Seriously.
Here's the thing, a contouring shade should NEVER have glitter, no matter how finely milled or microscopic. Contouring is the same as creating an illusion of deeper set shadows on the face, and shadows never sparkle. On the other hand, a bronzer with glitter does its job beautifully. Have you ever noticed how Victoria's Secret Angels all look like they practically live on a co-op lesbian yacht in the South of France? They always have an angelic glow/tan that is healthy rather than fake bake, and their skin is always on point even before Photoshop. (Btw, bless Photoshop for their wonky crease-less knees and elbow joints, too.) For the most part, this is due to the witchcraft of bronzers with a hint of shimmer. When shopping for a bronzer, I usually gravitate to VS sales to stock up for the year. Their bronzers are always surprisingly top notch since makeup is not their specialty.
My go-to bronzer at the moment is Victoria's Secret's GLOW Pressed Mineral Bronzing Powder, available in 3 shades and retails for 16 dollars. My shade is Riviera, which accompanies light-medium to medium skin tones very well. They all have a yellow undertone and some warmth, rather than straying to an ash or cool tone. The quad has four shades that can be used separately (as highlighter) or together for an awesome glow (hur hur, hence the name.) The best part is, this product is so subtle that it's hard to over-do and can be built up. There is also another bronzer line that VS does, but it contains too much shimmer for my taste and would best be used as a straight highlighter, similar to MAC's Soft and Gentle.
You can see that the colors lean a little cool-toned or warm under direct sunlight. You also can't see the shimmers unless you look very, very closely.
My husband noticed that my skin looked "radiant." Little did he know...
Before bronzer, I always like to have the rest of my face, eye, and lip makeup on first. This way, it's easier to gauge how much product is needed. I often pair a bronzed face with minimal or neutral eye makeup and a soft nudey pink lip so that my complexion takes the spotlight.
When applying a powder bronzer, I use a denser but fluffy face brush, like Sigma's F40 or powder brush and swirl in into the product. I then focus the product on the highest point of my cheeks, across the bridge of my nose, and straight onto my forehead. I also apply any left over product onto my chin and down the sides of my vocal cords (LOL, this sounds awful but it does slenderize your neck.) The effect you're going for is how your face would look on a print ad of glamorous women on boats. Please note that this procedure is completely different for applying contouring products. You could possibly take it on the edges of your hairline or under your cheekbones, but I'm not a fan of the look. Sparkling hairlines are so not vogue.
After the initial application, I like to take a clean face brush and blend/buff everything out so that there are no noticeable lines or demarcations. That's it!
I love using bronzers to warm up a foundation shade that's a tad too light, or just to warm up my complexion in the wintertime. While I adore a porcelain skin look in the winter, the dry air often sucks up the hydration on my skin and makes it look dull and flat. Bronzer often takes this away, and if done right, shouldn't be obvious in the least bit.
For a matte bronzer that also works as a natural contour, I recommend Urban Decay's Naked Flushed palette. Another great bronzer is any from the Physician's Formula line. For a high end pick, I would go with NARS Laguna. The most important part isn't the price point, but how finely milled their shimmer particles are. We don't want obvious chunks of glitter now do we?
That's all for today. I hope you guys found it helpful!
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