Maria Goldbach
If you love that sun-kissed glow, bronzer is your best friend. This makeup bag essential can effortlessly bring a summer warmth to your face. However, to ensure it looks natural and not cakey, there are a few important tips to keep in mind. Lena Venos, National Makeup Artist at Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, shares the six most common bronzer mistakes to avoid for a flawless finish.
#1 Choosing the wrong colour of bronzer
While it might be tempting to reach for the darkest bronzer, it’s essential to choose a shade that matches your natural skin tone. According to the expert, “It’s better to start with a lighter shade and build it up gradually, rather than opting for a dark shade and struggling to blend it in.” For those with a fair complexion, avoid overly warm tones and instead select a bronzer that complements your skin’s undertones. This ensures a more natural and flattering finish.
#2 Apply bronzer on the cheekbones
The ideal placement for bronzer might not be what you expect. Despite what social media often suggests, bronzer shouldn’t go under the cheekbones but rather on top of them. Lena Venos explains, “I apply bronzer directly on the cheekbones, not beneath them. If you’re looking to contour, that’s where a contouring product should go.” She also recommends applying bronzer next to the eyes on the eyelid and a bit on the temples. With the remaining product on the brush, you can lightly sweep along the jawline, but this step is optional.
Another tip from the expert on application: “It’s super important that the bronzer is also worked into the hairline. The scalp is usually lighter than the face color and then a line is created, which can lead to a mask-like effect. Then we just have to remove the make-up from the roots too, but it’s worth it.”
#3 Blend the bronzer directly onto the face
Brush on bronzer and then apply directly to the face. Not a good idea, as the make-up artist tells us: “You should always use the brush to blend the bronzer onto the back of your hand first and remove any excess product. You can then use the brush on your face. I would rather do this process three times before you have too much. It’s difficult and unnecessary work to take some off the face again.” Another tip from the expert: “Always blend the bronzer outwards and upwards.”
#4 Use bronzer for contouring
Applying bronzer directly to the face without prepping the brush first is a common mistake. Makeup artist Lena Venos advises, “Always blend the bronzer onto the back of your hand to remove excess product before applying it to your face. It’s better to repeat this process a few times than to struggle with removing too much bronzer from your skin.” She also suggests blending the bronzer outwards and upwards for a natural look.
#5 Using the wrong brush
The difference between a bronzer and a matte, creamy product for contouring also plays an important role when choosing the right brush. “For bronzer, I would choose a fluffy brush and start with a little product,” explains the expert. For contouring, on the other hand, she says a firm brush is the right choice. She goes on to explain about the bronzer: “Use the fluffy brush to apply the product generously around the eyes on the outer edge of the face. For the nose, simply use a fluffy eyeshadow brush and apply the bronzer to the sides, if you like.”
#6 Choose a glittery bronzer
Glitter may be all well and good, and a glowy look in particular is very trendy at the moment. However, the bronzer itself shouldn’t have too much of it: “When choosing the right bronzer, look for a finish that isn’t too glittery, otherwise you won’t have any control over where highlights are placed on the face. A subtly shimmering bronzer is good, but it shouldn’t contain any glitter pigments. It is better to use a highlighter in addition,” says Lena Venos.
For all those who like a glowy and natural look, she gives us another tip that she learned from her colleague at Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, Christoph Haese: “If you want a glowy look and like to work with liquid products, you can also take a serum and put the brush that has bronzer on it into the serum. Then you have a liquid bronzer and apply that. This gives you more options for blending the product.”