Beauty Quicky: How to Apply Bronzer Without Overdoing It

06/12/2012

Oh bronzer, how tricky you are! As one of the most beloved beauty items of all time, you're also the most abused. Makeup amateurs tend to overdo you and turn their faces into poor excuses for contouring streaks of orange—horrid. Although, you do give our skin a healthy glow if applied properly; what a love-hate relationship we share. If anyone ever feels the same way like we do, here are our selection of favorite bronzers and a few tips that not only tell you where to apply bronzer, but also how and how much. Listen up, sisters!

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Choose The Right Shade

Not all bronzers are created equal. Pick a color that's no more than two shades darker than your complexion, and keep transparency in mind. If you have freckles, they shouldn't be invisible because of the bronzer on top. For fair skin, choose an apricot color with rosy gold undertone; for olive skin tone, choose a bronzy shade with gold undertone—never red or orange! (yikes)

Always Powder

Powder generally gives you the most authentic and natural effect. Liquid ones are hard to control and can be easily overdone. If, however, you've mastered the cream formula and are going for an intense bronzed effect, lightly pat on this type of bronzer in an upward motion with your fingertips. The heat of your fingers will melt the product and make blending easier.

NO (or very, very little) Shimmer

Isn't your goal to eliminate shine in the midst of summer? I'm sure the last thing you want is an oily face. Stick with matte finish or a teeny tiny bit of shimmer, and you shall stay away from the grease.

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Know Where To Put It

Golden rule: put bronzer only where the sun would hit, meaning the top of your cheekbones (or the apples of the cheeks if you want a sun-kissed look), bridge of the nose, the temples, across the forehead near the hairline and the jawline. The primary purpose of bronzer is to add shadow to your face and hence create an illusion of depth to bring out your facial features. When applying bronzer, make a fish face (suck in your cheeks), then apply the product along the hollow parts and around your face to fake a slimmer-face effect.

Apply Judiciously

Always remember: there's no going back for bronzer, therefore working with it lightly is the best thing to do. Choose a medium-size fluffy blush and be sure to tap off the excess product onto a tissue to avoid overdose. Lightly swirl the bronzer on the areas mentioned earlier (and nowhere else!), add more if needed—use your judgment, more is definitely a no no in this case, ladies!

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