My bronzer Collection

Updated April 2020 

Although summer is fading and autumn fast approaching, a bit of bronzer can prolong a summer tanned look. I have medium olive skin and while I am amazed to find that there's still a lot of orange bronzers out there, especially in the drug store I've managed to find and recommend ones that aren't.I generally use Zoeva's Angled blush brushes (127 Luxe Sheer Cheek and 128 Cream cheek) to apply these bronzers below.

Sleek contour kit in light 

Although this is sold as a contour kit/palette the warm brown makes it more suitable for bronzing. It's very pigmented, fairly long wearing and includes one of my all time  favourite highlighters. For such a cheap price this is fantastic value for money. When I hit pan I will definitely go out and buy another.  Sleek online and Superdrug £6.49

Benefit Hoola Cream Bronzer 
Easy to use.

Ben Nye in Contour No 2  
Although sold as a contour powder the warm brown makes it ideal for bronzing.This is extremely pigmented and so requires a light hand and although I apply using a slanted contour brush I would recommend a fan brush so that you don't over apply, see my full review here. I absolutely love this, the pigment, the price everything and will definitely repurchase if I hit pan on this. Available from Treasure House of Make Up at £11.22 they are also available in the USA with other stage makeup brands such as Graftobian and Mehron.

Boots Natural collection in Milk Chocolate

 This is actually an eye shadow, one day I decided to try this as an Bronzer and the warmth of the brown really brings a healthy tanned glow to the face. At it's also very cheap and would suit paler skin tones. I would definitely repurchase as this is a double duty product.

From Boots £1.99

Boots No 7 Perfectly Bronzed Duo bronzer 

This is from a holiday set but is exactly the same as the one in current No 7 regular line which comes in a mirrored compact. Although this has tiny sparkles of glitter they don't really show up when worn so I've put this in the matte category. A good colour for a bronzer and I would repurchase this again. From Boots £12

The Benefit Cosmetics Hoola line is their best seller for a reason but  I would say the best value and all rounder are the Ben Nye Contour powder and Sleek Contour Kit.

Get Cheek bones like Kate Moss-Ben Nye Contour Powders and Blush.

I always find contour powders that have an actual grey tone (grey to mimic shadows) impossible to find on the high street and don't get me started on bronzers they are all so orange! Enter Ben Nye Contour powders- realistic colours at high street prices. 

Ben Nye speicalises in theatrical make up but the brand has become so popular with makeup artists and youtubers they've started to develop products for the mainstream beauty market. Their products are very pigmented because stage makeup needs to be seen from back row seats and also be long lasting to withstand hot theatre lights. While they are are cheaper than high end brands such as MAC or Make Up For Ever their quality is just as good. Fortunately as they have become popular they haven't t raised their prices by very much. 

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                                          Left contour no 1 and Right Contour no 2.

The contour powders come in 3 shades: Contour no 1, no 2 and no 3. Their primary use was in theatres so there was no need for fancy names. I have no 1 and no 2 because I'm a tan shade and didn't know which one would show up or suit me better. 

I needn't have worried both suited my tanned olive skin tone. Contour no 1 is cooler and has a grey tone to it, making it perfect for contouring as the grey mimics grey shadows. Contour no 2 is warmer so is best suited to bronzing. They last all day although I haven't tested them in the hot summer heat. 

The packaging is a basic black snap close case although the matte rubber is similar to Nars packaging. The downside to this is they are difficult to keep clean and can end up a bit sicky. The pans contain more product than Kevyn Aucoin's famous sculpting powder (3.5g vs 3.1g) and is so much cheaper at £15.48 each. The pans measure about 3.7cm across. 

Because the powders are so pigmented I wouldn't recommend purchasing them if you have pale skin or if you like your contour and bronzer to be very subtle or require a lighter shade. These blend well but need a light hand so if you're a bit heavy handed with bronzer bear this in mind.   

Ben Nye is not as widely available as established mainstream make up brands. I bought these from Treasure House of Make Up which is based in the UK here, if you look under powder rouge you'll find the contour powders. They are under the pre-order drop down menu but I actually didn't find that it took that much longer to arrive (perhaps an extra 7 days.) Treasure House of Makeup is extending their 25% off pro discount to everyone at the moment. Ben Nye also sell contour creams in very similar shades to those above, however they do contain Ozokerite wax which I am allergic to which is why I stuck to buying the powders. In the US Camera Ready Comestics and Screen Face carry Ben Nye.

My other purchase was Ben Nye Powder Rouge in Dark Tech DR-9.

Contrary to the name this blush is not dark. On the website this looks like a muted orange but it's a bright coral colour in person. This is actually the colour I wanted but in the pan it looks so scary like the colour red clown cheeks and noses. On the cheeks it does give that summer coral blush but careful this blush is so intensely pigmented you have to apply just the tiniest bit on your blush and make sure you tap away all the excess so that you don't overdo it. I'd recommend washing your blush brush soon after so it doesn't stain the brush. Since this is so pigmented i'd recommend using a fan brush or a synthetic brush that doesn't pick up or apply as much blush. This lasts all day and the pan would last you a very long time like a year or much longer.

I bought this as a refill pan so while the packaging looks basic and a little unattractive it's actually quite functional- there's a sponge that keeps the pan in place which can be thrown away and the pan added into another palette. Unlike other packaging that houses refills the plastic case is sturdy and practical, I've had refills in really flimsy packaging before that you have to move immediately before the whole thing disintegrates. 

The refill pan contains  3.5g and costs £8.98 and is available at Treasure House of Makeup here