It’s that time of the year again, and like it or not, your social media pages will likely be overflowing with summer and sunshine-filled pictures of folks having fun in the sun.
Others might be off chasing the sun for the perfect selfie, but we’re here to help you get on that glow without having to step out of the house!
The solution? Shimmer bronzers.
It’s okay if you don’t live near the beach, for these bronzers will give your face that brilliant flush of warm sunshine and a healthy sheen.
So, how can you use shimmering bronzers to attain that flawless glow-from-within look?
That’s where we come in.
We’ve selected some stunning shimmering bronzer powders and creams – high-end and drugstore – that will complement different skin tones and provide a radiant hue and beautiful summery, beachy vibes.
So without much ado, here’s a list of the ten best shimmer bronzers you need to try out this summer.
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1.NARS Bronzing Powder
Makeup fans hardly need to be told about NARS and its cult classic bronzers and blushes.
Nars outshines all competition by putting out premium bronzers that promise users the perfect sun-kissed look and stay put for a long time.
The bronzer has diffused gold particles that, when swept across the cheekbones, will give your skin a naturally tanned look.
✅Pros:
- The finely milled shimmer particles in the bronzer evens out the skin and makes it look smooth.
- The colors are buildable and natural-looking
- The powder blends easily and gives a beautiful glow to the skin.
⭕️Cons:
- The powder contains very fine shimmer and is more suitable for people who prefer a subtler glow than a sparkly shine.
2. Tarte Clay Play Face Shaping Palette Vol. 2
Another iconic beauty giant, Tarte’s Clay Play Palette, includes not just a bronzer but a complete face makeup package to get you that sculpted, well-defined look.
The palette comes with eyeshadows, a blush, bronzer, and a highlighter enriched with detoxifying, nutrient-rich Amazonian clay.
The superfine powder blends smoothly and ensures a good coloring that wears long without creasing.
✅Pros:
- Twelve shades(9 eyeshadows, bronzer, blush, and highlighter, one each) in a travel-friendly case make this Tarte palette perfect for daily use and carrying around with ease.
- The microfine powder gives a healthy glow to the face without caking or flaking.
- The shades are neutral, buildable, and long-lasting.
⭕️Cons:
- The formula can be quite powdery and may create a bit of a mess and fallout.
3. L’Oréal True Match Lumi Bronze It Bronzer
The True Match bronzer gives a beautiful golden glow to the face, and the soft shimmer appears natural and shines subtly on the skin.
The product works great as body shimmer and is quite generous in quantity.
The product is an affordable purchase for makeup beginners and price-conscious buyers.
✅Pros:
- The bronzer illuminates the skin with a soft shimmery focus and makes it look luminous.
- It serves the dual purposes of sculpting the face and providing an all-over glow.
- The product is of high quality and great value.
- It glides on smoothly with a flawless finish.
⭕️Cons:
- The shade range is limited as there are only three shades in the line, deep, light, and medium.
4.Milani Baked Bronzer
Drugstore favorite brand Milani’s baked bronzer can be used for contouring and highlighting the face beautifully.
It delivers streak-free coverage and provides a natural tan look with minimal effort.
The bronzer enhances your complexion, is long-wearing, and goes on smoothly.
✅Pros:
- The Milani bronzer enhances your skin’s unique tone and gives it a sunkissed glow.
- The formula is sheer and lightweight and works well with a natural makeup look.
- It blends easily and delivers a smooth, even application.
⭕️Cons:
- The colors tend to be warm-hued and might look orangey on cooler skin tones.
5.LAURA GELLER NEW YORK Baked Bronze-n-Brighten Bronzer Powder
Laura Geller has beautiful baked bronzers, and this marbled bronze powder is no exception.
It promises a warm glow to the face, light coverage, and even has color correction pigments that adjust to the skin tone.
The weightless powder is infused with skin-friendly ingredients and is quite versatile in that it works equally well as eyeshadow, eyeliner, eyebrow filler, and contour.
✅Pros:
- The color-adjusting pigments in the bronzer give a natural flush of color that never looks orangey on the skin.
- It suits people of all skin tones and ages.
- The bronzer is long-wearing and can be used all year round.
⭕️Cons:
- The bronzer looks sheer on some skin tones and might need more layers added on for deep color.
6. IT Cosmetics Ombre Radiance Bronzer
IT cosmetic’s ombre powder lets you bronze up two ways, matte glow or subtle radiance.
The formula is waterproof and anti-aging, and the nourishing ingredients treat the skin while adding luminosity.
