ILIA NightLite Bronzing Powder: A Talc Free Natural Bronzer

NightLite Bronzing Powder: A beautifully clean bronzer.

Clean beauty brand ILIA is new-ish to the scene with powder face enhancers. But, they’ve made quite an entrance. Launched in 2020, their NightLite Bronzing Powder is a matte, talc free powder bronzer that can give you anything from a sun kissed glow to a subtle contour. Talc free bronzers aren’t that easy to come by, and this is really one of the first good ones on the market. Those wanting a great clean bronzer for acne prone or sensitive skin, you feel me. That includes one of our Milabu editors, Maddie, who has sensitive skin and has been on the hunt for a good powder bronzer for years: “I love it! It doesn’t break me out or irritate my acne prone skin.” 

But do I love it? Read on for my experience with NightLite Bronzing Powder. 

Quick Rating Rundown

This Product

(4.7)

:ILIA NightLite Bronzer

Price: $34.00

0.26 oz

Value

(4)

Application

(4.6)

Finish

(4.6)

Longevity

(4.2)

Extra Benefits

(5)

Industry Standard

(4.1)

:Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer

Price: $35.00

0.28 oz

Value

(4.1)

Application

(4.5)

Finish

(4.5)

Longevity

(4)

Extra Benefits

(3.6)

MILABU PICKS

(4.5+)

:The Best Foolproof Cream Bronzers

Price: $20 – $50

various sizes

Value

(4.5+)

Application

(4.5+)

Finish

(4.5+)

Longevity

(4.5+)

Extra Benefits

(4.5+)

_{Our Rating Criteria}

Promises vs. Performance: Sun kissed and dramatic contour.

ILIA NightLite Bronzing Powder is said to be versatile, delivering anything from a natural bronze to a sculpted contour, per ILIA’s website. It can even be used on the eyelids for a monochromatic look. This clean bronzer is fragrance free, vegan and cruelty free, and comes in four matte shades ranging from light tan (Drawn In) to deep tan (Songbird). It promises to be easily blendable, with a buttery soft texture and soft focus finish. This is all thanks to ingredients like moisturizing jojoba oil, smoothing silica, and matte mica (yep, no glitter or shimmer in this formula!).

At first glance, I was a bit worried the shade ILIA Bronzer in ‘Drawn In’ would be too warm on my skin, but I actually really like the color of this bronzer. It blends in easily and gives that sunny, just got back from the beach glow that we all want. The powder doesn’t cling to or disrupt any makeup underneath. Its pigment is buildable to achieve anything from a sun kissed glow to a more dramatic contour. I would give it about 8 hours of wear before it begins fading. But, it doesn’t accentuate texture, settle into pores, or fade unevenly.

How It Compares: Does this natural bronzer beat Benefit’s #1 Hoola Bronzer?

Is it better than the gold standard Benefit Hoola Bronzer? Not quite, but it’s a close second. The cult favorite Hoola Bronzer has been on the scene for over 20 years now and has earned its spot as top bronzer. Like NightLite Bronzing Powder, Hoola Bronzer comes in four shades. It also retails for a bit lower at $30 for the same amount of product versus $34 for ILIA. Hoola Bronzer has won many awards since its launch and continues to be a crowd favorite. 

It’s pretty rare to come across a natural bronzer, or any bronzer, that performs as well as Hoola. I think NightLite bronzer comes close, especially if you’re specifically looking for a talc free, vegan bronzer.

Comparison To Top Performers

Milabu Beauty Method: 2 brushes, 2 looks.

As I mentioned, this product can give you anything from a sun kissed glow to a dramatic contour. I’m going to give you my tips for achieving both.

For that just got back from the beach glow, we’re going to take a fluffy, tapered cheek brush to apply the product. One of my favorites is the Ulta Beauty Bronzer 21 Brush ($16).

1. A good rule of thumb is thinking of your face as a “3” or “E” when applying bronzer. This way, it hits the main points we want to put bronzer: forehead/hairline, just under the cheekbones, and our jawline.
2. Swirl your brush in the bronzer and tap off any excess.
3. Beginning just under your cheekbones, swirl the bronzer onto your skin, bringing it up and out towards your ears/hairline. This creates the illusion of chiseled, lifted cheekbones.
4. Next, apply bronzer around your hairline on your forehead and along your jawline. Don’t forget to blend down your neck!
5. For a little pizazz, swipe a bit on the top of you nose!

Now, let’s get that dramatic contour. For this, we’ll use a brush that isn’t as fluffy, like the Fenty 125 brush ($34). The same steps as above apply. Focus the product on the outer portions of your face, making sure to blend upward for a lifted effect. The denser bristles of this brush will deposit more product on the face, creating a deeper, more sculpted look. Layer as desired for deeper contour.

Tip: For even more dramatic contour, first use cream bronzer or a contour stick before applying the powder. My favorite is the Fenty Beauty Match Stix ($28).