The best bronzers for fair skin

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The best bronzers for fair skin

  • Bronzer is great for bringing life to fair skin, but there’s a fine line between getting a sun-kissed glow and a botched spray tan.
  • Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer is one of the most natural-looking, versatile bronzers we’ve tried. There’s even a Lite version for ultra-fair complexions, though we’re partial to the original shade.

Like many fair-skinned individuals, if I step outside for even five minutes sans sunscreen, I can practically feel myself getting burned.

That’s why bronzer is my go-to makeup hack for livening up my decidedly un-tan complexion. Lydia Deetz from "Beetlejuice" might be my style icon, but not quite my beauty one. 

Nailing the right bronzer shade for fair skin can be tricky. You have to pay attention to color depth, pigmentation, and undertone. If a bronzer is fairly sheer, you can go a bit deeper with the color, but not too much — the number one thing you’d want to avoid is dusting your cheeks with powder that makes your face look like a tanning bed disaster.

Knowing your undertones is important for bronzer shopping too, no matter your skin tone. You’re basically looking for a shade that’s similar to your complexion — you know, if you were actually capable of getting a tan.

Here are the best bronzers for fair skin you can buy:

Keep scrolling to check out our top picks.

The best overall

Sephora

Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer is a totally matte and blendable bronzer that gives even the fairest of skin tones a natural sun-kissed look. 

Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer appears time and time again on "best bronzer" lists, and for very good reasons.

It’s 100% matte, blendable, pigmented, and super versatile. I’m quite fair so I use a light hand, but haven’t had any issues with veering into spray tan territory. For those who are extremely fair, the brand has launched Hoola Lite, which is lighter in both the shade and pigmentation departments.

While not as cool-toned as contouring powders, Hoola does work well for creating shadow and depth under your cheekbones, as well as imparting a wash of color across your cheekbones, jawline, and forehead.

"Benefit’s Hoola is milled so super fine that you can swish it all over the face without the fear of muddy-looking patches," writes Byrdie. Editors at TotalBeauty, Vogue UK, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Best Products are also fans. 

The bronzer has an average 4.5 rating at Sephora based on 2,800+ reviews. 

Pros: Matte finish, multiple shades for various skin tones, buildable, good for contouring 

Cons: Small amount of product in pan, included brush is low quality

The best without shimmer

Sephora

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Nude Bronze Light creates the perfect luminous glow for fair complexions without a trace of visible shimmer.

My all-time favorite bronzer for fair skin is Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in the shade Nude Bronze Light. The luminous finish is half-way between matte and shimmer-y. There are no discernible glitter particles, but the powder somehow creates a soft, subtle glow on my skin.

The Ambient Lighting Bronzer is actually comprised of the brand’s’ signature Ambient Lighting Powders mixed with bronze pigments to create the ideal natural sun-kissed glow. Nude Bronze Light is my go-to during the winter because the shade is very fair and the subtle luminosity brings life to my dry, dull skin that hasn’t seen the sun in three months (or, in my case, about 25 years).

Hourglass makes my favorite powder face products; they’re so finely milled and blendable that they look like a natural part of your face.

"This is the only bronzer I’ve ever used that gives a warm glow. It’s very natural looking even on the fairest of skin," writes one Sephora shopper. Get the Gloss calls it, "Ideal if you’re after a more lifted, glowing effect to the face."

Ambient Lighting Bronzer has also been featured by Glamour UK, Vogue UK, Best Products, Elle and has a 4.5 rating at Sephora with more than 700 reviews. It’s also a favorite of fair-skinned beauty vlogger Arna Alayne.

Pros: Subtle and natural glow without visible shimmer, cruelty free, huge pan

Cons: Expensive (though you get a lot of product), doesn’t include a brush

The best with shimmer

Sephora

Becca Sunlit Bronzer in Bali Sands is a soft golden-beige shade with delicate shimmer particles for a lit-from-within glow.

For a more overt glimmer, try Becca Sunlit Bronzer in Bali Sands.

If any beauty brand company knows how to do shimmer, it’s Becca. The brand’s newest range of bronzers utilize the same formula as the famous Shimmering Skin Perfectors, but with more subtle glow.

The powder is so soft and creamy that it blends like a total dream and melts into my skin for a natural look despite the fine shimmer particles. I have the shade Bali Sands, which is described as "soft golden-beige" geared toward the fairest complexions, and Capri Coast, which is ideal for light-to-medium skin tones. 

"This makes me look like I have been kissed by the sun in such a natural way. Just a beautiful, subtle tan. It’s very smooth, blends easily, and is not orange in the least," writes one Sephora shopper, who describes the shimmer as, "very, very fine."

The product has 4.7 stars based on almost 300 Sephora reviews. It’s also our top pick for best bronzer overall, and has been featured on PopSugar and Glamour UK.

Pros: Subtle shimmer, two shades suited for fair to light skin tones, no parabens or sulfates

Cons: Expensive

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Source: Business Insider – mgokey@businessinsider.com (Erin Mayer)

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