Bronzer - Orange is the result of heavy handedness!

Do you bronze?, as in the facial warming of the features?
Do you contour sharp cheekbones that sculptors would dream of chiseling?
Do you glow with a healthy sunshine hued face?
Have you that iridescent warmth, the envy of all who pass you by?

If yes to any of the above then I'm pleased for you, really I am, I'm thrilled that you have never applied so much product that you are in competition with the tangerines waiting consumption in the fruit bowl.

Welcome to my world of bronzer .....................

Bronzer for me has never been a favourite, I have dipped in and out for years, from the time when orange was the only shade and it was thickly wiped onto the face. Oh the days of striped bronzer and blusher, thickly accentuating the face, ah the memories.

As a makeup artist the wonders of bronzer was never lost on me, it worked beautifully to give depth and accentuate the face. On my own face it just never quite looked as good as the work I did on others.
I achieved orange with ease, proper all out orange, blood orange if the light was really bad.
Having a round face didn't help, where on that roundness did the cheekbones lurk and once found how much bronzer would it take to create a contour?

By the time contouring was "the thing" I was happily into my forties, the roundness I had once loathed had slimmed away and left a round-ish face but the cheek bones didn't need a search party to find them any longer. Contouring made me look drawn, ill,  not my best look.  I played with varying colours and certainly the softer, gentler colours could add a little something but so easily could my heavy handiness create a bleak, hard edged face.
I found the general brushing of bronzer across the temples, a touch over the cheeks, down the nose, a brief 'hello' at the chin worked for my face.

Bronzers, contouring, warming, adding depth is all personal, we each see our faces in so many different ways, there is no right answer. If you like lot's of bronzer, then go forth and be orange, at least you are making you happy.
Years of makeup buying (my bank account is sighing loudly), applying makeup, working for a makeup brand and ultimately loving makeup even more than ever has taught me to do what feels right, buy the colour, the brand and make it work for you if you love it that much.

Bronzing isn't something I feel I need everyday but sometimes I like the warmth to my face, I like the hint of a tawny brown, a tangy hit of orange (but not too orange) or full on craziness with a brush that makes me remember the days of cheap lip gloss and bright orange stripes on the face.

Here's a list of some of my favourite bronzers.....

• Soap and Glory Solar Powder (great colour, soft and subtle with a highlighter to lift the and not leave a flat colour on the face. 
• Chanel Les Beiges -shade 4, quite dark, great for the hollows of the cheeks
• Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow, another combi palette, nice warm bronzer with a hint of shimmer, a little goes a long way, a great party bronzer.
• My Little Box bronzer, smooth, non-shimmer, warm tone, very subtle on the skin and easy to build colour strength, lovely texture that works well over the whole face.
• Too Faced Pink Leopard, a great combination of bronzer and blush, it's great to dilute the actual bronze finish, giving a great colour but warmth also. 
• Nars Laguna, this is probably the most talked about bronzer and in many ways I understand why, smooth in texture, great shade - it looks very dark in the pan, but has a soft warm beige tone and no shimmer. Superb all round product. 

Bronzers can used on the body, especially the ones with added shimmer, great if you wish to make a feature of your cleavage. 

I also love matte bronzer for eye shadow, it works well on the brow bone to bring the mobile lid colour and brow together. 

I strongly believe that all makeup can be used by any age just find a way that it works best for you. I will continue to have my love/hate relationship with bronzers but you can bet I'll find another that makes my heart beat faster and I'll be orange before you know it !