Favorite Drugstore Bronzers

Some of the best bronzers i've tried are drugstore products. I must admit i don't own the so-called 'cult' bronzers out there- NARS Casino and Laguna, MAC MSFs, Stila etc. But i have had Too Faced palettes in the past (Beach Bunny and Aqua Bunny), for example, or Guerlain, Estee Lauder, etc. and wasn't too happy with those.

Guerlain Terracotta

Too Faced Aqua Bunny (cream-based bronzer)

 Don't get me wrong- 80% of what's available in terms of drugstore makeup (bronzers i mean) is orange, one. Two, has a weird consistency. Three, it isn't worth the $ even in low prices products (why spend €10 and get a crappy product when you can shell out €20 and get something you'll love?); four, you're gonna end up feeling you've completely wasted your money when you could have saved and gotten something ten times the quality. 

However, it doesn't always happen this way. I have been repeatedly disappointed in high-end bronzers as i've been when it came to cheaper alternatives. Just because a product is expensive doesn't mean is going to perform well. And when it comes to bronzers, go big or go home and that's that. You might be able to 'cheat' with a drugstore lipstick/lipgloss/blush, but you can't trick yourself nor the others with a wrongfully chosen bronzing powder. I guess it's because of the omnipresent orange undertone that's so hard to avoid. Or due to the chalky consistency that makes 99% of the bronzers on the market just dissolve in a wave of dust at the simplest brush touch. Then it means you also have to invest in an expensive brush, and if you're more on the student budget team like i am, that's not good news at all.

I don't think this blog post brings up anything new except for the handful of finds i thought about mentioning here. I have noticed that Isadora is, for example, a cheap drugstore brand that's not so popular in other countries other than Sweden. Or that many beauty addicts prefer high resonance brands regardless of the quality/price relation. Well. The novelty of my point resides in trying to talk about several cheap bronzers that are of very good quality, less-than-popular brands that perform better than high-end stuff. 

A couple of words about several disappointments (thus stuff i don't like)- i will never again purchase something (bronzer i mean) from Guerlain or Smashbox. I have owned the Guerlain Teracotta in the past and it ended up in the trash can (that was before i discovered swapping on makeupalley...boo hoo!) simply because nobody else wanted it and was appalled by the orange tones. It was a terrible product and even today, when i see rave reviews for their highlighters/bronzers, i tend to cringe a little. No, no and no. I personally dislike their bronzing powders and would never use one again; but that's my take only.

Another product i dislike is a bronzer from Smashbox, Bronze Lights (Matte). I'll speak about it in a couple of seconds.

Let's begin with my favorites :)

1. Isadora Bronzing Powder in 45 Highlight Tan

This cheapster is probably my go-to everyday bronzer and a favorite of several Swedish makeup artists and beauty bloggers. It's a dark powder with copper undertones and the tiniest amount of shimmer (not chunky glitter). It's dark enough for olive skintones but natural enough for pale complexions as well. Comes in a pretty 10 g ( .35 fl. oz.) compact with mirror and will last a very long time. It's not always true that 'darker is better', but when it comes to bronzers, especially drugstore, i noticed the darker the color, the better the result (natural and not orange). I really recommend this stuff, it's cheap enough to give it a try.

2. Isadora Bronzing Powder in 87 Golden Tan

Just reviewed in a previous post. Apart from the incredibly natural tan it gives, i love the quantity- you can't beat a huge compact suitable for body bronzing as well. 

3. The Make Up Store Wonder Powder in Gobi

This stuff is genius. It's a mineral powder meant to be used as a foundation or bronzer, 2-in-1, because it covers and adds sheen (not sparkes) to the skin without looking like a discoball. It's a big jar with tons of product in it; i have the darkest shade because i meant using it as a bronzer or face powder during summer, but the lighter shades are beautiful, give fantastic coverage and a natural, glowy finish (a better version of Smashbox's Halo at half the price and double the quantity).

4. Isadora Blush & Glow in 26 Shimmering Tea Rose

Another fantastic product from Isadora. This is the best contouring powder i have ever tried. The name is suggestive- it's a chocolate brown (reminds of brownies-the cookies) with pink undertones. Half bronzer, half highlighter, a delicate pink with no frosting effect but a natutal glow; it barely looks visible on the skin (thus no glittery effect) but manages to create a glowy sheen on the cheeks and upper lids. It's relatively cheap and comes in a 10 g compact as well. 

5. Viva La Diva Bronzing Powder in 40 Bronze Glow

This stuff is DARK. No orange, chocolate undertones only. 13.5 grams of product in a less glamorous compact (it looks a tad cheap and the golden writing on the lid wears off quite quickly), but looks fantastic on the cheekbones. It's perfect for tanned skins or darker complexions. I have to be light handed with this otherwise i can end up looking muddy; creamy texture, very silky. It's the cheapest of them all, probably €4 at the drugstore, but it's a great find.

These are the swatches:

Left to right: Isadora Highlight Bronze, Viva La Diva, Smashbox Suntan Matte, Wonder Powder in Gobi, Isadora Tea Rose

Now, the bronzer i didn't like....

Smashbox Bronze Lights in Suntan Matte

This is an expensive product (€23-25) that disappointed me. I know i sound like a cosmetic socialist now, praising cheapos and railing against higher end stuff. But this bronzer isn't worth it.

When i first tried it i loved it. It looked natural, demure, a tad darker than my skintone, and went perfectly with whatever blush shade i was wearing. Looked like i had finally found the perfect bronzer that wouldn't look like one yet gave a natural tan. Wrong. Two weeks after i realized it was orange. I don't know how i couldn't see it from the beginning, perhaps always putting it on after my darker foundation (i was in my 'tanzilla' phase back then) somehow neutralized the orange undertones and made it look cocoa-ish. It just looks bad at a closer look. What i especially hate about this bronzer is the consistency- it doesn't allow for building it up. It looks terribly layered on the face if you apply it twice, not to mention any touch ups. I remember i was out with a friend and we went to the ladies' to freshen up. She had recently returned from holiday and was naturally tanned, thus way darker than me. It made her look jaundiced and emphasized her pores; on my face it looked like an intense, dark orange concrete layer that settled in my pores and creases. I just got scared when i saw myself in natural light. 

It took me a while to get rid of the urge of using this stuff because it's quite 'high end'; i've tried and tried, as it's visible judging by the dent in the pan. However, i don't recommend it unless you have very good skin with no large pores whatsoever and your face is already tanned. It can mean disaster otherwise. Also, keep in mind it's not buildable at all.

So ultimately, it's about deciding what best suits your skintone. If you're a cosmetic aficionado and a tad snobbish that's great, most high-end bronzers are great products, obviously. But sometimes you can go wrong. And if you don't want to spend a ton of $, the uppercase options are my strongest recommendations for a glowy faux tan look.