Bronzing powders: learn how to use them correctly

Hello friends! Today I bring you a topic that surely you have ever wondered: How do I correctly apply bronzing powders? Today we are going to answer that question with a very complete post:

• Bronzing powders: what are they for and how to apply them
• How to choose your ideal shade
• The best low cost bronzing powders

We started!

Bronzing powders: what they are for and how to apply them

The bronzing powders have become the perfect solution to show off a brighter tone at any time of the year.

But do you know how to do it? On many occasions, they tend to be used excessively, which results in a very artificial and uneven tone to the rest of the body.

Tanning or sun powders are intended to simulate a tan in a natural way, and accentuate certain parts of the face . In summer, or if you have a dark skin tone, they can be used all over your face, using a large, wide powder brush.

Makeup artists do not relegate their use to summer. Even if it is winter, if we apply them correctly we can achieve a very natural finish with a beautiful tone.

The best known way to use them is the application 'in 3' . It consists of drawing a 3 along each side of the face:

• Begin to apply the product on the side of the forehead, getting as close as possible to the hairline area.
• Continue the stroke and finish going down the temple in an oval shape.
• Caress the cheekbone all the way to the wing of the nose.
• Take more product again and begin another oval stroke from the cheekbone to below the jaw.

For more contouring, apply a little to the nose, forehead, and cheekbones, but with much less intensity.

If you want to stylize and lengthen your neck, draw a triangle on the neck. Blend the color in a circular way and following the same stroke made at the beginning.

There are many areas of the face that can be refined or accentuated depending on how we apply the bronzing powders. These are some tips that Vogue explains :

1. To mark cheekbones. Darken the areas that we want to sink. Apply it under the bone, creating a subtly dark area, so the highlights will be framed.
2. Fine tune the nose. You have to apply the bronzer on the sides of the nose.
3. Shorten a long face . We will put a light touch on the forehead, specifically where the first hairline is born. We can also apply it at the base of the chin, blurring under the chin, towards the neck.
4. Give depth to the look. We can use bronzing powders even as eyeshadow. Apply after primer, marking the eye socket.
5. Get a 'good face' effect . It's one of the most common uses, with subtle hints of bronzer, especially on the cheeks.
6. Matify a lipstick . As you hear it. To give a matte finish to a lipstick (as long as it is in toasted tones) we can mattify it with subtle touches of bronzer (with the help of a brush).

Now comes the time to know which bronzing powders you should use according to your skin tone and its characteristics.

How to choose your ideal shade

When choosing bronzing powders for our face, we have to look at the skin tone.

If you have fair or very fair skin, you should use a sun powder in a medium tone, which provides luminosity but is not too dark or orange.

For medium-toned skin, use bronzers with copper and gold highlights .

If you have brown skin, you are free to choose the darkest bronzers .

We must also take into account the makeup that we have previously used: if we wear foundation, the skin tone is possibly altered, so we can choose the tone of the bronzer paying attention to that (if you usually include base in your usual makeup).

And what finish is best? It will depend on the final look you want to wear. If you want a natural look, the satin finish will give you a summery touch thanks to its luminosity.

If you have dry skin, avoid matte finishes, as they will overly dry your skin. Instead, a glow effect helps to blur small imperfections and wrinkles, and brings a lot of light to the skin.

In mosaic, matt, satin, glossy, contouring, 3 in 1 ... There are many options, let's see them!

The best low cost bronzing powders

• Murumuru Butter Bronzer, from Physicians Formula. Made with Murumuru butter, it softens, conditions and hydrates the skin. Its formula makes it melt instantly with the skin.

• Hollywood Bronze & Glow by w7. Contains a satin bronzer and a shimmer highlighter, both with very subtle golden reflections and medium pigmentation.

• My Must Haves by Essence. A basic at a very good price. Get an ideal tone with good pigmentation.

• Tanning palette, by Dermacol.  It contains two shades: the gold bronzer highlighter (for the whole face, more intensely on the cheeks) and the dark bronze highlighter (to model facial features, such as the cheekbones, jaw and sides of the nose).

• Master Bronze Palette, by Maybelline. Thanks to its different shades you will get a very professional finish.

• Bronzer XL by Milani. This 2-in-1 bronzer comes complete. A matte part and a satin part to give two different effects, a natural tan to your skin and also a luminous touch.

• Sun Glow by Catrice. You will get a natural and matte finish, without shine on the skin.

• Face Contour Kit by Sleek. This highlighter and bronzer kit is perfect for contouring and sculpting your face.

So far my post on bronzing powders. I hope you liked it! If you are not convinced by any of these options, here you will find many more.

See you soon!