Ah, May. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and flocks of women are descending upon makeup counters, trying to achieve that St. Tropez glow without the actual St. Tropez vacation.
The urge to fake a faux glow is understandable. We all know how naked we feel when stripping off our comfortable jeans to bare our legs in public for the first time. And its so easy to feel washed out when wearing some of spring and summer’s brighter color palettes.
But with so many different bronzing products available, choosing bronzer can be overwhelming. What kind of bronzer will give your skin the most natural beach glow.? Liquid? Powder? Mousse? Wipes? Oh my!
So let me help with that. Here are some quick makeup tips for choosing bronzer. To keep it simple, we will only cover the two main bronzer types: liquid and powder.
*And don’t worry, I have created a FREE download called The Ultimate Bronzer Guide which you can print out to remember all of these tips!
To determine what kind of bronzer is right for you, let’s first consider your makeup lifestyle: What kind of skin do you have? Normal, oily or dry? What type of foundation do you use? On what part of your face or body do you want to focus your faux glow?
Once you have identified your skin type and makeup routine, we can figure out which kind of bronzer will work best for you. To make it easier, here is a breakdown of the two main types of bronzer; liquid and powder, and how you can use each one most effectively:
Liquid Bronzer
Liquid or gel bronzers are used best on normal to dry skin types. The reason? Adding liquid bronzer to the already moist surface of oilier skins can result in a shiny hot mess. So, if you skin is oily, then you should definitely opt for powder bronzer.
Liquid bronzer is a very versatile product that can be worn in several ways. It can be applied without makeup for a natural, healthy glow. If you want a little more coverage for your skin, then you can also mix it into your foundation for a sheer, shimmery coverage.
Or, if you still want the skin smoothing effects of your foundation, then layer your liquid bronzer on top of your foundation. You would simply add the bronzer on top of your foundation in strategic places. For more makeup tips on applying liquid bronzer, check out How to Fake it… How to Apply Liquid Bronzer.
Liquid is also the best bronzer type for use on the body. All liquid bronzers will have a “pearl” finish to them, so if the dewy, glowing skin look is what you seek, then this is the right type of bronzer for you.
Powder Bronzer
Powder bronzers can be used on all skin types, and are especially suitable for oily skin. Powder bronzers are the more popular delivery system for adding glow to the skin, because they are the most user friendly. It’s hard to overdo it with powder bronzer.
Although most powder bronzers have a shimmer to them, the pearl is much more refined and tends to look more natural. There are also a number of shimmer-free, matte bronzers on the market. These are an excellent choice for men, and are also the best option when using bronzer to contour your bone structure.
Be sure to check out How to Fake it… How to Apply Powder Bronzer to get some great makeup tips on applying powder bronzer.
And don’t forget to download the FREE Ultimate Bronzer Guide below! It’s packed full of makeup tips for applying both liquid and powder bronzer:
I hope these tips will help you when choosing bronzer, and happy bronzing! Do you have any makeup questions I can help with? Please visit my Get Glam page or ask me on Facebook @GuideGetGlam!