bronzer | My Make Up Trunk

If you know me you’ll know I am a HUGE bronzer fan and it’s probably my favourite part of putting make up on. I’ve gone through the stages of looking like an orange disco ball, looking like I have mud smeared on my cheekbones and everything else. I now believe I’ve almost mastered the art contouring/bronzing, I’ve tried both high end an low end bronzers and the product I’m about to review is honestly one of the best I’ve ever tried.

That product is the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny , this retails at £1.99, is extremely pigmented and is completely matte! The shade sunny is a light taupe colour with the perfect amount of brown and orange in it, it’s works great on both light to medium skin tones. It’s rare to find drugstore bronzers that aren’t packed with shimmer which is why the NYC bronzer is so popular. The matte finish makes it great for contouring as well as given an all over subtle bronzed look.

Another reason I love this bronzer is how great it works as an eyeshadow, which makes it handy when travelling. it looks amazing applied to the crease with a blending brush and also acts as a great transition shade!

I think contouring and highlighting a face can make a huge difference and I for one feel like it completes my make up look. Contouring is the art of enhancing your cheekbones with a matte taupe/brown powder or cream. This can make your cheekbones stand out more and make your face appear slimmer. Highlighting is done by applying a lighter product under your eyes and above the cheekbone to highlight the areas. In this post I’m going to show you how I achieve a natural contour and highlight using powder and a more dramatic contour using cream products.

Natural Contour & Highlight
1. Apply base make up such as foundation, powder etc. Some people prefer to apply their contour and highlight under their foundation but I feel like it looks better on top and stands out more.
2. Apply a concealer 1/2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone under your eyes in a triangle shape.
3. Take a matte bronzer/contour powder and apply it lightly underneath your cheekbones (you can make a fish face to find them). Then bring the powder up onto your temples and along your jawline.
4. Apply a warmer bronzer (one with a more orange tone) to warm your face up. (This step is optional)

Dramatic Contour & Highlight
1. Apply your foundation but don’t powder your face yet.
2. Using a concealer that is 1/2 shades lighter than your skintone highlight under your eyes in a triangle shape, along the bridge of your nose, your chin and on your forehead.
3. Using a cream bronzer, darker foundation or concealer place this under your cheekbones, on your temples, jaw line and either side of your nose.
4. After this is all buffed into the skin, set your highlight with a light powder and your contour with a matte bronzer to make sure it stays in place all day.
5. Apply a powder highlighter to the tops of your cheekbones using a fan brush.