Updated September 23, 2021
While some people are genetically blessed with naturally beautiful complexions, most of us need a little help to fake a sun kissed glow all year long. That’s where bronzer comes in! Bronzers give your face added warmth and dimension without having to spend hours outside in the sun or any money on expensive products – they’re one of the best drugstore makeup buys around!
There are so many amazing bronzers to be found, but I’ve narrowed it down to 8 drugstore bronzers (with one honorable mention!) for this post. I’m sure you will find one on this list to love!
Let’s get to the best drugstore bronzers for healthy sun kissed skin! We’ve got a lot of great products to cover!
Best Drugstore Bronzers
Best All-Around Drugstore Bronzer: Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer
The Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer is a popular bronzer and for good reason! It has a smooth, luxurious feel and it’s very easy to apply to the skin. I find that the butter bronzers have the absolute best formulas. The finish of this product is not flat matte – it has a healthy skin-like finish. The color payoff is also great and it blends well with other products. It also comes in a shade range which makes it accessible for a lot of skin tones. I use the shade “Bronzer” for my light skin, but there’s a “Light,” a “Deep” and even a few others with different undertones and finishes! I would definitely recommend this one for darker skin tones. I usually forget contour altogether, and I use this as my contour powder!
Best Drugstore Bronzer for Fair Skin: Milani Silky Matte Bronzing Powder
The Milani Silky Matte Bronzing Powder is an excellent choice for fair skin and lighter skin tones. The shade “02 Sun Kissed” is a light cool-toned shade that compliments very pale complexions. The powder itself has great color payoff, has a silky texture, and it’s buildable. This product also comes in more than one shade, but if you’re fair – definitely grab Sun Kissed! It gives the perfect natural look and subtle glow. A lot of makeup artists love this product, and for good reason! Milani is a cruelty-free and vegan brand.
Best Natural Warm-Toned Drugstore Bronzer: e.l.f. Primer Infused Bronzer
The e.l.f. Primer Infused Bronzer in the shade “Forever Sunkissed” has a silky matte finish but the neutral warm undertone is to be noted here! It’s really gorgeous. If cool toned bronzers tend to look too gray or muddy on you, this is a good bronzer to try. It’s very natural and healthy looking and easy to blend. It’s best suited for light to medium skin tones. It’ll also work well for sensitive skin and oily skin. e.l.f. is a cruelty-free and vegan brand.
Best Drugstore Bronzer Under $5: Wet ‘n Wild Color Icon Bronzer
Wet ‘n Wild is a brand that constantly impresses me! I love a good number of wet n wild products! I can’t get over how amazing their formulas are for such affordable prices. The Wet ‘n Wild Color Icon Bronzer is an excellent bronzer that has natural glow finish to it to give you that perfect beach glow. It’s easy to blend and super flattering on all skin types. I recommend the shade “Sunset Striptease.” Wet ‘n Wild is a cruelty-free brand.
Best Glowy Drugstore Bronzer: Makeup Revolution Bronzer Reloaded
I usually prefer to use a bronzer that has a satin-matte finish, but the Makeup Revolution Bronzer Reloaded is absolutely gorgeous! If you want to create a healthy glow and bronze at the same time, you’ll love this baked bronzer. The colors are really creamy and healthy looking, without making you look like disco balls. I don’t know about you, but I love a good skin glow. The shade “Reloaded Holiday Romance” is best suited for fair skin tones, and the shade “Reloaded Long Weekend” is suited for medium and tan skin tones. This one gives the best vacation glow! Makeup Revolution is a cruelty-free brand.
Best Drugstore Cream Bronzer Stick: Physicians Formula Sculpting Bronzer
Between all of my cream bronzers (including my high end ones), I always want to reach for the Physicians Formula Sculpting Bronzer first. The formula is incredibly creamy and blendable, and it’s so easy to work with. The best part of this bronzer is little bit goes a long way, but it will always blend out perfectly. I would totally recommend this one for dry skin. I love the shade Mocha – very neutral and will work with a lot of skin undertones.
Best Drugstore Cream Bronzer: e.l.f. Putty Bronzer
The e.l.f. Putty Bronzer is another amazing cream bronzer option. It’s creamy, blendable, and has a few different shades in the line to work with different skin tones and undertones. My favorite way to use this product is to dip in with a smaller synthetic brush and buff into the skin. Best of all, this is one of the most affordable drugstore cream bronzers at $6.00!
Best Drugstore Bronzer for Blondes: Essence Sun Club Matt Bronzing Powder
The Essence Sun Club Matt Bronzing Powder comes in two shades, and the lighter shade will work super well for very pale skin tones and blondes. If the Milani one on this list doesn’t work well for you, give the Essence one a try! The darker shade in this works better for me, but I don’t think it would work for darker skin tones. The darker shade has a red undertone to it and it’s beautiful. I also love how big this bronzer is – it’s the biggest bronzer in this bunch and only $4.99! Essence is a cruelty-free and vegan brand.
Honorable Mention: Maybelline City Bronzer
I had to give this pressed powder bronzer a mention! The Maybelline City Bronzer is a natural satin-matte powder that comes in 3 shades for light, medium, and deep skin tones. This is a gorgeous bronzer and I love that it comes in different colors based on skin tones!
There are best drugstore bronzer options for all skin tones and types. Your local drugstore is full of amazing products and I know you’ll be able to find the right bronzer for you! I hope that you were able to find the best one suited for your needs! If I missed any of your favorites, please let me know by leaving a comment! I’m here to help your makeup bag to be the best it’s ever been!
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Meg O.
Creator at Meg O. on the Go
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