The bronzer is super blendable, long-lasting, and can be applied anywhere you want a bronzy glow.
✅Pros:
- The bronzer has beautiful natural coloring that adds a healthy, vivid glow to the face.
- The soft, lightweight powder makes the application and blending very easy.
- It’s perfect for everyday use and can be used to contour, blush, and highlight the skin.
⭕️Cons:
- The shimmery powder highlights the skin, which might not be well-suited for those with large pores and skin imperfections.
7. e.l.f. Sunkissed Glow Bronzer
e.l.f. has always been a customer-centric brand offering high-quality products at low prices.
The Sunkissed bronzer gives the perfect tan-like look while simultaneously highlighting and sculpting the skin for definition and radiance.
The bronzer is quite sheer and shimmery and can be layered on for a darker bronzed look.
✅Pros:
- The bronzer is great for the summer as it will go on sheer and weightless and stay in place even on the hottest of days.
- It is infused with Vitamin E and applies smoothly to dry skin, giving the skin a lovely sheen.
- It is affordably priced and easy to use for makeup newbies.
⭕️Cons:
- Being a sheer powder, some might find the need to build up for a deeper color, which in turn gives it a cakey appearance. This product is best suited for light coverage.
8. Palladio Baked Bronzer
Palladio has a pigment-packed baked bronzer much like those by Milani and Laura Geller. The bronzer has a good amount of shimmer and adds a nice tan coloring to the face. It has a silky texture that glides on the skin, so makeup application is smooth. There are multiple shades of the bronzer for different skin tones, and it can be used wet or dry.
✅Pros:
- The bronzer can be used dry for a daily glow or wet for a dramatic look.
- It blends easily and adds a lovely warmth to your look that lasts all day.
- It’s quite shimmery and is a good choice for those who like sparkly bronzers.
⭕️Cons:
- The texture is quite powdery which makes it quite messy with more fallout.
9. NUDESTIX NUDIES All Over Face Glow
Here’s a different kind of bronzer. Nudestix Nudies are multi-purpose beauty sticks that could double up as a bronzer, blush, or highlighter.
The bronze shades illuminate the skin from within and give a long-lasting glow that’s buildable and water-resistant.
Application is as easy as dabbing the stick on the desired areas of the face and gently patting and blending it in.
✅Pros:
- The bronzing stick provides a good value by being versatile- you can use it on your cheeks, eyelids, and even on your lips.
- The application process is easy. You only need your fingers to blend out the product. It also comes with a detachable stippling brush for quick blending.
- It stays on for a long time and can be reapplied easily throughout the day.
⭕️Cons:
- The stick bronzer has a cream-like finish. It is not a powder and therefore not as weightless or light as one.
10. Burt’s Bees All Aglow Bronzer Stick
This bronzer stick would be a good drugstore alternative for the Nudestix stick.
It works beautifully as a shimmery bronzer but does not compromise on the quality of ingredients and is available at a very affordable price.
The Burt’s Bees bronzer illuminates and defines the face and blends seamlessly without looking cakey.
✅Pros:
- The highlighting bronzer illuminates the face and gives it a natural-looking glow.
- The ingredients nourish and brighten the face resulting in healthy-looking skin.
- You only need very little product for a long-lasting glow.
⭕️Cons:
- While the product can be layered on, using too much can make the skin look greasy.
Is matte or shimmer bronzer better?
Matte and shimmer bronzers serve different purposes. While both add a certain warmth to your face, matte bronzers are better for defining the angles of your face. The shimmer particles of a bronzer reflect light and illuminate the face when light hits the high points.
While both types of bronzers are great for a sunkissed look, shimmer bronzers attract more attention to the skin. For this reason, it is recommended that those with oily skin or skin imperfections stick to matte bronzers. If using shimmer bronzers, go for products with a natural-looking shimmer.
Conclusion on the best shimmer bronzers
You can wear bronzers every day. Both matte and shimmer bronzers are essential products you need to include in your makeup kit. They can work alone or together to give you beautiful chiseled makeup looks.
Shimmery bronzers are wonderful for the summer days to get that glowy, radiant look – just in a matter of seconds.
We gave you a list of 10 gorgeous shimmer bronzers, and we hope this summer you will find one that looks stunning on you!
Related Bronzer Makeup Posts:
- How to Use your Bronzer as Eyeshadow (Full Step by Step Tutorial)
- How to Apply your Cream Bronzer Correctly! (+ pro tips)
- What’s the best bronzer for you if you have a yellow undertone?
- The Best Drugstore Cream Bronzers of all the time!
