I’m moss-green and orange is not my jam, what do I do?
textures: cream, liquid or powder, depends on your personal taste and what works for you. I find that creams tend to be more forgiving on my textured skin, since they melt onto the foundation, instead of getting caught in every little bump, scar or dry patch as powders tend to do.
finishes: matte or shimmery, again, depends on what you like. I find mattes to look more natural, and tend to use shimmers as highlighters or toppers. but some are subtle enough to wear all over the face on a night out, or even on your body.
colour: I’m pretty particular about colours because many raved-about bronzers look just too orange on me, and some others too muddy. I find that trying to mimic the actual colour you get when you’re out in the sun is the best reference possible, because it respects your undertones and how many shades darker you can go.
application: with a light-light hand, I like to apply the bronzer strategically on the higher points of my face, where the sun would actually darken my skin. it depends on your features (for instance, the sides of my nose are quite raised and can get quite dark, but that doesn’t happen to everybody), but usually the forehead, top of the nose and top of the cheekbones are good starting points.
I like to take it slowly and lightly just because I don’t fancy trying to compensate and ending up with a stained neckline on my shirt.
so I go in with just a teeny amount on strategic areas and then I blend with a clean brush.I hold the brush by its base so that I can have the lightest hand possible, and try to sweep across the natural reliefs of my face, so that the pigment ends up mostly deposited there. when there’s barely anything on the brush, I can then blend down the jaw, ears and neck.
to replicate that slightly sun-burnt look that sometimes looks just cute, I take a red toned blusher and apply it ever so slightly to the tops of the cheekbones and a bit across the nose.
as for brushes, I prefer something synthetic and dense like the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for creams, and something less dense but still very fluffy, like the Blush Brush, for powders.
products mentioned, in order of appearance:
Kiko Desert Dunes Baked Bronzer (beware: limited edition)
Too Faced Leopard Pink Blushing Bronzer
Soleil Tan de Chanel
Dior Skin Nude Bronze BB Cream (ugh, I think it was discontinued)
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil
Urban Decay Beached Bronzer
The Body Shop Honey Bronzer
Bourjois Mat Illusion Bronzing Powder
Rimmel Natural Bronzer
the freevolous 