Bronzer has the power to make you look like a beach goddess—one who spends her days soaking up just the right amount of vitamin D , while sipping umbrella-decorated cocktails. But if bronzer’s worn poorly, you could also look like the cousin of an Oompa Loopa. Between those two choices, we pick beach goddess.
In a quest to help you reach bronzed beauty status, SELF talked to makeup artists Azra Red and Suzy Gerstein . The best place to start? Identifying the problem. So, we found the five biggest bronzer mistakes women make. Don’t worry, it’s not all negative. We also include simple little tricks to get you on the right track. Now go forth and bronze on!
This is the quickest way to make your bronzer look...off. For lighter skin tones, Red suggests keeping an eye out for bronzer with a warm tone, and stay away from it. This is what results in that terrible orange shade we’ve seen all too many times. As for darker skin tones, the opposite is true. “Make sure your shade has enough warm and gold tones to complement your skin instead of looking ashy,” says Red. Once you nail the shade, everything else is so much easier.
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Women tend to misunderstand the purpose of bronzer. It's not a product meant to darken the shade of your skin (that would be more like self tanner). But actually, the ultimate goal of using bronzer is to make your skin look sun kissed. Therefore, bronzer should only go where the sun would naturally tan your skin—a.k.a the highest points of your face. This means cheeks, nose, forehead. “When you wear it all over it can look unnatural because the sun doesn’t hit your face evenly all over,” explains Gerstein.
Since you're only applying bronzer in select spots, it’s important that there are no defined lines where the deep color stops. That starts with good initial application. “The best way to apply is in soft round movements," explains Red. “Followed by blending with clean brush.”
For the first application, go for the brushes that are big, plush, and distribute the shade without streaking. Gerstein recommends the Charlotte Tilbury’s Bronzer brush ($85, charlottetilbury.com ). When moving on to the blending step, use a stiffer brush that will buff. For liquid bronzers, you’re best bet is blending with a Beautyblender sponge ($20, sephora.com ).
For all-around easier blending, Gerstein has a trick up her sleeve. “Working on a face that's been lightly set with translucent powder first will ensure even blending.” So, apply a thin layer of loose powder over your foundation before applying bronzer and blush to get the most natural finish.
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Smooth skin is key when it comes to applying liquid bronzers. If you have any sort of dry patches or flaking, the dark color is going to pick up on those and give you uneven color. “You may have a hard time blending the product and getting it to go on smoothly so that it looks like real skin,” says Gerstein. She recommends exfoliating before applying your makeup.
Red, on the other hand, suggests a moisturizer. “The best way to use liquid bronzers is to apply [it] right after your moisturizer, while skin is moist, so it blends nicely,” she says. Yes, that means you should apply your liquid bronzer before your foundation. “You might find that you could skip foundation and use tinted moisturizer with SPF or just a bit of concealer,” says Red.
“Before applying, tap or blow off any excess that’s on the tips of your brush,” explains Gerstein. This helps maintain the even application, so one place doesn’t look darker or heavier than another. Another technique Gerstein uses is to press the brush bristles against the bronzer compact’s mirror. “This really works the color down into the brush so I can control the application.”
