A few years back, I did a SSSS post on my top picks for cream bronzers. And ever since then, I’ve had you all asking for a powder bronzer version. I resisted this for a while because I was pretty much exclusively using creams. But in the last few months, I’ve really fallen back in love with powder bronzer. When a good powder bronzer hits, it it’s just right. I’ve tried quite a few now through my Stash series. And these are my picks. Let’s get into it!
SAVE (Budget up to $25.00)
When I decided to put up this post, this was the first bronzer to spring to mind. The NYX BUTTERMELT BRONZER – $23.99 was a Best in Beauty winner last year. They have one of the better shade ranges that I’ve seen for the drugstore. And its such a soft and smooth formula without being overly powdery.
If you want to go even more affordable, the ELF PRIMER INFUSED BRONZER – $14.00 is like silk on the skin. There is extremely minimal kickback with this one, it’s very buildable, and it wears all day long. The only ding I have against it is that the shade range here in Australia isn’t great. And I do hope that one day, they expand the range.
SPEND ($25.00-$50.00)
OK, this ended up being the toughest category to fill. As many of my favourite bronzers are now either priced out of this category or discontinued (looking at you, Glowish By Huda Beauty!). As a result, I only have one pick for this spot. The MECCA MAX SUNLIT SKIN POWDER BRONZER – $26.00. But what a pick to have! It’s easily a top 3 bronzer for me. The tone is absolute perfection, it blends so easily, and it adds a healthy warmth and sheen to the cheeks.
SPLURGE (Budget over $50.00)
To make up for the lack of Spend options, I went with three pick for Splurge. First, you knew she was going to get a mention here. The FENTY BEAUTY SUN STALK’R POWDER BRONZER – $54.00 is still one of my all time favourite bronzers. This is still my go to matte bronzer for any occasion. And because it’s Fenty, you know that the shade range is too notch.
One of my more gatekept faves is actually from Trixie Cosmetics. The TRIXIE COSMETICS FLOWER POWER BRONZER – $56.00 is one of the few ‘customizable’ bronzers that I legitimately love. It has two large strips of matte powder and a sliver of shimmer to add a custom glow to your bronzer finish. Personally, I tend to favour the middle section. But the deeper side is especially useful for those occasions where I’m wearing a too light foundation. And the shimmer strip adds the perfect amount of sheen without looking overly metallic.
Lastly for the splurge, I picked the CHARLOTTE TILBURY AIRBRUSH BRONZER – $84.00. Is this one expensive? Yes. But you get a ton of product out of it. And it blends like a dream. Admittedly, I haven’t used this one in a while. So I used it during the Christmas break. And I was instantly reminded of how good it is.
SKIP (No budget)
My Skip picks are a tale of two extremes. First, the ESSENCE SUN CLUB MATT BRONZER – $4.99US. I know I’ve already put the boot into this bronzer on multiple occasions. But it’s so bad, you guys. Patchy, hard to blend, even harder to get onto the brush, looks like I’ve smeared Cheeto dust on my face. I keep it in my collection as a reminder of how bad a bronzer can be.
On the opposite side, I have the GUCCI BEAUTY POUDRE DE BEAUTE ECLAT SOLEIL BRONZING POWDER – $120.00. Now, I do believe that this one has been reformulated recently. And if that is the case, then good. Because this bronzer is powdery AF. I’m surprised the embossing is still in place because every time I swirl my brush into it, half the pan comes with it, I feel. It’s also tricky to blend out. It’s almost like the powder wants to sit rather than incorporate into the skin. I also hate the tone of this on me. I don’t mind a little pink tone to my bronzer, but this one reads almost red on my skin tone. The biggest crime though is the price. $120 is way too much to pay, even if the bronzer was amazing. Which this one is not.
Well, I’m all bronzed out now! Let me know what your must have powder bronzers are in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo