Bronzer has a surprisingly specific history. According to El Pais, Coco Chanel caused a ruckus in 1923 when she stepped off a boat in Cannes with a sunburn, and in 1927 she launched Huile Tan, a tanning oil whose slogan promised bronze skin protected from sunburn. A tan went from a sign of outdoor labor to a sign of leisure, and makeup eventually caught up.

Powder came later. The same article says Guerlain launched its Terracotta powders in 1984, and L'Express credits the makeup creative director at the time, Dominique Szabo, with drawing on the red earth she saw on a trip to Morocco. Benefit's Hoola followed in 2001. Allure reports it began as a messy loose bronzer that the brand turned into its first Box O' Powder, and it was unusual for being a shimmer-free, neutral matte.

So when someone asks me for the best bronzer, I ask three things: matte or glowy, powder or cream, and how deep you want to go. A bronzer should read like warmth where the sun would hit, not like a stripe.

The first grid is eight powder bronzers, from matte to radiant. The second grid is eight cream, balm and stick bronzers. My tip: tap off the brush before it touches your face, and build from the temples inward.

Matte first. Benefit Hoola is the shimmer-free classic in a silky powder, and I would hand it to anyone who wants a neutral, believable warmth. Rare Beauty Warm Wishes has a soft blurred matte finish, with tomato seed oil in the formula. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil is a cocoa-infused matte that is buildable and described as not settling. Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk'r Instant Warmth is long-wear and transfer-resistant, and the brand pitches its shades as bringing out the warmth in all skin tones, so check the range if you are deep.

For a glow, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer is sheer and airy with a radiant finish, so it is a finishing touch more than a base color. NARS Laguna is a talc-free powder in nine shades with a long-wearing glow. Gucci Sun-Kissed Glow is also talc-free, with hyaluronic acid and shea butter, and a natural finish with medium coverage. Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Hyper Sunkissed Glow has subtle shimmer and hyaluronic acid, plus niacinamide in the formula.

A tip for all of them: use a fluffy brush, swirl lightly and sweep across forehead, cheekbones and jaw. Done right, it looks like a day outside.

What I would skip: the shimmery ones, like Hourglass and Yves Saint Laurent, for sculpting. They warm and light the face, but they will not carve it, so keep a matte pick for that.

Cream bronzers behave like skin, so they suit dry or normal skin and anyone who dislikes powder. Benefit Hoola Wave is a sheer buildable balm with a soft-matte finish, and the brand says it gives up to 12 hours of staying power. Saie Sun Melt is a lightweight cream-balm with a natural finish, with colloidal oatmeal and grapeseed oil. Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk'r Soufflé is a pressed mousse-cream that blends out with a blurred finish.

For a buttery feel, Summer Fridays Bronzer Butter Balm has ceramides, peptides and three butters, and it melts in with a natural finish. rhode Pocket Bronze is a long-wearing cream with hydrating, buildable color and soft dimension. MERIT Bronze Balm is a stick for a sheer, buildable wash, and it keeps your skin's natural texture visible.

ILIA Sunshift starts as a silky cream and settles to a weightless powder, with up to 12 hours of wear. NARS Laguna Bronzing Cream is the richest here, with Monoi de Tahiti oil, and it shares its name with the powder if you already like Laguna.

Apply cream bronzer with fingers or a dense sponge over bare skin or tint, and do it before any powder so the cream has time to blend.

What I would skip: a stick like MERIT if you want a sculpted shadow. It is a wash of warmth, not contour.

I think the best bronzer is the one you stop noticing. If you like a matte, graphic contour, begin with a powder from the first grid. If your skin is dry or you want something that looks like skin, begin with a cream from the second. Try the shade in daylight on your jaw, not your wrist. Then remember Chanel's tan, and keep the color to the places the sun would actually reach, which is the high points of the face. Build slowly, one layer at a time. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Hoola Bronzer Began as a Fix for a Messy Powder.