Best Bronzers

Bronzers on trial

There are many reasons why bronzers are brilliant; because the British summer can rarely be relied upon to give you a sun-kissed glow, because tanning the traditional way does your skin no favours, because your complexion can look a little dull in the mornings, because it can give you cheekbones, because it can make your skin glow even on a hangover day...and we could go on.

The smart girl\'s way to gorgeously glowing skin, the mighty bronzer is truly a beauty must-have and there are a mind-boggling array of them out there to choose from. Which is exactly why we\'ve done all the hard work for you when we test-drove the lot to bring your our top picks.

Read on to find out which bronzers made the cut...

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Urban Decay Gilded Baked Bronzer

\'I\'ve been testing Urban Decay\'s Gilded Baked Bronzer. It has a great texture, not too heavy and applies easily and evenly, although it has got a gold shimmer running through the block so I only highlighted my cheeks and put a small \'swoosh\' across my brow, nose and chin which gave a great golden, highlighting glow. It\'s a great bronzer for evening wear and comes in a cute little compact\'.

Emma Shearing, Project Manager

Mark out of 10: 8

Price: £15

Stockist: Debenhams, Boots and House of Fraser

M.A.C Bronzing Powder

\'I love MAC make-up and I was once again impressed by this Bronzing Powder. I\'m all for golden cheeks and this bronzer certainly highlighted my skin, leaving it looking naturally tanned and glowing. It\'s very light and I didn\'t need to apply much to see the difference. It comes in a small little compact which is great as it fits easily in my make-up bag and I will definitely be using this again!\'

Vicky Trott, PA to Editor

Mark out of 10: 8

Price: £16.00

Stockist: 0870 034 2676 maccosmetics.co.uk

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer

\'I was testing Estēe Lauders Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer. It\'s a lovely light and powdery bronzer - and although it looks quite dark - once applied it didn\'t look really dark on my cheeks. Being a matte it didn\'t leave my face looking too shiny or glittery, just really natural and sunkissed! The packaging makes it look quite special and expensive plus there is a super big mirror which is great for applying all make-up, not just the bronzer! There is also a handy little bronzer brush tucked inside so you can\'t lose it!\'

Victoria Rolison, Senior Writer

Mark out of 10: 8

Price: £25

Stockist: Estēe Lauder counters nationwide and esteelauder.co.uk

Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer

\'I love Clinique products, so I was keen to try this bronzer. It looked shimmery in the compact (which has a handy mirror and brush) but didn\'t look too glittery once it was on my face. It\'s a light powder but it was probably a little too dark for my fair skin so I had to make sure I blended it in really well and didn\'t use too much - I probably need a lighter shade as this was 004. The packaging is really sleek though, and the brush even has its own little pouch - very cute!\'

Lisa Wazejewski, Deputy Chief Sub Editor

Mark out of 10: 7

Price: £17.50

Stockist: 0870 034 2566 cliniquepressoffice.co.uk

Best Bronzers - Laura Mercier Bronzing Duo

\'You know you\'re in good hands with a Laura Mercier product. I\'m a huge fan of their Secret Camouflage concealer and couldn\'t wait to see how the bronzer performed. It comes in a two-tone compact (with handy mirror) with one light tan shade and one delicate coral so you can swipe your brush over one, the other or both depending on preference, colour or mood. The bronzing powder is very silky and fine and has a gorgeous subtle shimmer to it that nicely picks out cheek and brow bones rather than that matt, one-dimensional look of some bronzers. It\'s very easy to apply and goes on lightly so you can build up colour for a lovely natural finish. My new favourite bronzer, it is a bit of a treat money-wise but really is a fantastic complexion booster and especially brilliant on those mornings when you don\'t have much time for make-up but need to give your skin a little help.\'

