Is it just me, or have bronzing drops been everywhere lately? Although some products have been around for a few years, bronzing drops are suddenly the It makeup item, ready to give you a glowing visage as you head into summer.
The Best Bronzing Drops
So what’s the difference between bronzing drops and cream bronzers? The texture of drops is more liquidlike, so they can be used in multiple ways. “Bronzing drops are an all-over soft bronzer [often applied] before makeup,” says celebrity makeup artist Colby Smith. Although it depends on the exact formula, you can usually use bronzing drops on their own, mixed with your moisturizer, or blended with foundation. “A lot of the bronzing drops out right now have added skincare benefits too,” adds celebrity makeup artist Glenn Brownell.
After Bazaar’s beauty team and I tested dozens of the most viral bronzing drops, I caught up with Smith and Brownell to get their picks for the best bronzing drops for a summer glow you love.
Pros
Also has antioxidant benefits
Cons
This cult-favorite bronzy serum adds a lit-from-within glow when used solo or mixed in with your moisturizer. Plus—get this—it contains a chronopeptide that actually mimics the benefits you get from vitamin D from the sun.
Best for: Normal, dry, combination, and oily skin types
What experts are saying: “There’s a reason these drops started a bronzing revolution. I love adding the Drunk Elephant serum to my moisturizer or sunscreen to create a bronze luminosity on no-makeup makeup days. The color lasts all day and never gets patchy, which is hard to achieve with tinted serums.” —Katie Intner, associate beauty editor
Customer review: “Can never even leave the house without these bronzing drops. I don’t even bother to put makeup on when I wear this. Literally an instant tan/bronzer. U just can never go wrong with it!” —reivenA
Pros
Made with vitamin E, marula oil, and raspberry seed oil
Cons
These affordable ($12) drops add warmth without looking fake. They come in three shades—rose gold, pure gold, and copper gold—to suit your skin tone and undertones.
Best for: Oily, dry, and combination skin types
What experts are saying: “These drops are so easy to use and, at only $12, the easiest way to see if the bronzing drop trend is right for you. Though they’re affordable, they don’t skimp on skincare ingredients, with vitamin E and sunflower seed oil in the formula to help skin really glow.” —Jenna Rosenstein, beauty director
Customer review: “Really good formula. I loved how I was able to blend with my fingers and it was streak-free. Truly recommend the tone it gives it's truly natural looking. Def recommend!” —fortuna
Pros
Sheer gel texture
Cons
Some reviewers say it can feel sticky.
Smith says this skincare/makeup hybrid formula—a riff on Glow Recipes’ best-selling niacinamide dew drops—creates the “most effortless bronze.” Adds the makeup artist of the sheer gel formula: “Bonus, they match all skin tones!”
Best for: Normal, dry, combination, and oily skin types
Customer review: “Don’t be scared off by the pigment when you first pump the product out, this goes on very sheer and I love how natural this looks on the face, it gives off that perfect healthy summer glow.” —ileana01
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Pros
Formulated with antioxidants
Cons
Not only do these drops have an almost molten sheen, Brownell points out they’re also boosted with skincare ingredients like vitamin E and barrier-reinforcing apricot extract.
What experts are saying: “I love to mix a drop or two of these bronzing drops into my moisturizer when I feel particularly dull or lifeless. It gives my skin the prettiest golden sheen without looking too bronze or warm. Plus, isn’t the packaging so chic?” —JR
Pros
Comes in three pretty shades
Cons
Brownell says these silky drops “instantly perk up the skin, giving an ethereal, sun-kissed sheen that’s beautiful worn all over to cheat a bit of a tan, mixed with foundation, or as a targeted bronze glow on the cheeks.” There are skincare benefits, too. “I also like that it’s formulated with vitamin C, which will even and brighten your complexion over time,” says the pro.
Best for: All skin types
Customer review: “I love this product! I don’t wear foundation and find that this gives me a perfect glow with a nice hint of color!” —Julie E.
Pros
Lightweight and sheer
Cons
In true Fenty Beauty by Rihanna form, this range of drops—which includes both highlighters and bronzers—is made with all skin tones in mind. They add just the right amount of glow, so you look radiant, not sweaty.
Customer review: “I love this product alone and under light makeup, like concealer and powder. Looks super natural and glowy like natural, sunkissed, youthful skin.” —JVERA
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Pros
Packed with skincare ingredients
Cons
I’ve been using Tula’s new bronzing drops, which are as hydrating as they are radiance-boosting, thanks to copper peptides, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidant-rich green tea. I’m pale, so just one pump is plenty, but they’re buildable.
Best for: Oily, combination, mature, dry, and balanced skin types
This teeny bottle—it’s barely larger than a pack of gum—packs a ton of glow. Add just a couple of drops of the vitamin C–infused formula to your moisturizer for that “instant vacay” look.
Best for: All skin types
Customer review: “I use this product mixed into my moisturizer when self-tanned and post-vacation. It gives a light wash of color and blends out perfectly without being splotchy. This is the first bronzing drop formula I’ve tried and it was a home run.” —Erin
Pros
Also great for contouring
Cons
If you swear by Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation, you’ll be thrilled to know the luxury brand makes bronzer drops too. (In fact, the Armani drops were among the first.) The shimmer-free formula comes in three shades and has a serum-style texture for easy blending and a skinlike finish.
What experts are saying: “I am obsessed with Armani’s Luminous Silk foundation—I even wore it on my wedding day, so I jumped at the chance to try these liquid bronzers when they first launched years ago. The liquid formula is so silky and soft, but it dries down to a more satin, powderlike finish than the other drops on this list, if that’s more your thing. Overall, the skinlike finish is so beautiful.” —JR
Customer review: “If you remember Armani maestro liquid summer. This is like it - the most beautiful liquid bronzer that blends seamlessly. I hope they never discontinue it. It dries down so nicely. I am obsessed.” —michycakes
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Pros
Made with hydrating ingredients
Cons
Four shades of these drops—from pale champagne to rich bronze—mean every skin tone can get that tropical-vacay glow. Plus, they give you a super-fine shimmer that not even an island getaway can provide.
Customer review: “I absolutely love the glow drops for a subtle sunkissed look. I was afraid the drops would be too dewy for my combination skin, but that’s not the case. The outcome is a soft, natural looking tan, very pretty.” —Liz C.
Meet the Experts
- Colby Smith is a celebrity makeup artist based in New York.
- Glenn Brownell is a celebrity makeup artist based in New York.
How do you apply bronzing drops?
You can use most bronzing drops on their own or mixed in with moisturizer or foundation. “I like to work it in with my hands like a moisturizer, after skincare and before foundation or concealer, to give some warmth to the skin,” says Brownell, who says to pay “extra attention to where the sun would naturally hit the face, like above your cheeks, forehead, and bridge of the nose, to give ‘vacation skin.’ ”
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Lindy Segal
Lindy Segal is a beauty writer and editor. In addition to regularly contributing to BAZAAR.COM, she also writes for Glamour, People, WhoWhatWear, and Fashionista, among other publications. She lives in New York City with her Chihuahua mix, Barney.