FACE
Remember the school hallway strut following a weekend at the beach? That effortlessly tan, glowing-from-within look was a boost of confidence like no other, one that turned heads from every locker.
Sun or snow, rain or shine, we all deserve that feeling (even if our pre-homeroom fashion show days are behind us). This is where bronzer earns its spot in your makeup bag.
Bronzer adds an instant sun-kissed glow to any look. It’s buildable and versatile, but if you’ve never used bronzer before, or if your application technique is just to hope for the best, you might be wondering how to apply bronzer the right way. The answer ultimately depends on the type of bronzer you choose and the look you’re trying to achieve. Fortunately, we’re here to give you all the details.
What Is Bronzer?
Bronzer is a type of face makeup that comes in many forms—powder, cream, stick, liquid—all with a common goal: achieving that just-back-from-the-beach glow without involving any pesky UV rays (or even the trials and tribulations of self-tanner).
Bronzer rose in popularity circa Y2K, courtesy of cultural icons like Paris Hilton and Snooki. But bronzer’s actually got a few years on bedazzled flip phones—in fact, it was invented way back in Elizabethan England. Actors in Shakespeare’s original productions found that a little contour helped their facial expressions translate dozens of rows back. The technique was passed down to old Hollywood, and then to the drag scene of the 80s and 90s.
With the new millennium came the soft, all-over bronzer look we know and love today.
Why Bronzer Deserves a Spot in Your Daily Routine
Bronzer is a quick addition to any makeup routine, providing natural color and warmth to your face. Not to mention, its versatility is practically a superpower: Bronzer can be as subtle or dramatic as you want. Whether you add a light dusting to your no-makeup-makeup look or go full contour for a formal night out, bronzer is often the secret ingredient that pulls a look together.
Ready to try it out for yourself?
Step-By-Step Application: Powder Bronzer
The matte yet ever-so-light finish of a powder bronzer, like the Hoola powder bronzer, is what makes it a classic. To get all the vibrant glow of a tropical vacation in just a few seconds (and totally sunburn-free), follow these steps:
- Step 1: Swirl your brush in the product – We’d opt for a soft, tapered tool for a lighter sweep, or an angled brush for a more concentrated, contoured look.
- Step 2: Dust away – Apply the product all over your face for an even tan. If you prefer, you can focus on areas naturally closer to the sun: think cheekbones, bridge of your nose, and brow bone. If contour’s more your thing, do the opposite: Create shadows in the hollows of your cheeks, along your jawline, and down the sides of your nose. You can even apply Hoola powder bronzer to your neck, decolletage, and shoulders!
- Step 3: Build and blend – Continue to layer to your heart’s content, then blend it into the rest of your look.
Step-By-Step Application: Cream Bronzer Balm
A cream bronzer balm like the Hoola Wave offers a buttery-soft glow with a natural finish. Like the Hoola powder bronzer, Hoola Wave knows how to do a subtle dusting. And if you’re looking for more contouring power? Let’s just say this bronzer, well, makes waves.
Here’s how to apply it:
- Step 1: Swirl your brush in the product – We recommend a dense or medium-density dome-shaped angle brush, like our Hoola WaveMaker Bronzing Balm Brush, for easy and precise cream bronzer application.
- Step 2: Sweep away – Opt for an all-over tan, or zero in on areas the sun would naturally kiss (like the tops of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and just above your eyebrows). Alternatively, you might choose to contour the low points of your face, like the hollows of your cheeks, the sides of your nose, and your jawline. You can even apply Hoola Wave as a warm, natural eyeshadow!
- Step 3: Build and blend – Once you’ve got your bronzer right where you want it, add layers until you achieve your desired intensity. Then, use your brush to blend it out, and get ready to admire that sun-kissed glow.
How to Choose Your Bronzer Shade
Just like there are different bronzer types, there are also different bronzer shades. So, how do you know which shade is right for you? A general rule of thumb is to start at a shade that’s a shade deeper than your skin tone. From there, it’s all about knowing your undertones (don’t worry—we’re here to help with that, too).
To determine your skin’s undertone, check the veins on your wrist.
- If they appear blue or purple, you likely have cool undertones.
- If they appear more bluish-green, you likely have neutral undertones.
- If you’re looking at green or olive-colored veins, you likely have warm undertones.
Got your undertones figured out? Good. Now, let’s match that to your ideal bronzer shade.
- For cooler undertones – If you’re fair-skinned, opt for lighter shades, like our Light or Original shades. For those with deeper skin, reach for Medium Deep, which suits cool undertones.
- For neutral undertones – Our Original shade will work best with most neutral undertones. If you have deeper skin, you can also try our Deep shade to complement both your skin tone and those undertones.
- For warm undertones – Warm undertones typically look best with our Medium, Medium Deep, or Deep shades.
Serve Summer Glow Year-Round
For centuries (literally), bronzer has served as a multifaceted makeup must-have, used for contouring sleek, stand-out definition and imbuing skin with a radiant sun-kissed glow—no matter what the weather outside is like! And now that you know how to apply bronzer, you can easily add it to your everyday look.
Try Hoola powder bronzer for color and warmth with a matte finish, or Hoola Wave Cream Bronzer Balm for a buttery-soft, natural finish. Both formulas are waterproof, sweat-proof, and offer 12 hours* of bronzing power. Plus, they’re non-comedogenic, so you don’t have to worry about clogged pores.
With a few Benefit bronzers in your glam toolkit, you’ll be rocking that post-spring-break strut year-round.
*instrumental test on 25 participants
Sources:
L’Officiel. Here’s What You Might Not Know About the History of Contouring. https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/history-of-contouring-makeup-kardashian-drag-queens
Montecristo Magazine. A Makeup Artist’s Guide to Bronzer. https://montecristomagazine.com/magazine/volume-17/a-makeup-artists-guide-to-bronzer#gsc.tab=0