Contour VS Bronzer: What’s What?

Venturing into the world of makeup can often feel like navigating a labyrinth of brushes, palettes, and techniques. Among the most pivotal and frequently misunderstood distinctions is that of ‘contour vs bronzer.’ Although they both serve to enhance and define the face’s structure, their application and effects are markedly different. This article aims to demystify the contour vs bronzer debate, providing clarity on how each technique can be employed to sculpt, define, and add warmth to your features. Whether you’re aiming for the chiseled cheekbones of a runway model or a sun-kissed glow reminiscent of a beach vacation, understanding the subtleties of contouring and bronzing is essential. Join us as we delve into the specifics of contour vs bronzer, guiding you through each strategy’s purposes, products, and practices to help you achieve your desired aesthetic with confidence.

Contour and bronzer makeup product are similar in terms of placement on the face, but both are used to achieve different effects. With contour, you’re adding dimension to your face. Think: sculpting, carving out the cheek bones, chiseled face. With bronzer, you want to add warmth to your face – that just got back from the beach sun kissed look. Together, the two layer and work together to sculpt and highlight the face. So, I hope this is stating to paint the picture of the differences between contour vs bronzer.

Application.

When talking about bronzer vs contour application, they are applied to the similar area of the face: cheekbones, around the hairline, nose, and jawline. But, the placements are a bit different and you’ll want to apply your contour before bronzer. With contour, you want to sculpt and add definition to your face. On the cheeks, you want to carve out your cheekbones, applying bronzer just under them to ‘hollow’ out the face. Adding to the jawline helps give the appearance of a sharper jawline, and down the sides of the nose ‘slims’ the nose. And around the hairline, contour is applied right against it.

For bronzer, think of adding it everywhere the sun would naturally warm the face. Again, the placement is similar: cheeks, hairline, jawline/neck, and nose. On the cheeks, bronzer is placed a bit higher than contour, slightly overlapped, but not as high as you would place blush or highlight. Instead of against the hairline, bronzer is placed on the forehead/temples where the sun would naturally leave a kiss of color. Bring bronzer down your neck to hit where the sun doesn’t as much (even out the difference between your foundation and chest), and down the bridge of your nose.

With contour and bronzer (and even blush), you’ll want to blend in upward, sweeping motions. The brushes used are different, too, but we’ll get into that a bit later.

Techniques.

There two popular techniques when it come down to bronzer and contour. You can apply both of them after base makeup, or you can apply it before base makeup. Here’s a bit more on the latter.

There is a technique made popular by TikTok and it’s called ‘underpainting.’ This consists of applying cheek enhancers before/underneath your foundation. It gives more natural results and allows for more seamless blending – and it’s easier to correct mistakes!

Types of Bronzer vs Contour.

Cream bronzer/contour is user friendly and foolproof. They give a natural, skin like finish and really melt in to become “one with the skin.” With their blendable and buildable formulas, they are easy to use even as a beginner. And, they’re extremely versatile with application: Most can be applied with a brush, sponge, or even fingers.

Powder bronzer/contour is the OG formula that we all know and love (give it up for the iconic Hoola Bronzer and ABH Contour Palette). There is a time and a place for powder bronzer, for example, if you have super oily skin or are applying on top of a powder foundation. Our favorite way to use powder formulas is as a topper to lock in our cream contour and/or bronzer to get an airbrushed, diffused look.

Then, we have liquid bronzer/contour. This one isn’t as popular as powder and cream, and really there’s only one iconic liquid bronzer: the coveted Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand. It gives a natural glowy bronzed-contour look. There’s a reason this one is always sold out! Liquid bronzer is best blended out with a sponge for a natural, lightweight look. This formula is really long wearing and dry down fast! They stay in place once they are blended out and don’t require any setting.

So let’s jump into specific types of bronzers vs contours down below.

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Formula: Cream-balm

# Of Shades: 6

Finish: Natural

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Bronzes and defines the complexion; Moisturizing and nourishing; Gluten free; Cruelty free

Why We Love It: At Milabu Co., we’ve discovered that the secret to mastering the ‘contour vs bronzer’ technique might just lie within a single product: the Saie Sun Melt. Touted as the best cream bronzer in the clean beauty realm, its luscious formula strikes a unique balance, making it an exemplary tool for both bronzing and contouring. The Sun Melt’s rich, creamy pigment offers a seamless application, boasting longevity and resilience throughout the day. Its shades are ingeniously crafted to serve a dual purpose, providing a radiant, sun-kissed effect while also sculpting and defining the face’s natural contours. Versatile in use, it can be effortlessly blended using fingers, a brush, or a sponge, layering over your makeup without disturbance. Resistant to fading, settling, or highlighting unwanted texture, the Sun Melt maintains a skin-like finish for over 8 hours, making it a standout in the contour vs bronzer lineup.

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Formula: Pressed powder

# Of Shades: 5

Finish: Luminous

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Blurs fine lines; Naturally sculpts and adds a sun kissed glow; Delicate floral fragrance; Dermatologically tested; Cruelty free

Why We Love It: Housed in beautiful teal and gold packaging is the ever-so-stunning Gucci Éclat Soleil Luminous Bronzer. It has a buttery, silky texture that applies effortlessly over any product for an airbrushed finish and warm glow. The powder is finely-milled, infused with hydrating ingredients and microspheres that blur pores, lines, and texture. Gucci promises a long lasting wear, and we agree. This bronzer wears beautifully without settling, looking patchy, or fading. You’ll have a sunkissed, softly-sculpted complexion all day long. Gucci Bronzer is the crème de la crème of powder bronzers.

