I think bronzer has revolutionized makeup for chocolate girls.
If you look at old makeup manuals, magazines or even old movies with black women, you can actually identify when trends turned to bronzing brown girls. That meant that brown girls no longer looked ashy and dusty but radiant and glowy like pampered queens.
Google Somalian supermodel and entrepreneur, Iman...Thank you.
Often, what looks like oil is just innocent bronzer- a cosmetic product which brings shimmer and sunlight to skin.
I honestly don't remember a time I didn't use bronzer. My first one came in a Black Opal blush/bronzer duo. I still have it and it's still stunning.
If I don't do very much to my face on any given day, I have bronzer. If you see me without my glow, that means I was kidnapped and forced into the public possibly at gunpoint.
Although I have oily skin, I'm still able to wear the product without looking patchy. That's because I use strategy.
My oiliest spots are my forehead and the apples of my cheeks. I don't apply bronzer to the apples of my cheeks because 1. the additional light there will make my face look rounder and 2. I will undoubtedly get a little dewy/glowy there in time when a little bit of oil surfaces.
From time to time, I apply a very light dusting of bronzer on my forehead if I have been securely primed against oil or if I want that look specifically.
Depending on what primers or bases I use that day, I either go heavy or light on the bronzer but I always carry my personal sun with me,
Bronzer goes on the areas where light normally highlights so it acts like an extra burst of light in those areas.
Like with most other products, there are warm and cool toned bronzers. For brown girls, warm yellows come off as gold, oranges come off as bronze and red as copper.There are also shimmery blushes which can be used as bronzers. The options are limitless!
I deal with powder bronzers since I find it's easy to go overboard with liquid. I also use powder to combat the oil in my skin. Rubbing more oil or liquid onto my foundation, does not make my face happy plus I choose matte over dewy everyday.
With powder, I can just dust, dust, adjust, dust and glow:)
There are also different types of bronzers for different purposes for example, matte bronzer for colour without the shimmer and liquid shimmer/bronzer creams for dry skin.
I use three brushes to apply powder bronzer:
A thin fan brush when I want to go very light; a small, round loose bristled eye shadow brush to make small circles if I want a diffused glow or a tiny compact brush which I'm pretty sure is not a makeup brush.
On an average day, after my foundation and before my last step, setting powder/spray, I pat some bronzing powder along the bridge of my nose, my chin, under my brow arch and my cheekbones up to my temples.
I can do a hard line glow for sculpting or a diffused one into my blush which gives more of an effortless look.The thing to note about bronzers is that they highlight, therefore bringing attention so be careful to only apply where you want the attention.
For example, I have a round face so I apply bronzer from halfway my cheekbones and back towards my hairline. If I bronze the hollows of my cheeks directly with light reflecting product, my face will look even rounder and fuller. If I bronze closer to my under eyes, I will look crazy.
Another example, if you have a long pointy chin, you may want to avoid highlighting the very point of your chin. That will only make it look longer.
Disclaimer: This post was written specifically with women of colour in mind. The rules are a bit different for women of fairer complexions.
Additional thoughts are welcome:)
