skin. Try using it as a base on your eyelids, too.
Type: Liquid
Shades: 5
Few beauty products reach the cult heights of Chanel's Les Beiges bronzing cream. A legendary formula for good reason, there are now five shades to choose from, encased in a pot large enough to swirl your fluffiest brush into and apply with abandon over your forehead, cheeks and décolletage. There are myriad ways to apply this radiant, mousse-like cream, but we like swirling it on beneath foundation for the most believable bronze. The finish is luminous and satiny, but not sticky or smudgy, and it melts into skin to look exactly like a real, just-back-from-Barbados glow.
Type: Cream
Shades: 5
With a buildable gel cream formula, the Merit Bronze Balm delivers a foolproof and subtle veil of colour on the go. Its sheer consistency gives soft definition with a second-skin finish that requires minimal blending and is virtually impossible to overdo, making it ideal for the bronze-phobic.
Type: Cream
Shades: 5
Set in VB's signature tortoiseshell pattern case, the Matte Bronzing Brick offers two shades in each of the five colourways for a customisable approach. The matte formula gives immediate payoff with a flattering soft focus effect and blends easily with a fluffy brush. The lighter and darker shades allow for a season-appropriate veil of colour, (and prove ultra-flattering when worn as an eyeshadow or liner).
Brush the lighter shade across the highest points of the face (cheekbones, forehead and nose) then apply the darker shade to sculpt the temples and jawline.
Once you've invested in the palette, top up with refills at a significant discount, or build a bundle to access additional savings when you pair the Matte Bronzing Brick with one of the brand's newly launched makeup brushes or the Bazaar-approved concealer pen.
Type: Powder
Shades: 5 (with 2 variations per palette)
Anyone truly nervous about bronzer will find success with Rare Beauty's foolproof stick. This creamy, hydrating formula can be swiped over cheekbones in an upwards and outwards motion, then blended at the edges with a sponge or finger.
Type: Cream
Shades: 8
Drunk Elephant Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
Drunk Elephant’s smart offering is an antioxidant-packed liquid. Part skincare, part make-up, these clever drops can be mixed into foundation to deepen the tone and add radiance, or blended out over cheeks for a translucent, dewy result that won't look out of place in the depths of winter. Quite the cult hero (you can thank Tiktok), this one is very rarely in stock – so don't delay.
Type: Liquid
Shades: 1 universal
Considering your undertones – warm, cool or neutral – is Dame Pat McGrath's leading tip for finding a bronzer cohesive with your skin tone. The sheer lightweight colour of her brand's Skin Fetish Divine Bronzer is ultra buildable, allowing you to effortlessly create a healthy, controlled warmth and naturally sun-kissed glow as you apply. What's more, the range has eight wide-reaching shades to choose from.
Type: Powder
Shades: 8
If you're particularly pale in tone, you've likely dodged the bronzer aisle in the past for fear of looking obviously orange or soaked in sparkling pigment. But New York based make-up brand Saie has delivered the solution with its Sun Melt cream bronzer. The shade Fair Bronze is as light as they come and veers cool, rather than orange in undertone, so you can apply without fear of the result looking unnatural.
Type: Cream
Shades: 6
Part highlighter, part bronzer, this sublime launch from Gucci Westman is designed, according to the make-up artist, to deliver that elusive 'golden hour on holiday' glow. Indeed, it makes skin look remarkably radiant, with nourishing oils alongside glimmering pigment to hydrate and illuminate in one.
Be sure to shake the bottle before application, and administer a fluffy stipple brush for the best blend.
Type: Liquid
Shades: 1 universal
Within Jamie Genevieve's clever palettes are two tonal shades that can be combined to sculpt and shape the facial contours.
While we love her cream bronzer – which isn't in the least bit sticky or shiny – this powder formula is ideal for anyone who wants staying power with radiance. "Powder bronzers have come a really long way and now you can get amazing formulas that don’t look chalky," the make-up artist tells us.
Almost the best of both worlds, the texture is the most buttery powder we've tried, meaning you get longevity and a skin-like glowing finish.
Type: Powder
Shades: 4 (with 2 variations per palette)
Before the 'Fenty Effect', most prestige brands only offered bronzing products in a pitiful selection of shades. Now, spectrum-spanning line-ups are quite rightly the standard. Rihanna's game-changing Sun Stalk'r bronzer remains the very best for cool, pale shades and rich, deep hues that don't lean too ashy or too red in tone.
Type: Powder
Shades: 9
Perhaps the most-bookmarked beauty look of recent years, Sofia Richie's 'quiet luxury' glow inspired a host of bridal make-up looks. The star of the show? This creamy yet shimmer-free bronzer, which her make-up artist Pati Dubroff combined with the brand's dewier, punchier Picante blush. The two are a skin-energising match made in heaven.
Type: Cream
Shades: 8
Charlotte Tilbury's bronzer really stands up to the hype that preceded it. Rich and creamy but with staying power that impresses, the Beautiful Skin bronzer is ideal for anyone who wants hydration and satiny colour without reflective shine. The pan is large enough to swirl a fluffy brush evenly through, and the full-size mirror is helpful, too.
Type: Cream
Shades: 4
A favourite with bridal makeup artists, Hourglass' Ambient Lighting bronzer has a marbled surface that means you can achieve a multi-dimensional finish with a single swirl. The lighter pigments add luminosity for a glow without the glitter. Try using it to set a low-coverage foundation.
Type: Powder
Shades: 4
Inspired by the brand's legendary power bronzers, these creamy formulas offer the same beachy bronze with a more hydrating finish: ideal if traditional bronzing compacts tend to settle in your pores. The colour is well-pigmented but blends effortlessly, so there's no risk of ending up with an artificial-looking tan or tell-tale streaks.
Type: Cream
Shades: 5
Fans of Laura Mercier's original Tinted Moisturiser should consider this tan-enhancing sibling. This luminous bronze pearl texture melts into your skin to add gentle warmth without ever looking streaky or overly orange. Either mix with your foundation or skin tint for a boost of colour or apply generously across your forehead, nose and cheeks for a subtle kiss of sunshine.
Type: Liquid
Shades: 6
