Once you find your best bronzer, a sun-kissed glow is never more than a few seconds away. Like a good concealer or eyeshadow, it’s a makeup-bag staple. The goal of bronzer is to mimic the warmth you get from a tan when and where you want it—without looking smudgy or orange. And that’s easier than ever to get the look with our Matte Bronzer and Bionic Bronzer; these glowy, versatile beauty products melt into your skin and are super easy to use.
Below, the rundown on how to choose and use our best bronzers for your makeup style.
Cream vs liquid bronzer: Which one is right for you?Generally speaking, there are three different types of bronzer formulations: cream bronzer, liquid bronzer, and powder bronzer. Milk has two of the three—and we may be biased, but we think they’re the best ones. Formulated to be shimmer-free and buildable, both our liquid and cream bronzers are perfect for achieving a seamless, sunkissed finish. And like all Milk Makeup products, they are also vegan and cruelty-free (we don’t know about you, but that always makes us feel a bit sunnier). But if you have to choose one, it’s important to consider the type of makeup look you intend on doing with it. If you want the best cream bronzer stick that delivers a natural finish, try our Matte Bronzer. As requested by our community, we’ve added three new colors to our shade range: Dazed (light bronze), Blitzed (deep bronze), and Spaced (very deep bronze). Lightly coconut-scented and super easy to blend out, our Matte Bronzer is a must-have in your makeup bag. Mango butter and apricot oil work together to create that nourishing feel and your-skin-but-richer effect. Swipe these buttery cream bronzers on the points of your face you want to add warmth to. If you want your bronzer to go the extra mile, you have to get your hands on our Bionic Bronzer. This one is a liquid bronzer, making skin look extra dewy. That’s thanks to the hydrating snow mushroom, reishi mushroom, and hyaluronic acid it’s made with, which makes it especially great for dry skin types. |
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Our liquid Bionic Bronzer comes in a wide range of shades to suit everyone, from fair skin to deeper skin tones. Enriched with supercharged skincare ingredients, it works like a skincare product to give you smoother, plumper-looking skin while you wear it. You can even mix it with your moisturizer, foundation, or primer for all-over warmth.
What’s the best way to apply bronzer?
If you've ever seen a tutorial on how to wear bronzer, you might be familiar with the classic "3" method, which has a sculpting effect. The 3 is meant literally: Apply bronzer along your hairline, your cheekbones, and your jawline, in the shape of the number.
We like our shimmer-free Matte Bronzer best for this technique (though Bionic is also a good choice, or you can use a bronzing powder if that’s what you have on hand). Glide the cream formula over your skin, then blend well around the edges of where you're placing it. Choose a brush for precise effect or your fingertips if you want something a bit softer.
According to Milk Makeup Director of Artistry Sara Wren, the 3 method is "a really great place to start when learning where to apply bronzer," but it isn't your only option. To achieve a natural, tanned effect like you've just returned from a beach holiday, instead bronze "the area where the sun would naturally deepen the skin tone," Wren says. "Think about applying across the top of the forehead and in a ‘W’ shape across your nose and onto your cheeks." You can use either Matte Bronzer or Bionic Bronzer for this technique.
Add your blush next, then complete the look with a shimmery highlighter “to avoid dulling the finish of it," the makeup artist suggests.
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How to Apply Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer
If you’re looking to sculpt your features, or if you want a face and body product that you can apply straight out of the tube, our Matte Bronzer is our best option. Sure, it has a matte finish, but it still provides a year-round summer glow.
Like our Lip + Cheek, our Matte Bronzer is a layerable product that you can use in a ton of different ways. It's really easy to use, as you can swipe it "directly onto your skin from the bullet," says Wren. And if you want to create an even dewier finish without adding a highlighter, she recommends blending it out using a damp makeup sponge, like our Prism Sponge.
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How to Apply Milk Makeup Bionic Bronzer
Bionic Bronzer has a pigment-rich but blendable formula that wears well with other products. You can use it with light to full coverage foundations and, as Wren likes to do, "layer it under powders for a bronzed-from-within look."
You can add luminosity to Bionic Bronzer straight out of the tube by mixing it with our award-winning Bionic Glow liquid highlighter. Together, they’re like a vacation in a tube (technically, two tubes). Shake well before applying and then softly blend out with your fingers or a brush.
It’s not just for your face, either. The velvety formula is great for mixing with your moisturizer or other liquid products for a barely-there tint. Plus, you can apply a little to your chest, collarbones—anywhere on your body that could use a little more color.
How to Choose the Right Shade of Bronzer
Choosing a natural bronzer shade is just as important as finding the right formula. To select yours, Wren recommends choosing something that reminds you of your natural tan.
If you’ve got a fair to medium-light skin tone, Wren suggests our Matte Bronzer in Dazed, Baked, or Blaze, or Bionic Bronzer in Time Travel. For medium or olive-toned skin, try Matte Bronzer in Blaze or Bionic Bronzer in Shapeshift. Light brown and dark skin tones will do well with Matte Bronzer in Blaze, Blitzed, or Spaced, and Bionic Bronzer in Invincible.
There you have it! If you can’t relax on the beach for a week with a good book to get that beachy color, you can reach for one of our best bronzers to do the trick in seconds.
Meet the Expert
Sara Wren (she/her) is the Director of Artistry at Milk Makeup. In her role, she does all the makeup artistry and direction for our Milk Makeup global campaigns, educates the staff and field team on application methods, stars in the brand’s social media videos, and travels to different markets spreading Milk Makeup’s good vibes. When she’s not on set, Sara loves experimenting with DIY hair colors, eating tacos, watching basketball, and scouring for vintage cosmetics to add to her impressive collection.
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