Of all the high summer beauty drops, there’s nothing more wearable in the tail end of an unpredictable British spring than an optimistic swirl of bronze. Consider it your makeup bag’s segue into the new season, seeing you through those awkward weeks when your skin still hasn’t lost the pallor of winter, and laying the groundwork for the tropical shades you’ll (maybe) wear later on. And when you’ve finally picked up some colour of your own, your bronzer will give it depth and glow, making it the beauty buy that really earns its keep. Here are the ones we’ll be sweeping on come rain or shine this summer.
For stealth bronzing
For a real-life glow with no powdery giveaway, Benefit’s new liquid bronzer is sheer, shimmer-free and not nearly as tricky to use as you might think. Use your fingers to blend over cheeks and up to your temples, or stroke into the hollows underneath your cheekbones with a small blusher or contour brush. Either way, bounce over the top with a damp sponge to meld it imperceptibly into the skin afterwards.
Benefit Dew The Hoola Soft Matte Liquid Bronzer For Face, £22.50
For freestyling
Good bronzing practice always includes lifting the look with a pop of colour on the cheek and a swipe of highlight just above. This colourful compact allows for exactly that – either dip into one tone at a time or swirl your brush across the surface for a multi-hued and satiny glow. Plus, it’s a holiday in a box. Move along, lesser beauty brands, By Terry just won palettes.
By Terry Sun Designer Palette in Tan & Flash Cruise, £64, available at Space NK
For skin-sculpting
We’ve mentioned the genius of global tanning practitioner James Read before, but now he's surpassed himself with a new bronzer with a dash of self-tan (and a pre-launch wait-list of 28,000). After a few uses the subtle colour develops into something that lasts for days. Applied contour-style (under jaw and cheekbones, along your hairline and down either side of the nose) it’ll define your features in the style pioneered by James in his sought-after tanning treatments.
For body bronzing
The most convincing bronze doesn’t stop short of the shoulder, so once you’ve got your glow on from the neck up, take a moment to dust décolletage, the tops and backs of the shoulders, the upper edge of your collarbones and (if you wear your hair short or up) the back of your neck. This totally natural-glow bronzer from Bobbi Brown is sheer, softly matte, and super-sized for extra mileage.
For dabbling
If your commitment to bronze errs on the side of not so much, how about a creamy, coppery blush to polish onto cheeks and even eyelids with a fingertip, giving an hint of the sun-kissed look without going all the way. It’ll also liven up a genuine tan that’s looking a bit flat – try tapping across your cheekbones and bridge of your nose, and gently onto your Cupid’s bow.
Tom Ford Cream Cheek Colour in Pieno Sole, £50, available at Harrods from May
For first timers
Guerlain’s legendary bronzer is so feather-soft in texture it’s barely there, with just enough shimmer to make skin glow. You’d have to be seriously heavy-handed to over-apply, or choose entirely the wrong tone – and Guerlain has the latter covered with eight clearly signposted colourways. New this year is 00, a shade created especially for fair-skinned blondes, while shade 09 is deep enough to contour and illuminate the darkest skin tones.
Guerlain Terracotta The Bronzing Powder in 00 Clair Blondes, £36, available at John Lewis
For holiday bronzing
This is instant cocktail o’clock, as much for its sundowner coconut scent as the pretty sheen it gives shins, shoulders and (easy does it) cheekbones. Slightly sparkling but less pigmented than it looks, it’s that rare thing of a body gloss you’ll actually use, not find at the back of a drawer six months later. It’s also rich in conditioning oils, which summer-dry legs will appreciate. And seriously, that scent…
Laura Mercier Bronzed Butter Body Veil in Gold Lust, £39, available Space NK
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