Sorry, But You've Totally Been Using Bronzer Wrong

I'll be the first to admit that I've made some pretty poor beauty decisions during my twenty-one years. There were the blue streaks in my hair during high school, the pink eye shadow that made me look diseased, my sophomore year lob... But one of my most unfortunate makeup looks would have to be the way I applied bronzer back in middle school AKA the era of bad beauty and fashion choices.

TBH, I'm pretty sure that if you touched my face back then, your fingertips would've left an impression. I thought the more makeup I threw all over my face, the more I would look like a tantalizing tan Victoria's Secret Angel. Yeah, not so much. Seriously what was wrong with me? But makeup misuse isn't just confined to the halls of junior high. Turns out, not a ton of people have their bronzer game down pat. But who could screw up bronzer, right? Don't you literally just brush it on your face? Easy-peasy... JUST KIDDING. While the proper way to use bronzer is definitely easy, there's a little more too it then just throwing the stuff on your face without any rhyme or reason. Just ask any of these bronzed beauties.

Bronzer is one of the most essential products every woman seems to have stashed in their makeup bag to give themselves a summer glow all year around. But no one seems to know how to actually use it! Strategically applying bronzer can you give a sun-kissed glow that looks as natural as if you just hopped off a private plane from Cabo, you little jetsetter. And focusing the product on key areas of the face does wayyy more for your bone structure. It's not exactly an art but there's definitely some rules that are worth following.

1. Gather Your Supplies

You'll need both a big, fluffy brush like this.

And a medium, angled brush like this. (PS: This insane manicure is just for Halloween. I swear.)

2. Get Your Glow On

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer, $30, Sephora

First achieve a natural, all-over-glow by applying a matte bronzer with your big, fluffy brush. A matte shade appears much more natural then dumping a ton of shimmery bronzer all over your face, especially during non-summer months. Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer is a favorite of mine. And the bigger the brush, the more natural and even coverage you'll receive. But don't just start brushing it on, heavy-handily! Instead, strategically dust it where the sun would naturally hit your face on a beautiful summer day: across your forehead, on your nose, cheeks, and a tiny bit on your chin.

3. Contour Those Cheekbones

Now that you've got your all-over-glow on point thanks to your matte bronzer, it's time to contour. Use a shimmery, gold bronzer like Bare Minerals Faux Tan to make your cheekbones pop.

Bare Minerals Faux Tan All Over, $21, Sephora

Take your angled brush and blend the powder up your cheekbones, starting at the apple of your cheeks and moving upwards to define them.

4. Don't Forget About Them Brow Bones!

We're almost done, I promise! Finally, you're going to use a warm, bronze highlighter like The Multiple by Nars in Orgasm or Lamu.

Nars The Multiple Multi-Purpose Make-Up Stick, $39, Sephora

Simply dab a finger into the product lightly, like I'm doing here and then blend it along your brow bones. See the two lightest eye shadow colors, here? Use them as your guide and apply the bronze highlighting product right where you see 'em.

Sorry to hear you've been doing it wrong your whole life (trust me, I was too for awhile there...) but now you've got the know-how and can give yourself a natural tan that'll flatter your face. Now get glowin'!

Images: Getty Images (1), Giphy.com (1), Sephora.com (1), kuuipo1207/Flickr (1)