Day 6 of 12 Days of Xmas 2021: My Favourite Bronzers

This was the year of the bronzer for me. I got every single one on my wishlist and then some. It truly was a new found love, because bronzer is now part of my routine instead of something I used when I wanted to look more glam. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s that bronzers are getting better (but I don’t own any bronzer from Maybelline, so it’s definitely not them).

Dior Forever Natural Bronze in 02 Light Bronze

Dior came out with this new bronzer line earlier this year and I had my eye on it as soon as I saw the promo pictures. Looking at the pan, the powder looks smooth, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it is. It feels almost velvety. It blends wonderfully on the skin, slightly blurs my skin texture, and has a very natural finish. The colour I chose is pretty light and warm toned, which I came to discover is what I prefer in a bronzer.

KIKO Precious Rituals Long Lasting Vegan Bronzer in 01 Honey

Well, I’ve made a full review on this product and in case you’ve missed it, it’s one of the best bronzers I’ve ever tried. It’s limited edition but still widely available at KIKO (and currently at 50% off, if I’m not mistaken). The great thing about it is that it makes skin texture disappear. Just, poof. No pores, no peach fuzz. And looks really natural on the skin. This and the previous Dior bronzer are actually very similar performance wise, but if I had to choose just one, I would go for KIKO. There is something about it that just looks flawless on the skin.

This shade is really light and more neutral toned. I wish it was just a tad warmer, because it would flatter me more, but that’s me really splitting hairs, this is great as it its.

Catrice SunGasm Luminizing Bronzer in C01 Golden Ecstasy

This is supposedly a limited edition bronzer that came out in 2020, but I’ve checked at multiple retailers and it’s still for sale at almost all of them, so I’m including it here. It’s the only bronzer in this list that I would consider “shimmery”, even though it has more of a metallic sheen than actual shimmer particles. Don’t let that description scare you though, you won’t look like a bronze tin man, because this gives a nice, balanced luminosity to the skin. A really pretty summery glow.

It’s quite warm toned, even though it looks like it has a rosy undertone in the swatch below, but I think it’s soft and blendable enough that it will work for a variety of undertones. It’s creamy, it applies beautifully, and lasts all day.

Givenchy Teint Couture Healthy Glow Powder in 01

The Givenchy Healthy Glow powders have a texture that’s almost powder gelée, but not quite (they’re more powdery than the typical powder-gel). This bronzer is harder to pick up with a brush than a traditional powder, but looks super natural on the skin. I think I have the lightest shade and it is very light, so if you’re any darker than “ghost”, choose another colour. This in particular is also very yellow toned, which is perfect for me.

Because it has that (almost) powder gelée formula, it’s basically undetectable on the face because it looks like it’s part of it. The shine and finish are very skin like, healthy skin like. It’s a softer, sheerer kind of bronzer, but a great one at that.

Sisley Phyto-Touche Sun Glow Bronzing Gel-Powder

I’ve raved about this one before, and it was the one I chose to wear on my wedding day. I recommend reading that previous post for a more detailed review, but long story short, it’s smooth, makes my skin look poreless and luminous, and it’s hard to overdue. It’s similar to the Givenchy bronzer but even more skin perfecting.

The one down side to this is that in the areas were I apply it, I notice my skin get’s oilier faster than if I was to chose a traditional powder bronzer. So even though it looks like perfection when I first apply it, after about 9 hours it looks like I haven’t set my face with powder – specifically on my forehead, which is were I get oilier. It makes sense, I guess, because this is a cream-powder hybrid, so it’s not as good at controlling oil. But it’s a small downside for how great it is.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow in Light-Medium (contour shade)

This is kind of a cheat. I use the “sculpt” shade in the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Duo as a contour. Again, the shade here is key, because it is super light and I feel that’s perfect for making my contouring believable from any angle (and not look snatched when I look head on but with a streak of dirt when I turn my face). It’s a tad powdery but easy to blend, and again, looks great on the skin.

Comparison Swatches

So we’re ending with all of the bronzers swatched below, so you can see the difference between the shades and finishes (beware, my arm is darker than my face, that’s why some are so light).

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