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Formula: Cream-balm

# Of Shades: 3

Finishes Available: Natural

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Bronzes and defines the complexion; Moisturizing and nourishing; Gluten free; Cruelty free

Why We Love It: Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick is the crème de la crème of cream contours. Its creamy formula is incredibly easy to blend, build, and has an all day wear. Plus, it’s a clean formula full of nourishing ingredients that help skin while you wear it. It pairs beautifully with any cream or liquid base, as well as both cream or powder bronzer on top. You can even use it for the underpainting trend, where you apply your contour before your foundation/face base!

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Formula: Liquid

# Of Shades: 4

Finishes Available: Natural

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Cruelty free

Why We Love It: Dare we say the Milani Liquid Contour is better than the Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand? After all, it is a near exact dupe! From the packaging to the formula, performance to longevity, the two are virtually the same – just at much different price tags. Milani Liquid Contour is easy to apply, build, and blend for a natural sculpt or dramatic contour. It wears with minimal fading and settling to keep a defined complexion all day long. If you’re new to liquid contour, we’d recommend this one over Charlotte Tilbury. So instead of having contour vs bronzer moment, we’re having Milani vs Charlotte moment.

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Formula: Pressed powder

# Of Shades: 4

Finishes Available: Natural

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Cruelty free; Vegan; Non comedogenic; Hypoallergenic; Dermatologists tested; Free of talc, parabens, gluten, and fragrance

Best Applied With: Brush

Why We Love It: ILIA NightLite Bronzing Powder is the best powder bronzer in clean beauty. Not only are the ingredients great for skin, but its performance is unmatched. It subtly sculpts while warming up the complexion. The formula is easy to apply, long wearing, and doesn’t accentuate any texture/settle into any lines or pores. It pairs beautifully with powder, cream, or liquid contours to add the perfect amount of bronze to the complexion. Truthfully, this is one of best the best bronzer powders on the market for natural, sun kissed skin.

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Formula: Cream

# Of Shades: 5

Finishes Available: Satin

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Oval shape for easy application; Skincare benefits; Free of parabens, mineral oil, phthalates and more; Acne-safe; Cruelty free; Vegan

Why We Love It: MERIT describes Bronze Balm as the “easiest bronzer ever” that’s “impossible to mess up,” and we agree. This cream bronzer has a balmy texture that glides over any makeup, effortlessly blending out to a sheer wash of color. But, don’t let the sheer pigment fool you because it can be built up in intensity for more sculpt or more warmth. Its satin finish gives skin a beautiful warm glow and second skin look that’s never cakey, muddy, or too much. Bronze Balm is formulated without any acne-triggering ingredients, as well as fatty acids that condition skin + lock in moisture. Oh, and we can’t forget about the shape of Bronze Balm! This is an easy bronzer or contour for those who want a no nonsense type of makeup, this is the best foolproof cream bronzer.

Tip: For more longevity, set Bronze Balm with your favorite powder bronzer (we love ILIA Nightlite).

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Formula: Pressed powder

# Of Shades: 6

Finishes Available: Natural

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Bronzes and defines the complexion; Moisturizing and nourishing; Gluten free; Cruelty free

Best Applied With: Brush

Why We Love It: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer is extra special thanks to its delicate, baked formula. The formula is infused with Photoluminescent Technology to diffuse and reflect light. Wear alone or layered over a cream contour/bronzer for luminous, bronze cheeks. The Hourglass bronzer powder is virtually undetectable on the skin, never exaggerating texture, lines, pores, or bumps despite its radiance. If you’re looking for the ultimate glowy, sun kissed complexion, Ambient Lighting Bronzer is for you.

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Formula: Cream and powder palette

# Of Shades: 3

Finishes Available: Natural cream; Luminous powder

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Long wearing; Free of sulfates, SLS/SLES, parabens, and gluten; Cruelty free

Why We Love It: We are so not surprised that this Patrick Ta Bronzer Palette, Major Sculpt, made Allure’s Best of Beauty 2021 list. Likewise, it made it on our best cream bronzer and contour list. Yes, it’s that good. Housed in a sleek, portable palette are complementary cream contour and powder bronzer shades. First, apply the cream contour to add definition to your face. Then, warm up your complexion with the powder bronzer. The formulas are super blendable and have buildable pigment. You can expect an all-day wear that doesn’t look patchy or accentuate texture and has minimal fading or settling. We love the convenience of Major Sculpt for travel, and especially love the little lid to cover the cream contour pan!

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Formula: Cream and powder palette

# Of Shades: 3

Finishes Available: Natural cream; Luminous powder

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Long wearing; Free of sulfates, SLS/SLES, parabens, and gluten; Cruelty free

Why We Love It: Waterproof, sweat proof, heatproof, and transfer proof – what more could you ask for from a powder bronzer?! L’Oreal Bronzer is a drugstore gem with its finely milled powder, buildable pigment, and long wearing formula. It layers well over any base makeup, whether liquid, cream, or powder. The 8 shades make it suitable for all skin tones to achieve a sun kissed complexion. Even better, the shades don’t pull too orangey and won’t leave a muddy look behind!

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Formula: Cream and powder palette

# Of Shades: 3

Finishes Available: Natural cream; Luminous powder

Pigment: Buildable sheer to bold

Extra Benefits: Long wearing; Free of sulfates, SLS/SLES, parabens, and gluten; Cruelty free

Why We Love It: NYX Wonder Stick Contour isn’t just the best drugstore contour, but it’s one of the only. And thankfully its a good one! What makes the NYX Wonder Stick Contour great is both the formula and design. The small size of the cream stick is perfect for precisely applying contour exactly where you want it. It glides on smoothly without lifting makeup underneath, blending out to a naturally, defined look. But, it can also be built up to a more dramatic contour for extra chiseled cheeks.

^{Edited by Maddie}