Bronzers Unite: Let’s Talk About the Best Bronzers and Self-Tanners for That Lit-From-Within Glow

[KatieBT]

Hello to all my bronzy BIC babes!

Many of us share a deep love for the payoff we see and feel after adding warmth to our beauty looks. As much as I love a naturally sun-kissed tan, SPF is a non-negotiable and we do not get much sun in San Francisco – especially while sheltering in place. A touch of bronzer or self-tanner creates the illusion that I get my daily dose of Vitamin D from my love of the great outdoors instead of a supplement. I am also a member of the “I went too far with my tanning bed membership in college” club and am relatively fair-skinned so have kissed tanning beds buh-bye!

Many of you already know that this step in our beauty routines is a confidence booster. I don’t think I’m alone in my love for all things BRONZE. This thread is for my bronzing brainiacs, contour connoisseurs, and self-tanning smarty pants – but it’s also for those interested in learning more.

Spill the tea on your HG bronzers, cannot-live-without self-tanners, and any other products you use to add warmth to your complexion.

This thread is also the place to talk about newness. If you see something launching and want the inside scoop, reply to this thread. I will try to get my hands on it and am happy to serve as your human experiment!

I will be adding some of my before and after photos using some of my favorite bronzing products. Open the spoiler to see!

Spoiler

DISCLAIMER: This thread is a no-shame zone. If you aren’t into this topic, there are plenty of other threads for you to love.

[KatieBT]

Ooooh tres luxe, @SportyGirly125 !

I need to get my hands on the Tom Ford and Guerlain bronzers - maybe a bday gift to myself in the summer 😄 out of these bronzers do you have a favorite? Or do you rotate based on shade/time of year?

[SportyGirly125]

@KatieBT I use Guerlain a lot but I also love the Tom Ford one.  Guerlain has glow whereas Tom Ford is matte. Just depends on how I feel. 

[KatieBT]

That makes perfect sense @SportyGirly125 . Now I think I need a glowy bronzer because all of mine are matte 😄

[CookieGirl1]

I'm kicking myself that I didn't jump on the new Tower 28 Beauty Bronzino Illuminating Cream Bronzer Best Coast immediately but I was hoping to pick up one of the shades of the Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Magic Hours at the same time and just make one order.  Bad game plan--they're ALL OOS.

[KatieBT]

Ah that's such a bummer @CookieGirl1 ! When you're able to snag them let us know what you think - I am super curious about these! 

[CookieGirl1]

@KatieBT I couldn't ever manage to be able to order the bronzer AND blushes simultaneously--something was always out of stock--so I finally just placed an order on the Tower 28 website and everything should be here mid week so I'll update you soon!  I'm so excited.

[KatieBT]

@CookieGirl1 Excellent I’m excited to hear more about these!! 

[CookieGirl1]

@KatieBT I was really excited because my order actually arrived late yesterday afternoon so I had a chance to play with them this morning. Great formula. I ordered two blushes and the lighter shade of the bronzer so I'm including swatches below. Left to right is Magic Hour, then Happy hour, and finally West Coast; you can see that I have done individual swipes and then blended each out. 

I first tried applying the Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Magic Hour with my beautyblender but then decided that it was almost easier/looked better applying it with the Sephora collection blush brush that I was gifted from @TeamBIC a month or so ago. Surprisingly I like using that brush for creamy blushes just as well as powder ones. I barely needed to tap my brush into the pan and then lightly blend out the pigment and it sheered out perfectly. The Tower 28 Beauty Bronzino Illuminating Cream Bronzer Best Coast was easy to apply with my beauty blender as well and looking at my face, it doesn't look patchy whatsoever. It really has a perfect tone, in my opinion, because it's fairly neutral, leaning just slightly warm and that's exactly what I need because I'm very fair skinned and a lot of bronzers end up looking overly warm or orange on me. It has a nice, light sheen to it but it doesn't look glittery in any way and it honestly doesn't feel tacky or sticky on my skin at all.  I can feel just a slight degree of tack from the blush on my cheeks but it isn't sticky as though my hair is going to stick to my face or anything like that. I've only been wearing it for a couple of hours and it is holding up fine but obviously I can't speak to its longevity for an entire day yet so I can update you if you're honestly interested. As of right now, though, I really like how everything looks and it was so easy to blend out on top of my foundation and even a tiny bit of my Hourglass powder that I had already put on, not really thinking about it since it's just part of my normal routine, LOL.

I'll post some pictures over on my IG later today if you're interested :-).

[CookieGirl1]

@katieb I'll try to remember to tag you and let you know :-).

[faeriegirl]

@KatieBT  I am new to using bronzer and 2 that I really love because they are so easy to use are Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo Fair/Medium and DRUNK ELEPHANT - D-Bronzi™ Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops

[Kim888]

@faeriegirl @I always forget about the ct one but it is great - not too warmed toned !

[KatieBT]

@faeriegirl I need to try out the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo Fair/Medium - it's been on my list for years! And I love my DRUNK ELEPHANT - D-Bronzi™ Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops- I need to use them more often!

[rrroxanne]

Let me preface by saying, I'm a natural red head, so I'm naturally as fair as they come! My number 1 fav tanner is the St. Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Mousse 6.7 oz/ 200 mL. However, I ignore the instructions and do my own thing to get the best tan that works for me. Instead of leaving this on for the 1 - 2 or 3 hours and then washing it off, I leave this on overnight or even for a full 24 hours. This develops into a deep tan, that isn't too dark, and it LASTS. Like, I'm talking up to 10 days. 

I also recently tried the Bondi Sands dark tanner, and really liked it! (Wish Sephora carried Bondi!) I felt it was very comparable to St Tropez. Didn't last quite as long, but the price point was nice!

I also found the ST. TROPEZ - In Shower Gradual Tan at Marshalls, and again, didn't follow the instructions, and kind of liked it. I would shower, jump out, use a towel to lightly dry off (just so I'm not dripping... but still wet). And then apply all over. Instead of washing off after 3 minutes, I'd leave on for about 30 minutes. A little awkward to be naked & wet (also a little sticky) for 30 minutes, but it developed into a nice noticeable tan this way, so it's worth it! 

[nataliavalentin]

Do you leave the gradual tan on until it drys or do you hop back in the shower after 30 minutes and lightly wash it off?

[KatieBT]

@rrroxanne you sound like me - you like to get your money's worth! Whenever I get a spray tan I LOL when they tell me to wash it off in exactly 8 hours. I am usually going to bed that night, heading on a plane in the morning and not showering for a solid 12 hours at the earliest! 

Any tips for getting an even application? I have such a hard time getting my back with the tanning mit 😄

[rrroxanne]

@KatieBT Haha! We are definitely the same! I find it lasts the longest! 

Using a mitt is always number 1 for getting an even application. I also love the foam/mousse because I find it goes on the most even, and with St Tropez, you can see where you've applied it.

I usually get my husband to apply my back, or if he's not around, I've found a way to carefully reach my arm over my shoulder, and then kind of under my back. I do have long flexible arms though, so it might not work for everyone haha. 

Maybe we need to invent like, a tanning back loofah. 

[lmaster]

@KatieBT I'm LOVING TARTE - SEA Breezy Cream Bronzer TAN-LUXE THE BODY Illuminating Self-Tan Drops Light/Mediumand loving tan 😍

[KatieBT]

@lmaster oh I haven't tried any of these! I am afraid of cream bronzers because I wear foundation as well - would you use a beauty blender to apply it over foundation? 

[lmaster]

@KatieBT you can use a beauty blender, what I like to do is apply my cream products first, then apply my foundation around it, or slightly over it, then set it with powder products