Clare Gill, Web Editor

Mark out of 10: 9

Price: £25

Stockist: Available on counter nationwide / lauramercier.com

Too Faced Bronzed and Beautiful Palette

‘This really is the grand daddy of bronzing powders. With its cute vintage-esque packaging and beach inspired insert, this three-fold bronzing compact containing Too Faced\'s three best selling bronzing powders is a must for any make up collection and will keep you glowing from summer through to winter. Snow Bunny with its pastel coloured stripes is perfect for when you just need a little bit of a glow, say before you\'ve got a tan or when you want to look healthy rather than sun-kissed. Sun Bunny is a double matt/shine bronzer great for topping up that holiday glow. Pink Leopard is for hard core bronzers, it\'s a little on the dark side for me, but then again I am pale and freckly. The only criticism I have of it is it\'s rather big and bulky to take away with you - it\'s more of a bronzer to keep on your dressing table!\'

Marie-Claire Dorking, Features Editor

Mark out of 10: 8

Price: £21

Stockist: Boots, Debenhams and House of Fraser

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\'It was really exciting to try this bronzer as it looked almost good enough to eat- the swirly blend of browns and pinks. The texture was very light and powdery and it had a slight shimmer but built up naturally and over all gave a natural look. You could either apply it lightly all over your face, or more heavily just on your cheek bones. It\'s really easy to blend onto your cheeks and with a pinky tint it gave a pretty finish. It comes with a great mirror in a light white contemporary box.\'

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Catherine Bennion-Pedley, Features team

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Mark out of 10: 7.5

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(Just because it\'s quite pricey, but it beats my usual high-street brand hands down. Would make a great present or treat for yourself...)

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Price: £19

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Stockist: feelunique.com

Paul & Joe\'s 002 Goddess Bronzer

\'Paul & Joe\'s Goddess bronzer comes in a fabulous eye-catching little compact making it hard to resist! The bronzer gave me a lovely natural, shimmery glow, but I did prefer applying it with a brush than the little pad it comes with as it was quite dark and i wanted to avoid any streaks across my cheeks!\'

Ann Ho, Designer

Mark out of 10: 7

Price: £21

Stockist: PAUL & JOE BEAUTE are available from asos.com, Fenwicks and Harrods

L\'oreal Glam Bronze Pearl Minerals

\'I was testing L\'Oreal Glam Bronze Pearl Minerals. I think this is a great bronzer as you can really build up a tanned look, but I did have to apply quite a lot to see a result. The pearls help to highlight your cheeks and its perfect for popping in your handbag as it has a brush inside the lid. The only tricky thing is stopping the little balls from rolling around!\'

Emma Justice, Deputy Editor

Mark out of 10: 7

Price: £13.99

Stockist: available nationwide / loreal.co.uk

No 7 Starfish Bronzing Powder

\'I was testing No7 Starfish Bronzing powder, the texture was nice and light, and the duel palette meant I could make it darker or more shimmery depending on the time of day. The packaging was quite bulky, but really lightweight and practical, with a decent sized mirror inside\'.

Oonagh Weldon, Project Executive

Mark out of 10: 7

Price: £12.30

Stockist: boots.com / Boots Nationwide

Rimmel 3 in 1 Shimmering Bronzer

\'I was testing the Rimmel 3in1 shimmering bronzer and I was really impressed! It\'s made up of 6 segments of differing shades, so you can use the whole selection to give a good all over glow. But also, you can then just sweep your brush in the lighter or darker bits to highlight/add definition where necessary. It had a touch of shimmer which was nice to making your skin seem a bit more radiant (especially when you\'re feeling tired!!). And it had a very light feel too, so you didn\'t feel caked in make-up\'.

Tanita Montgomery, Art Editor

Mark out of 10: 8

Price: £5.99

Stockist: rimmellondon.com or available from all leading department stores and pharmacies nationwide.

Chantecaille Compact Soleil Bronzer

\'I have struggled in the past to find a bronzer that doesn\'t leave me so shimmery that I start to attract magpies! This one was perfect as the glow was subtle but the colour rich enough to give my complexion a lift without looking like I had been \'tangoed\'. I absolutely loved the packaging; understated chrome casing. At £32 it is a bit pricey but worth it I think for a product that I wear pretty much every day\'.

Alexandra Heath, Advertising Manager

Mark out of 10: 9

Price: £32

Stockist: Harrods / Fenwicks