Gone are the days when highstreet bronzers came with a glaringly obvious orange tint and more than a smattering of subtle shimmer. As a matter of a fact I have found the highstreet a better source for a natural looking bronzing powder than the high end counterparts, with that in mind let me share a few of my current favourites for every skin tone.
First up we have the NYC Big Bold Bronzing Powders* which retail for a mere £3.99/17.1g each via Superdrug (buy here -link). At the moment the huge NYC Big Bold Bronzing Powders are available in two matte shades 601 ManhaTan which is a light and slightly golden bronze shade that is matte in formula and the idea shade for fairer skins to warm the complexion up a little. As it is matte this can double up as a contour but I do recommend looking for a bronzer with a more ashen/grey tone to look as natural as possible such as NARS Laguna. Speaking of NARS bronzers the other shade within the line NYC Metropolitan is a dead ringer for NARS Casino making it a brilliant choice for medium to dark skin tones to bronze in the typical sense and to double up as a contour due to the cool undertone of this shade. At £3.99 the NYC Big Bold Bronzing powders are a complete steal - great formula, soft to the touch and easy to blend, natural in tone and utterly huge big pans of product!
To continue with the topic of large bronzers I also recommend Collection's Bronze Glow Powder* which is a warm light golden brown bronzer that has a beautiful golden shimmer finish. If you have a light skin tone this works brilliantly as a bronze toned blush and can double up as a highlighter for those deeper in tone. Despite not being a matte formula when buffed into the skin the shimmer particles look surprisingly natural and really perk up a tired and/or washed out complexion. The beauty of the larger bronzing pans is that you can swirl around a large brush in the pan and buff on to any area of the body at all - as a little heads up use a matte formula to hid tanning lines and a shimmer formula to any area you want to draw attention to. I can currently source the Collection's Bronze Glow Powder but I a pretty sure it is £4.99/19g via Boots and Superdrug.
We can't have a post on budget bronzers and not include Bourjois - that would be make-up blasphemy! Typically I prefer Bourjois Delice de Soleil £8.99/8g (buy here -link) in the olive/tanned skin variant as it works quite well on my skin tone as a bronze toned blush and can also be used as a bronzer if needs be. However I do find it to be a little orange in some lights and the shimmer particles cancel out any hope of using it to contour. This Boujouis bronzer does come in a good few shades and although the one I have is more commonly used as a blush the formula is faultless - buttery soft, long wearing and a little goes a long way. I have saved the infamous Bourjois Delice de Poudre to last and would you believe that I have only just go to grips with this formula? Initially I found the powder too hard (which it is) and annoyingly after a while the surface can develop a bizarre coating with use much like the Bourjois little pots of eyeshadow and blush. It is nothing a quick scrape can't fix but it is a waste of product. That aside when Bourjois Delice de Poudre £6.99/16.5g (buy it here -link) is good it is more than great, a natural matte bronze shade that can be layered on depending on the desired effect and is the closest to a suit all bronzer that you will find on the highstreet, it is no wonder so many make-up bags contain a slab of this chocolate scented bronzing powder.
And because we all love a good swatch or two here is the aforementioned products in action.
What highstreet bronzer do you rate?
* PR Samples sent for consideration of review.
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I use one from... H&M. I was surprised how good is it and not orange at all! Great for my pale skin.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I never really use bronzers due to my pale skin and tend to go for a pink blush, but you've given some great advice and I'm tempted to go out and buy a bronzer. Like the sound of the Collection one.
ReplyDeleteNicky
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I recently bought the Natural Collection bronzer for £1.99 when I was in a mad dash!
ReplyDeleteSo good! I actually favour it over my (previously beloved) Estee Lauder bronzer now. x
I use the Natural Collection one two! I think it is probably my most used product, ridiculously good for the price xx
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Like Maqua I have the H and M bronzer too, it is very very good! £2.99 as far as a know for a decent sized pan, I have one from last year before they downsized the size (cheeky H and M) but the price is still fantastic for a bronzer that works for pale skin!!
ReplyDeleteThe Collection one is definitely my favourite, have been using it for months now! Bargain price too :)
ReplyDeleteLaura's All Made Up ♥
ooh, this is a fab post, i'm super pale so the Collection and ManhaTan look like they'd work for me to give a natural glow!
ReplyDeleteSophie x | sophielouisew_ a fashion.beauty.lifestyle blog
I need that bourjois
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really wanna try out the NYC bronzers!
ReplyDeleteI'm usually really weary of bronzers as I'm quite pale. I neglect buying them as I don't want to waste my money, but these are affordable so I'll have to give it a go. ManhaTan is calling out my name!
ReplyDeleteLorna | Studs and Dreams xx
i always get that layer on my bourjois chocolate bronzer as well! and it really just frustrates me "^__^ great post x
ReplyDeleteIt's so actually be sure that there ARE some good quality affordable make-up in this world haha xx :D
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Wow they all look amazing!
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I really like the ELF contouring blush and bronzer duo, the bronzer is really nice for warming up the complexion. I've also used the L'Oreal duo bronzer (I think the one for brunettes), it had a darker and lighter shade which meant I could use it all year round depending on how tanned my face was :)
ReplyDeleteIzzi x
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great post really want to try the bourjois one now
ReplyDeleteI love The Balm Bahama Mama, perfect dark matte bronzer and lasts all day!
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Loving the look of the NYC bronzers, and such a bargain! Will be picking those up!
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Great post. I might try one of these out. I am a die hard Benefit Hoola addict- it's so worth the money, lasts ages and looks amazing. But I fancy a change :)
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I need to try some of these - I bought a 'budget' bronzer today and it made my face look terrible! Need something that works for my pale face haha.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I know what you mean by Bourjois bronzer developing a film over it! Its so annoying as i adore the product but it seems to build up so quickly! xxx
ReplyDeleteThey are all so amazing
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I'm all over the Bourgois bronzing primer as a cream bronzer at the moment, it's perfect with my currently tanned (that holiday seems like so long ago) skintone, blends so well and adds just the right amount of colour and contour. I use it ontop of Bourgois healthy glow serum and if i need a little blush I add either Maybelline bouncy blush, or paul & joe creamy blush.
ReplyDeleteBourgeois chocolate bronzed is amazing. I have very pale skin, and it is great, and buildable. I m on my 5th one, but bourgeois need to sort out this weird covering which appears. It happens with the pot of pushers too, so to have to scratch the surface which wastes products. Apart from that I would highly recommend!
ReplyDeleteI love the Maybelline Dream Terra Sun Bronzer, you should try it!
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