When Guerlain launched Terracotta in 1984, it was described as the first compact bronzing powder. Dominique Szabo, then head of Guerlain makeup creation, was inspired by a trip to the Moroccan desert, and the slogan promised three weeks of tan in three seconds. LVMH's R&D director has said the concept of a bronzing powder simply did not exist before that. Every bronzer stick here is a descendant, with cream swapped in for powder.

I like the stick format for one boring reason: it is hard to get wrong. You swipe it on, press it in with your fingers, and you are done. Cream also melts into skin instead of sitting on top of it, which is kind to dry skin and to anyone who dislikes a powdery finish.

I tried every one of these, and the pattern is clear. The sticks that disappointed me were almost always a shade problem, not a formula problem.

The first grid is cream bronzers in stick form, the ones meant to add warmth. The second is contour sticks, made to add shape instead.

Here is a test I like: swipe a small stripe along your jaw, blend it with a finger, and walk to a window. Daylight is honest. If it looks like skin and not like a stripe, keep it. If it looks orange, no amount of blending will fix the shade.

Start with Rare Beauty's Warm Wishes bronzer stick, the easy one. The brand says it blends with fingers and glides on weightless, and that matched my experience. The catch is fair skin. The lightest shade, Power Boost, can read too warm on very pale skin, so swatch before you commit.

Dior's Forever Skin Bronze is the balm of the group, an ultra-melting stick that is meant to leave a natural, buildable, sunkissed finish. I liked how it blends, though even the lightest shade can pull orange on fair skin. Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil is made with vitamin E and squalane, and it is the best fit here for fair to medium skin who like a natural bronze over foundation.

MERIT's Bronze Balm is sheer, with neutral undertones and fatty acids, and it suits dry to normal skin. On me it was subtle and did not last on its own, so press a little setting powder over it. rhode's Pocket Bronze is a tiny twist stick with a round tip. Every shade has bronze undertones, so it will not double as a shadow.

LYS Beauty's No Limits stick is buttery and pigmented but builds without caking, and it is the one I would point medium to deep and olive skin toward. Makeup by Mario's SoftSculpt has a removable angled brush on the other end and a natural matte finish. It is drier than the others and better for precise contour than all-over glow.

What I would skip: layering a bronzer stick over a heavy cream blush. Bronzer first, blended out, then color.

Contour sticks work differently. They are meant to fake shadow, so the shade should look a little cooler and flatter than a bronzer. Westman Atelier's Face Trace comes from a line built by a makeup artist around a second-skin approach. It is creamy and blends even on dry skin, but Biscuit can pull orange, so match your undertone.

Fenty Beauty's Match Stix is a matte cream-to-powder stick with medium coverage, and Allure says it stays put on oily skin. Anastasia Beverly Hills' Smooth Blur is the lightest touch here, a gel-like stick with light coverage and a dewy, second-skin finish, offered in four cool-toned shades. SEPHORA COLLECTION's Cream Contour Stick is another cream-to-powder formula. It is matte and made for cheeks, nose, jawline and temples.

Patrick Ta's Major Sculpt has a built-in brush and a soft-matte finish with medium coverage, and it is made for normal and combination skin. It is the pick for clean, controlled lines. Dior's Forever Skin Cream Contour is the hydrating one. The brand says it warms and defines in one step, and an instrumental test on 25 subjects showed 24 hours of wear.

Here is a pairing I like: a cream contour on the outer edges of the face, then a bronzer stick from the first grid, dabbed only where the sun would hit.

What I would skip: pressing a matte contour on top of powder. Put it on before any powder and blend with your fingertips.

I think the right bronzer stick comes down to your skin, not the brand. After trying them all, Rare Beauty is the easy beginner pick, MERIT is the dry-skin answer for a sheer glow, Too Faced suits fair to medium skin, and LYS is the one to try if you are medium to deep or olive. Mario is my pick if you want something that never turns orange and you like a brush built in.

The rule of thumb is simple. Bronzer goes where the sun would hit, contour goes where shadow would fall, and you should never use one for the other's job. Swatch on the jaw, check it in daylight, and give it a week.