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THE BEST BRONZERS FOR DARK SKIN

dark skinned model with chissled cheeks

When it comes to {bronzer} for dark skin, there’s been a historical lack of shades on offer. What adds warmth and life to lighter skin often shows up chalky on brown and black, so of course they’ve been side-lined. But the shades of today are something else.

From warm terracottas to deep chocolate browns, the bronzing scale now available for dark-skinned beauties adds life and dimension to your {complexion}, no matter how deep it is naturally. That beachy, sun-kissed glow is in reach!

With the help of the {Cult Concierge} experts, we’ve created this list of the 15 best bronzers for dark skin. Whether you’re well-versed in the powers of bronzer, or have yet to dive in, these formulas and hues have been hand-picked for their ability to make darker complexions somehow look even more beautiful.

 

THE 15 BEST BRONZERS FOR DARK SKIN

 

1.

Our number one bronzer for dark skin is {Milk Makeup}’s Matte Bronzer in that gorgeous Deep Bronze shade. Like summer in a stick, it offers as much beach-ready colour as a sun-drenched getaway. It’s super easy to apply, with a velvety smooth formula that blends into the skin with a natural finish. Simply swipe over your face and body for an all-over, effortlessly sun-kissed glow. This is the perfect pick for first timers and experts alike!

 

2.

If you like your complexion matte, but still glowing, this sumptuous copper-bronze bronzer from {Kosas} is your one true love. Buttery and hydrating with shea and meadowfoam oil, yet void of drying talc or silicones, it recreates that covetable golden hour light flooding through the window come evening time – only all day long. Think of it as a ray of sunshine in powder form (and without the skin damage)! We’ll take three.

 

3.

This deep shaded bronzer from {VIEVE} calls on slightly purple tones to give dimension to dark skin. With this multitasker, you get two for the price of one, with one powder for adding warmth and another for sculpting. Deliciously silky and buttery, the bronzer glides effortlessly onto skin, blending expertly and instantly lending a natural, lit-from-within glow that’ll have people asking if you just hopped off the plane from Spain. (We wish!).

 

4.

Achieve instantly sun-kissed skin with this glow-giving cream bronzer for dark skin from {Charlotte Tilbury}. It’s super pigmented, but so easy to blend, with a creamy texture that melts deliciously into the skin. It has the perfect amount of warmth, with no orange in sight, just a sun-kissed glow!  More than just {make up}, this bronzer is ultra-hydrating too! Get ready to bask in the most mesmerising glow of your life.

 

5.

Before you think we’ve messed up here, we know this is called a contour…but its warm shades make it absolutely perfect for bronzing dark skin too! It has an amazing medium and deep shade range, and it’s brilliantly blendable and buildable, allowing you to customise coverage exactly how you want. With its creamy consistency and infusion of skin-friendly ingredients (think: dew-boosting, line-smoothing hyaluronic acid, conditioning vitamin E and replenishing meadowfoam seed oil), it’s easy to use AND it’s super nourishing too!

 

6.

Going above and beyond your average bronzer, this powder formula (in the shade deep) is infused with hyaluronic acid and fine-as-air pigments to blur skin into matte perfection while adding a beautiful warmth. It’s incredibly smooth, blends easily and works with every foundation that we’ve tried it with! Build it up to reach contour-level or simply leave it as a natural and warm bronze flush.

 

7.

For a bronzer that doubles up as a {skin care} saviour, look no further than this cream bronzer in the shade 1 from {LYS Beauty}. This velvety formula is infused with skin-loving ingredients (hello niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate and green tea extract) that nourish your skin while sculpting and adding that ever-coveted sun-kissed glow. It leaves a matte finish on your skin, so it’s ideal for oily-skinned beauties who want to try out a cream texture without adding extra shine to their complexion.

 

8.

Inspired by that moment when the sun sets over the ocean, this blendable, buildable illuminating cream bronzer achieves an effortless summer glow. Laced with skin-loving ingredients like mango butter and green tea extract, it conditions your skin and melts in like butter, and it’s easy to blend onto the cheeks, eyes and lips. Pacific Coast is the deepest shade, but depending on your skin tone you might find Best Coast or West Coast to be your perfect match.

 

9.

Matte but not flat, this buttery formula grants an undetectable, just-stepped-off-the-beach sun-kissed warmth (without a hint of shimmer). Its finely milled powders blend effortlessly to blur fine lines and pores for a smoother, more even-looking complexion that’s never patchy! Take your pick from rich, warm, and warm deep bronze shades depending on your skin tone and undertone.

 

10.

This decadently creamy formula glides effortlessly across your skin to deliver that enviable just-came-back-from-holiday glow, whatever the weather. Blurring and blendable with a second-skin finish, you’ll achieve flawlessness every time, whether you apply it with your favourite brush or even your fingers! There are five skin-enhancing shades to choose from, but Laguna 3, 4 and 5 are all ideal for dark skin.

 

11.

Casting a perfect sun-kissed warmth and a radiant finish, {Huda Beauty}’s GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzing Powder swirls two glow-giving tones in one beautifully marbled pan. The skin-blurring bronzer blends effortlessly for a smooth finish, and it’s infused with conditioning ingredients like Damascus rose oil to hydrate and replenish your skin, as well as ensuring application is silky and seamless. Choose between shades 4 (Deep Tan) and 5 (Rich).

 

12.

Extremely creamy and blendable, this balmy bronzer gives a natural, velvety, sun-kissed finish. The formula is packed with skin-loving ingredients (think: organic colloidal oatmeal, silica, grapeseed oil, and elderberry extract) to moisturise, nourish and visibly balance skin. Choose from dark and deep bronze shades, and build to create your desired glow.

 

13.

Tantour is a gorgeous cream-to-powder formula that grants instant warmth to lacklustre complexions. Packed with pigment and blending like a dream, it can be layered to create anything from a subtle glow to dramatic definition. Hello, cheekbones! It’s sweat- and water-resistant and incredibly long-lasting – perfect for warmer climes, busy bees and no-fuss make up buffs! Choose from medium, tan or rich to suit your skin tone and undertone.

 

14.

Another contour/bronzer duo joins our ranking of the best bronzers for dark skin, in the form of {Patrick Ta}’s Major Sculpt Crème & Powder Bronzer Duo in deep. Use the creamy contour shade to sculpt and add dimension before warming up your skin with the powder bronzer. Diffusing with ease for the most realistic effect, the textures are beautifully buildable and completely customisable. Dial up the drama or bestow a natural, post-holiday glow.

 

15.

Miraculous by name, miraculous by nature. These little drops of sunshine are ideal for literally every skin tone, and they’re infused with antioxidants and fatty acids to protect, replenish, and boost skin’s defences…all delivered with a bronzed finish! Used neat they grant a mega glow, or mixed into moisturiser or foundation they bestow a lit-from-within finish. Either way, your skin looks luminous, healthy, and enviably bronzed – without any sun damage! This really is a miracle in a bottle.

 

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Cult Beauty

Cult Beauty

Writer and expert