Here's Exactly How to Apply Bronzer

Is there a person on this planet who doesn’t want that warm, just-got-back-from-vacation glow? (Especially this time of year.) Which is why we needed to find out precisely how to apply bronzer. But we're not talking about just the usual fluff-and-go default move. We're talking about the pro-approved, multi-step routine to learn how to apply bronzer flawlessly every single time. Admittedly, the bronzed look has recently had lackluster PR (think: Cheetos, Donald Trump), but there's nothing better than the sun-kissed look. The safe kind, of course.

---

More news on all thing bronze, shimmering, and how to get that other-worldly glow:

1. The Too Faced x KVD Better Together Cheek and Lip Set Is Every Blush Lover's Fantasy
2. This Highlighter Works on Every Single Skin Tone (We Tried It)
3. You'll Want at Least One of These Cheek Palettes in 2017 to Sculpt, Define, and Contour

---

1. Smooth on a liquid formula (think cream- or water-based) bronzer first to create an even canvas.

Yes, you read that correctly—sorry if we're blowing your minds that the first step in bronzing has nothing to do with a powder. “I like to start with a little cream bronzer,” says celebrity makeup artist Daniel Chinchilla, whose clients include Ariana Grande and Keke Palmer. “Layering it helps your makeup stay on all day.” He loves Vita Liberata Self Tanning Anti Age Serum ($45), which he says acts like a tinted primer, creates a very subtle glow allover, setting the stage (and your mug) up for a way more believable bronze. (The serum is also from the same line of self-tanners the Victoria's Secret Angels use, so you know it's gotta be really good.)

2. Define and build dimension with a contouring powder, stick, or cream.

Even if you have the bone structure of Cate Blanchett (you know, NBD) you still need to add definition. Chinchilla traces Tarte The Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer in Matte Finish ($24) just beneath the cheekbones and around the hairline. (Trace from inner cheekbones out, then extend up past your temples.) “It warms up the skin and gives it dimension,” he explains. Then, he uses a ($20) to buff the product into skin using circular motions to ensure the most natural-looking finish possible. (No idea where to start on your contouring journey? No judgment. We've got 15 of the best contouring palettes for newbies and pros alike.)

3. Blend with some powder bronzer to dial up the warmth.

As if we would stop at a single application of bronzer. (I mean, come on. We're dying to look fresh from the beach here.) For the next step, Chinchilla uses the best-selling Sigma F40 Large Angled Contour Brush ($23) to layer a matte formula, such as Too Faced Sun Bunny ($30) from your temples down to your cheeks, which gives warmth without turning your whole face bronze. Make sure to tap off the excess bronzer off of your makeup brush before you sweep it over your face, he says. “A little goes a long way.”

4. Get glowing with a few careful, final swipes of highlighter.

Think of highlighter as the yin to bronzer’s yang. “I always finish the look off with golden highlighter on top of the cheekbones and down the center of the nose,” says Chinchilla. He uses the Anastasia Glow Kit in That Glow ($40). The strobing palette comes with four different pigments (as does its sister palette, Gleam), all of which you can mix together to create your own custom color, he suggests.

And just like that, you look like you spent a few weeks frolicking on the shores of the Indian Ocean at a resort in Bora Bora. Or something similar.

---

Now, watch this video where Marianna Hewitt teaches us her way of mastering the J.Lo glow: