13 Best Cream Bronzers, According to Makeup Artists & Glamour Editors

Both Glamour senior beauty editor Ariana Yaptangco and makeup artist Sabena Collier are fans of Chanel's luxurious bronzing cream. “It’s smooth and blends softly onto the skin," says Collier. “It’s lightweight and applies like a soft bronzed filter for a sun-kissed glow.”

Yaptangco agrees, adding that you'll want to stock up for summer. “This bronzer is like a vacation in a jar—it warms up my face without overpowering it and blends like a dream,” she says. “The formula is very buildable, so if I want to use it for contouring, I just apply a little extra. I take my makeup brush, swirl it around, and dab it into the hollows of my cheeks, jaw, and temples of my forehead.”

Dresher and Love Is Blind star Jessica Vestal are big fans of Dibs' two-in-one product. “She's invaluable,” Vestal told Glamour. “You can do so much with this. I have all the shades. My favorite shade is 2.5, because you can use it in any season.”

Dresher agrees, adding that it's a “desert island product” she can't live without. “Each bronzer shade has a built-in blush shade on the other end,” she says. “I also love their customer service, anyone can go on their site and get professionally shade matched by their team.”

For mature skin, Dresher recommends Tarte's bronzer stick, which has a thinner formula that doesn't enhance fine lines. “It's also perfect for drier skin types and its chubby pencil formula makes it easy to pack in your makeup bag,” she says. “I also love that it has a really inclusive shade range where the deepest shade will be able to bronze up the deepest of skin tones.”

Skin-loving ingredients like vitamins A, D, and E, and omega-6 fatty acids work to perfect your complexion over time. “This product is just so different than other cream bronzers,” says Dresher. “It really warms up the skin for a natural, effortless look. It's really sheer, so it blends out like a dream, and just blurs out the skin while adding some warmth to it.”

For a bit more coverage, Dresher recommends using a foundation stick to sculpt and add warmth. “This is what I use for my personal makeup whenever I am looking for a full glam moment,” she says. “This is a foundation stick and I love the added coverage I get when I add this to my temples and cheekbones.”

Collier also recommends using a foundation stick to bronze skin and loves Bobbi Brown's formula for its natural finish. “As a makeup artist, the Foundation Stick is one of the first products I reach for to sculpt and bronze my clients,” she says. “It works well with every skin type, melting into the skin like butter. Also, the formula is smooth, creamy, and buildable, which helps to cover dark spots or blemishes while bronzing.”

If you're a fan of contouring, you'll want to add Milk's stick bronzer to your beauty arsenal. “This formula blends so beautifully onto the skin giving a natural bronze,” says Collier. “It’s opaque, so a little goes a long way. It’s great for contour and sculpting and works perfectly on all skin types.”

Glamour senior West Coast editor Jessica Radloff loves Saie's Sun Melt, which has skin-loving ingredients like colloidal oatmeal and grapeseed oil to hydrate skin. The balm formula is sheer and buildable—perfect for no-makeup makeup looks—and leaves a dewy finish.

Tower28’s cream bronzer is a cult-favorite for a reason. “This bronzer is a little intimidating in the pan, but gently buffed onto your skin—I highly reccomend a stippling brush for the best effect—it's truly stunning,” says Glamour contributor Bella Cacciatore. “It has a balmlike texture that leaves a glossy glow and hint of shimmer. Although it's incredibly dewy, it's not sticky or greasy, and it makes you look alive in 2.5 seconds. You can use just a little for a sheer kiss of sun, or build it up for a really bronzy look that never looks fake, even on my fair skin. Since it's so glowy, I usually skip highlighter as well.”

For the most natural sun-kissed glow, Glamour's Yaptangco uses Merit's stick bronzer. “I apply it on the high points of my face—where the sun would naturally hit—then literally use my fingers to blend everything out,” she says. “It takes two seconds and gives me a healthy glow before running out the door."

This bronzer is not only clean and cruelty-free, but its pocket-size packaging also makes it perfect for glamming on the go. “Whenever I have to get ready in the car—which is more often than I'd like to admit—this teeny tiny bronzer always comes in handy,” says Glamour's Yaptangco. “It has the prettiest shimmer that's super subtle. My skin looks luminous and never overdone.”