The best bronzer, 2020

By Sarah Joan Ross on 10/6/2020

Bronzers are the quickest route to a healthy-looking luminosity and can brighten up your face in an instant.
Formulas are now even more realistic and offer buildable coverage so you can always do some clever contouring too. It's just about getting the right hue and product for you.
These are the ultimate creams, gels and powders to create a sunnier disposition. Discover our favourite bronzers you can buy for 2020 below.

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How to apply bronzer the right way

Don't apply bronzer in the same way as your blusher – most formulations will scream ersatz tan rather than kissed by the sun.

Make-up artist Gucci Westman suggests: 'Sweep bronzer in a horizontal motion over the cheeks, eyelids, temples and forehead – anywhere the sun would naturally hit – and not below the cheekbones. But don't forget to apply to your neck and collarbones if they're showing.'

Chanel Les Beige Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream, £42

A sophisticated and super-light cream-gel formula that looks like second-skin – only better. It's buildable, with a glowy-meets-matt finish and, we have to say, pretty much klutz-proof for anyone with alabaster to medium skin tones.

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream, £42 – buy here

Atelier Westman Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer, Coup de Soleil, £69

The on-set staple that make-up artist Gucci Westman reaches for to give Hollywood clients like Anne Hathaway and Alicia Vikander the look of radiant, über-natural skin is this matte-but-not-flat bronzing powder. It's great for drier skin types; it won't drag and adds some hydration courtesy of the mango seed butter. The best bronzer for pale to medium skin tones and mature skin too.

Atelier Westman Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer, Coup de Soleil, £69 – buy here

Bobbi Brown Bobbi Brown Summer Glow Collection, £28

Bobbi Brown Summer Glow Collection Medium/Telluride Bronzer, £28

On editorial shoots, make-up artists often finish bronzy looks with a final 'pop' of colour on the apples of the cheeks, to give face a fresh, outdoorsy feel. This trick is perfectly captured in Bobbi Brown's compact that houses a decent skin-contouring base shade, with a pop of pink or mauve to add a dose of freshness.

Bobbi Brown Summer Glow Collection Medium/Telluride Bronzer, £28 – buy here

Huda Beauty Tantour, £26

A creamy formula that is long-lasting, sweat and water-resistant and the shade range is excellent for light to melanin-rich skin tones. For oilier skin types that tend to dissolve make-up in a matter of seconds, the stay-put cream is especially beneficial and solves the bronzer vs contour conundrum.

Huda Beauty Tantour, £26 – buy here

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Matte Glow Bronzing Trio, £34

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Matte & Glow Bronzing Trio, £34

This super-versatile compact comes with two matte tan shades (one medium and another deep), so you can intensify the colour according to your current skin tone. Plus, a glow-giving highlighter will add sheen to cheekbones, eyes and the bridge of the nose.

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Matte & Glow Bronzing Trio, £34 – buy here

Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer, £28

A sheer cream bronzer that comes in seven skin-flattering shades and is the best bronzer for dark skin, fair and olive tones too. You can apply with your fingers or a brush, under or over foundation and it melts into skin to offer a dewy finish.

Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer, £28 – buy here

Clarins Limited Edition Bronzing Compact Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder, £32

This customisable bronzing palette will keep your tan alive all year long with three skin-warming and mattifying shades. It also comes with anti-pollution protection and micro-patches of botanicals to keep skin hydrated. The compact case is pretty, too, with the exotic Moorish vibe.

Clarins Limited Edition Bronzing Compact Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder, £32 – buy here

Huda Beauty Dual-Ended Contour & Bronze Complexion Brush, £23

The title of best bronzing brush goes to the dual-ended creation from Huda Kattan. It allows you to create definition on the cheekbones and the eyes for a touch of concentrated colour, while the big-ended brush makes formulas a breeze to buff in.

Huda Beauty Dual-Ended Contour & Bronze Complexion Brush, £23 – buy here

The best bronzer, 2020

How to apply bronzer the right way

Chanel Les Beige Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream, £42

Atelier Westman Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer, Coup de Soleil, £69

Bobbi Brown Summer Glow Collection Medium/Telluride Bronzer, £28

Huda Beauty Tantour, £26

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Matte & Glow Bronzing Trio, £34

Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer, £28

Clarins Limited Edition Bronzing Compact Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder, £32

Huda Beauty Dual-Ended Contour & Bronze Complexion Brush, £23

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The best bronzer, 2020

How to apply bronzer the right way

Chanel Les Beige Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream, £42

​Atelier Westman Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer, Coup de Soleil, £69

​Bobbi Brown Summer Glow Collection Medium/Telluride Bronzer, £28

​Huda Beauty Tantour, £26

​Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Matte & Glow Bronzing Trio, £34

​Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer, £28

Clarins Limited Edition Bronzing Compact Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder, £32

​Huda Beauty Dual-Ended Contour & Bronze Complexion Brush, £23

Beauty

Tanning

Bronzer

Make-up

The Beauty Director’s super six buys for summer

Best fake tans 2020

The Beauty Director’s Edit: June 2020

Brilliant black beauty brands to buy now, in the UK

The perfect at-home pedicure

How to dye, cut and care for your own hair when in isolation

Atelier Westman Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer, Coup de Soleil, £69

Bobbi Brown Summer Glow Collection Medium/Telluride Bronzer, £28

Huda Beauty Tantour, £26

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Matte & Glow Bronzing Trio, £34

Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer, £28

Huda Beauty Dual-Ended Contour & Bronze Complexion Brush, £23