Bronzers have always terrified me. As someone who typically uses the lightest foundation shade, bronzers generally leave me looking like Ross after his spray tan incident in that episode of Friends. 

Anything that promised to bronze my complexion seemed to leave an orange undertone. I felt more like a pumpkin than someone with the sculpted cheekbones I was hoping for. I didn’t wear bronzer for years as a result.

However, customer demand for larger shade ranges has changed the game for complexion products. Now, cool-toned bronzers are more easily available and deliver chiselled cheekbones in just one swipe. 

Cool-toned bronzers don’t just benefit the uber-pale like me, they come in handy for a range of skin tones. As such, we put the best cool-toned bronzers to the test to see which shades and textures reigned supreme. But first, here’s why you need a cool-toned bronzer in your life. 

What are the benefits of a cool-toned bronzer over warmer, more orangey shades?

Cool-toned bronzers can be daunting for those who aren’t ghostly pale, but ditching the more orangey tones can leave you with a more natural look. “A warm-toned bronzer can feel very orange on fairer complexions, and therefore seem very obvious,” says celebrity make-up artist Zoë Taylor.

While she says warmer tones are great for adding warmth in summer, cool-toned bronzers have other advantages. “The cooler-toned bronzer is far more natural, sculpting the face for a more finessed, believable finish,” she adds. These benefits can work for a range of skin tones. “I think cooler bronzers can be great for deeper complexions, but it depends on your undertones,” says Taylor. 

Working out your undertones isn’t as hard as you might think. “If your veins are blue, you are most likely to have cool undertones; if you have green veins, you most likely have warm undertones. If they’re a mixture of both, you are most likely a neutral undertone,” explains Taylor. 

How to apply bronzer

Bronzers can be applied with brushes, fingers or sponges, so which is best? “When selecting a bronzing brush, quite often a larger brush is popular but choose a brush that is medium-sized and has a domed head and be strategic with your application,” advises Cher Webb, make-up artist and brand advocate for Burberry Beauty. 

When applying, Webb advises hitting the spots where the sun would naturally hit your face, like the forehead, nose, cheekbones and eyelids. “Sweeping the brush under the cheekbone, back towards the ear and then back down under the jawline creates a soft contouring effect without looking like you’re wearing make-up,” she says.

Taylor warns that applying bronzer under your cheekbones can often “draw the face down.” To give it a lift, she recommends warming up the face by applying bronzer along your cheekbones and around the edges.

Both agree that the mistake they see people making when it comes to picking their bronzer is opting for a shade too dark or going in too heavy-handed – less is always more. 

Images: courtesy of brands