Summer Bronze: Your Guide to Bronzers, Part 1

If you’re living in a naturally warmer climate (cough, California!), it’s easy to confuse spring with the beginning of summer as blue skies dominate and the sun shimmers down.  But whether you’re jonesing for a touch of summer in your life or are already breaking out your booty shorts, bronzers are often turned towards for a subtle, sunkissed glow that is an earmark of summer and fun.

Urban Decay Baked Bronzer ($24.00) looks very much like a the famous MAC mineralize skinfinishes, so if that’s your bag… you should definitely get your butt to your nearest Sephora to check this out! What I like about the Baked bronzer is that you can use it either wet or dry, and using it wet won’t ruin your product or leave a wet stain/spot behind. I actually tried a coming-soon shade in Gilded, which will is part of Urban Decay’s Summer 2008 launch. Original shades Baked and Toasted are fairly uniform in color throughout the product, but Gilded has gold spun through it (very much reminiscent of MSFs!).

Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer ($23.50) is an ultra lightweight powder compact that goes on so smoothly and lasts awhile. I like that it comes in four shades, which gives possibilities to different shades to go for subtle bronzing or deeper color as they please. The compact is sleek and transportable, which is great for doing makeup on the run as I know many of us will be spending plenty o’ time outdoors once weather permits.

Xen-Tan Perfect Bronze Perfect Bronze ($28.00) is a velvety smooth bronzing powder that is designed to “never look orangey or pink, even on fair skins.” Unfortunately, as I’m nowhere near fair, I can’t report on the accuracy of that statement, but it does give me hope for those who have been hesitant about getting into bronzer because of the orange-effect.

Guerlain Terracotta ($42.00) is a luxurious bronzer (hello, it’s Guerlain) that is moisturizing and lasts all day. The powder is also supposed to help protect your skin against free radicals. According to Guerlain, “neutral bronze” is suitable for all skin colors, though the product does come in four shades. If you’re a fan of this brand and have extra cash in your wallet, this isn’t a bad item to splurge on. Though I personally find that for bronzing, since I rarely use straight bronzers by themselves, that I do not need a product like this (then again – it would last me eternity!).

Stay tuned for part two, with even more bronzers to choose from!

Find these bronzers and more at Nordstrom.com or Sephora.com.