Chosen well and used properly, bronzer is easy to apply and extremely flattering
Remember when bronzer was used to replicate the more attractive effects of the sun, “tanning” the places it would most visibly hit, rather than used as contour powder? Its current use to mimic bone-defining shadow in the recesses of the face strikes me as illogical, not least because you’d be unlikely to catch the sun here, and shadow has a greyish, mousey tinge (as in Mac’s Taupe Powder Blush, £16), not a bronzy glow. This is why I’m a bronzing traditionalist. Chosen well and used properly, it’s extremely flattering, easy to apply and cheers up the complexion no end.
Colour choice is key. There are five shades of Dior’s Diorskin Nude Air Tan (£36), all of them realistic, but 01 Golden Honey looks exactly how a paleface would want to appear after a two-week holiday: healthy, glowing and well rested. The powder is beautifully packaged in weighty silver and perfectly pressed, in that exactly the right amount coats a brush swirled over the compact, resulting in a subtle, consistent wash of colour. One can’t overdo it, which can rarely be said of any bronzer. If the significant cost is prohibitive, you may like to try Bagsy’s Ray of Sunshine (£18), an affordable, cruelty-free side project by a British manufacturer of luxury cosmetics. This is a smashing (if uninspiringly packaged) bronzer in light/medium, that sweeps smoothly and streaklessly over the face, leaving it aglow.
Related: Beauty: your hair regime doesn’t have to be hard work
Continue reading...