Cold Bronzer: Cream Bronzers, Sticks and Liquids for Winter Skin

Cold Bronzer: Cream Bronzers, Sticks and Liquids for Winter Skin

A cold bronzer is a cream, stick or liquid formula that brings warmth back to skin that looks gray by November. I sort the cream, stick and liquid bronzers I would use this season and how to wear them in the cold months.

Coco Chanel is usually credited with making a tan fashionable in the 1920s, after she came back from a trip to the Riviera with sun-kissed skin. Before that, pale skin was the ideal. A century later, most people would rather fake the glow than chase the sun, especially in winter, when skin can look flat and gray. Cream bronzer is the answer. It melts into skin instead of sitting on top, so it looks like warmth, not makeup, and it does not look dusty over dry patches the way powder can.

The first row is cream bronzers in a compact or pot. Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Crème has two shades in one compact, a lighter and a deeper. Summer Fridays Bronzer Butter Balm in Clay is a tan with ceramides and peptides. REFY Cream Bronzer in Oak is a medium with a dewy finish. ILIA Sunshift in Ray is a warm golden bronze that lasts about twelve hours. NARS Laguna Bronzing Cream is the cream version of a classic. Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out in Chocolate is made for deep skin tones. Trish McEvoy Gorgeous Cream Bronzer is soft and easy, and Benefit Hoola Wave is a sheer bronzer balm with a soft-matte finish.

A quick test: choose a bronzer one or two shades deeper than your skin, not more. If it looks orange on the back of your hand, go cooler.

Collage matching winter skin concerns to Summer Fridays Bronzer Butter Balm, Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Cream Bronzer in Chocolate, rhode Pocket Bronze, MILK MAKEUP Creamy Matte Bronzer Stick and Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Bronzing Drops
Cream bronzers

Cream bronzers

Bronzer sticks for no-mirror mornings

Bronzer sticks are the fastest option. Swipe, blend with fingers and you are done. These are what I would keep in a bag for a quick touch of warmth.

Rare Beauty Warm Wishes in Power Boost is a true tan with neutral undertones. MAKEUP BY MARIO SoftSculpt in Light Medium is dual-ended, with a bronzer and a sculpting shade. Dior Forever Skin Bronze in 02 is a soft fair shade with a melting balm texture. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil stick in Milk Chocolate smells faintly of cocoa. MILK MAKEUP Creamy Matte Bronzer Stick in Baked is shimmer-free with hyaluronic acid. VERSED Warm Dimension in August is a warm, easy stick. Mango People Sun-Kissed in Clove is for dark to deep skin, and rhode Pocket Bronze in sip is a golden light to medium.

Pairing tip: swipe a stick along the top of your cheekbones and temples, then blend with your fingers in small circles. Warm fingers help the cream melt.

What I would skip: drawing a heavy line under the cheekbones with a bronzer stick. That is contour, not bronzer. Keep it high on the face where the sun would naturally hit.

Bronzer sticks

Liquid bronzers for a sheer glow

Liquid bronzers are the sheerest option. You can mix them into moisturizer or foundation, or tap them on alone for a soft glow.

Saie Dew Bronze in Swim is a light-medium to tan with warm undertones. NATASHA DENONA HY-SCULPT in Foxy is a serum-infused liquid with a natural-matte finish. MAC Strobe Beam Bronzelighter in Warmlight is an illuminating medium bronze. Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Drops melt into skin for a hint of tint. Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi drops are a peptide serum with a bronzy wash of color. Summer Fridays Bronzing Drops are light and easy to mix. Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer is a sheer gel for a natural glow, and a bronzing elixir from a London brand rounds out the row. All of them can also be tapped onto the tops of the shoulders for an evening dress.

How to use them: mix one or two drops into your moisturizer and apply all over. It gives an even, healthy glow without any lines.

What I would skip: too many drops at once. Liquid bronzers are strong. Start with one drop and add more only if needed.

Liquid bronzers

Bronzer in the cold months

Pick one cream bronzer in a shade just deeper than your skin, and apply it where the sun would hit: cheekbones, temples and the bridge of the nose. Use a stick for speed and liquid drops for the sheerest glow. Blend with fingers so it melts into skin. In winter, skin gets paler, so you may need a lighter bronzer than you used in summer. The goal is to look like you had a good weekend outdoors, not like you spent a week on a beach, so build slowly and blend well. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Wine and Oxblood Lipstick for Cold Weather and Hoola Bronzer Began as a Fix for a Messy Powder. If you want something for warmer days, I compared the best bronzer picks, from Chanel's tan to Benefit Hoola.