Who doesn't love the appearance of sunkissed skin? We both love the look of a tan, yet neither of us wants skin cancer. I (Erin) have had it many times and try my best to avoid further skin damage, and I always teach Daisy to do the same. Luckily, there are a variety of great bronzers on the market to provide a realistic sunkissed faux glow! Today we're going to discuss the best bronzer for fair skin tones similar to ours.
Want a sunkissed look? Here are the top 5 bronzers for fair skinned beauties. #fauxglow Share on X
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Here's the annoying thing about bronzers: Some bronzers have a matte finish, while others are sparkly; some have pink undertones, while others are more orange-based. That makes it difficult to recommend a bronzer for someone else's skin without being able to test it on them in person.
Since we can't fly random blog readers to our house to test out bronzers, we suggest you go spend a fun 15 – 30 minutes in the makeup store to find one that works best for your particular shade of skin. However, we're going to point you in the right direction by giving you a list of options that work well on our pale skin!
Best Bronzer: Liquid Option
Benefit Cosmetics Dew the Hoola Liquid Bronzer | This is my (Daisy's) go to bronzer for everyday use. You can see it in action on my No Makeup-Makeup Tutorial at the 4:25 minute mark. It blends in easily and I always get compliments when I wear it! I would probably select this one as my favorite bronzer if you forced me to pick just one. It easy to build on this one if you want to add more color, and it gives skin a really healthy “J.Lo” type of bronze.
Best Bronzer: Powder-Based Bronzer with Matte Finish
Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Finish | Benefit obviously makes an incredible bronzer, since we've included two of their options on our list. This one provides a very realistic and purely matte finish that looks beautiful when lightly dusted on cheeks, forehead, and across the shoulder blades/décolletage area. This one is a winner for daytime use! For super pale girls, they even came out with a lighter version: Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Finish Lite
Best Bronzer: Powder-Based Bronzer with Shimmery Glow
Laura Geller Beauty Baked Body Frosting in Tahitian Glow | Laura Geller's bronzers give such a beautiful and realistic sun-kissed glow. The Tahitian option linked here is great for pale skin with pinkish undertones. It's my (Erin's) go-to bronzer for nighttime looks. The bronzer costs just under $50, but it lasts so long! We've had ours for months — and we share it — yet we haven't even made a dent in it yet. The nice thing about a powder bronzer is that you can apply it last-minute before heading out to an event. Simply powder it onto skin where you need additional color or contouring, then wipe away any excess with an old towel. Even if you get sweaty, a powder is less likely to run than a tanning lotion.
Best Bronzer: Multi-Use Powder Option
Carli Bybel Deluxe Palette | This palette is one of my (Daisy's) favorite eyeshadow palettes of all-time, and it's the one I use as a giveaway item when I feel like giving presents to random subscribers on my YouTube channel. [Hint: Go subscribe! You might be next!] I love it because there are multiple bronzer and highlighter options, which you can blend to get an incredible glow! It's very versatile. Go as dramatic or as subtle as you want. It's also vegan and cruelty-free, which I try to support as often as possible.
Best Bronzer: Drugstore Option
Essence Mosaic Compact Powder 01 | This is an inexpensive drugstore option that's very versatile and natural looking. It's a mosaic type of powder, so there are different shades that can be blended together. Run your brush over the lighter shades for a subtle look and move to the darker section for contouring. You can see this one on my (Daisy's) Taylor Hill 2017 Met Gala makeup tutorial. Start the video at the 2:45 mark to see it in action.
Shop the Best Bronzer for Fair Skin
Links to Shop
Benefit Cosmetics Dew the Hoola Liquid Bronzer | Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Finish | Laura Geller Beauty Baked Body Frosting in Tahitian Glow | Carli Bybel Deluxe Palette | Essence Mosaic Compact Powder 01
Let us know your pick for the best bronzer for fair skin in the comments and if it matches one of our selections or it's something new we should try! To learn how to apply bronzer, here's a helpful video tutorial. As always, remember to apply a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 (or more) every day.
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I’ve never tried a liquid bronzer. that first picks looks like a winner!
Daisy and I both use that one pretty frequently. She’s done a couple YouTube videos where she uses the Hoola liquid bronzer. Just dot it in the areas where you’d tan naturally, and then blend it in with a foundation brush (or any makeup brush that has a fairly wide, fluffy brush head).
Hoola bronzer is my ALL TIME fav!!! I love it SO much. It is really perfect for us fair skinned girls!
Yes, especially for us fair skinned girls who try to avoid the sun during the harshest part of the day. I like having some color on my skin, but definitely want to avoid skin damage 🙂