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1

Jones Road The Bronzer

Silky and warming, this bronzer delivers summer sunshine in one swish of a brush. The colour (there are seven) is realistic and buildable, perfect for a full face or worn alone. Plus, it won a Cosmo Summer Beauty Award in 2023 – that's when you know it's real good!

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2

e.l.f. Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand

It's the beginning of the month, you've just hit pan on your favourite bronzer and yet your monthly wage is already heading towards an overdraft... *raises hand*.

Well, if you're looking for great beauty buys but are on a budget (no, bc same) then we recommend e.l.f.'s Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand. Not only is it super easy to blend on top of foundation, but the tones are just right for creating a chiselled cheek-meets-summer glow.

And at under a tenner, how can one complain? Say it with me now: affordable beauty need not be mediocre!

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3

Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer 7g

Available in eight shades, from a light sandy brown to a deep, terracotta bronze, this weightless cream-to-powder stick glides on effortlessly and blends like a dream.

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4

NARS Bronzing Cream

Inspired by its bestselling powder bronzer, this creamy formula by Nars blends seamlessly for a just-got-back-from-Greece glow – even if the closest we're getting is by watching Location, Location, Location. Oh, and again, this won a Cosmo Beauty Award! 'Tis world-class.

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5

VIEVE Modern Bronzer

If you're going to purchase one product from the VIEVE lineup, let it be the Modern Bronzer. With just a single swipe across the two with a fluffy brush, you are to look like you've just come back from a week in the Bahamas – that's a good few hundred pounds saved! Not only is the mirrored compact enclosed in a gorgeous case, but the pans are made to last for their highly pigmented finish.

Though, if shaping and contouring are more your thing, see to the cooler of the two shades to chisel out your cheekbones. A win-win.

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6

Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk'r Instant Warmth Bronzer 6.23g

Not only do we love Rihanna for her otherworldly singer and performance skills, but for her next-level beauty formulas, too. Not to mention the shade range of nine different tones. One for everyone! And you, Glen Coco!

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7

VIEVE Modern Radiance Cream Bronzer 33g

Rivalling its powder formula, VIEVE launched a cream counterpart during the summer of last year. So, if you have a drier skin type and are after pigment and a natural sunkissed flush, this one is for you.

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8

Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer

Muddy finishes and hard-to-blend formulas can make contouring scary territory, but the hard work is taken away with Milk Makeup's creamy, easy-to-use mini sticks.

Oh and once again (soz to keep banging on about it), but this, too, won a Cosmo Beauty Award. Nothing but the best here, folks.

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9

Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish Divine Bronzer

Pigmented? This bronzer is the very definition of the word. Mother Pat has her formulas down to a T as you need not ever hit pan on this beauty. Watch a full review via our very own Beauty Lab video series.

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10

Benefit Hoola Toasted Bronzer

While the original Hoola has been around since the dawn of tan, if you didn't already know, in recent years Benefit have expanded their range with a variety of bronzer shades.

'Toasted' is our fave out of the four and is great for those with darker complexions.

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11

REFY Cream Bronzer

Cream bronzers are a tricky one to navigate. They’re either too muddy, too warm-toned or so stiff that blending them into your skin lifts your foundation and you’re left looking as blotchy as the world globe.

Refy's cream bronzer, however, offers three flattering shades that are also totally wearable thanks to the natural-looking sun-kissed finish. Equally, the ultra-creamy formula seamlessly melts into your skin.

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12

Too Faced Soleil Bronzer - Milk Chocolate 8g

When your natural complexion is ghostly pale like mine, a lot of bronzers can come off as too orange or too red on the skin. Not this one, though. The light-gold, matte powder flatters fair skin giving a subtle warmth aaand it doubles up as an eyeshadow, too. Apply it in the morning and it'll stay put all day – yes, even on oily complexions.

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13

delilah Sunset Matt Bronzer

If your skin has pink undertones it can be difficult to find a flattering shade of bronzer – too warm and it comes off orange, too cool and it can leave you looking a little, well, greyish. Delilah's bronzing powder has a subtle cool undertone that falls perfectly in the middle, flattering fair skin whilst giving a soft sun-kissed warmth.

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14

Bobbi Brown Bronzing powder

If you’re looking for a non-ashy, perfectly blendable matte bronzer then look no further. I’ve found that a lot of matte bronzers peddle the line of being too powdery and giving off a grey cast on darker skin tone but this doesn't. There are eight shade offerings in this bronzer, ranging from 'Natural' to 'Deep'.

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15

Guerlain Terracotta The Bronzing Powder 10g

For a small(ish) bronzer, this one's kinda on the pricey side. That being said, the formula is so blendable it all but melts into the skin – making applying your morning face hella easy.

The powder claims to be waterproof, and whilst I didn't dunk my face into a bowl of water to test its lasting power, I can say that it stayed put to the end of the day without going patchy.

 Victoria Jowett is an award-winning journalist and the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work in beauty journalism and oversees the , , and content across all of Cosmopolitan’s platforms. She's worked in the beauty industry for over 13 years (and tested 1000s of products), making her an expert when it comes to recommending beauty brands that truly work. Having started her career working weekends on a makeup counter, Victoria began interning at the likes of and , before landing her first Beauty Writer job at weekly fashion magazine, LOOK. Joining Cosmopolitan in 2016, Victoria has always remained a beauty fanatic and has been lucky enough to interview everyone from Britney Spears to Kourtney Kardashian about their beauty routines. Follow her on LinkedIn.

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