It’s August and Summer is sorta wrapping up. Soon the weather will be cooler, the layers of clothes will be piling on and I’ll get to wear all the beanies I could ever dream of again. So isn’t this a weird time to start talking about bronzer? Nope. Even when your tan (real or fake) is long gone, bronzer can still bring dimension, life and glow to your look. Whether you’re naturally tan, or super pale a little bronzer is nice all year round. It’s all about choosing a versatile product using a lighter hand when your skin is more fair.

So what are the best bronzers that you can use all year? I’m glad you asked! These are my favorites:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Medium Deep:

• What It Is- Neutral, buildable matte bronzer
• Why It’s Awesome - The matte finish makes it versatile. You can use it around the hairline and across the nose and cheeks for a light tanned effect OR as a very diffused, light contour (although I don’t recommend this for a strong contour as it’s far too warm) or to warm up a contour color by dusting it between your contour and your blush for a smooth transition. The matte finish is not flat and chalky so it still looks very natural and glowy without and shimmer and did I mention it smells like chocolate? Yeah…yeah.
• The Extras - It is also available in a lighter milk chocolate shade for an even more subtle effect, and this little travel sized one has barely a dent in it after a few months worth of use, so you will get your money’s worth with the full sized version for sure.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer:

• What It Is - A neutral-warm matte bronzer.
• Why It’s Awesome - Much like the chocolate soleil bronzer, the matte finish makes it extremely versatile. It can be dusted across the nose, hairline and cheeks for a tanned look or used as a transition between your blush and contour, but I wouldn’t use this shade for a contour on it’s own because it’s a little more warm and less believable. That added warmth does have it’s benefits though, this is a great way to look seriously sunkissed without looking orange.
• The Extras - The little rectangular brush that comes in the compact is perfect to use separately with your contour color to get a nice, angular line under the cheekbone without much effort if that’s your thing. It’s very similar to the Nars #21 brush that’s so hard to get your hands on . . .and it comes with your Hoola bronzer for free, score!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light:

• What It Is - A light diffusing finishing powder in a golden beige shade that will add just a touch of color and warmth while making your skin look like a smooth airbrushed baby’s bottom. It’s available on its own or as a part of the Ambient lighting palette, which you can see from the picture above I’ve gotten a whole lot of use out of.
• Why It’s Awesome - The fact that this is a finishing powder with a slightly bronzed color is really where the strength lies. This is the most subtle of all the bronzers we’re talking about today, so you can dust it on wherever you want to look like you got a little touch of color without much worry, and it will add just a subtle warm glow. Meanwhile the fact that it’s a light diffusing finishing powder really perfects the way your skin appears so it takes the whole healthy glow thing to the next level.
• The Extras - Because this is so subtle even extremely pale girls may find that it works for them. The hint of subtle shimmer is great for giving a glowing effect to the skin, but because it is so subtle and finely milled it will still look great even in flash photography. Glow without the disco ball effect, high five!

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic

• What It is - A pearl finish illuminating bronzer with four colors that can be swirled together or used separately. This is definitely the most shimmery out of all the bronzers on this list. That being said, the shimmer is still subtle.
• Why It’s Awesome - The shimmer is just enough for it to be somewhat noticeable, but not greasy looking or like a golden Tin Man. It walks that fine line of shimmer content perfectly. This is great if you are planning to add some color to your cheeks with just bronzer instead of blush, because it has enough glow that it works as a built in highlight. Sort of a one stop shop for a quick glowy look. The four separate colors are also great because you can use them separately to customize your bronze, and the lightest shade even works great on it’s own as a cheekbone highlight.
• The Extras - I have brought this with me while traveling before and used it both for bronzing my cheeks and to create a a simple, bronzed eye look. You can really get creative and get a lot of use out of this, which is great for travel because the less you have to jam into that suitcase the better, am I right?

So those are (in my humble opinion) the best bronzers for all year round. They are all subtle but buildable, and generally very awesome. Just remember the paler the skin, the lighter the hand and you should be fine. Nobody will even notice that you’re bronzing your pale winter skin, they will just think you look glowy and dimensional all the time naturally.

Do you use bronzer all year round? Which ones do you like?