There’s a persistent myth that bronzer belongs in the beach bag, packed away with the sunscreen the moment the weather turns. In truth, winter is when we need it most. As our skin loses its summer warmth and the light grows flat and grey, a considered touch of bronze brings back life, dimension and that rested, just-back-from-holiday look.
The secret is restraint. Winter bronze should be soft, luminous and well blended — a glow rather than a tan. We asked makeup artist Hayley Dutton to walk us through how to wear it from cheek to lip.
Cheeks: Start With Light, Then Add Warmth
Rather than reaching straight for the bronzer, Dutton begins with highlighter. “Use a cream highlighter on the high point of the cheekbone to help this area pop,” she says. “I find using the fingertips to apply and blend gives the most natural finish.”
For more impact, she suggests sweeping a light, bright powder bronzer across the top of the cheekbone with a fan brush. A shimmer compact in a soft beige or champagne tone — Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick remains a favourite — gives a lit-from-within finish without looking glittery.
How to get it right:
- Keep it creamy. In winter, skin tends to be drier, and powders can sit on the surface. Cream formulas melt into the skin for a fresh, barely-flushed finish.
- Layer below the highlight. Apply a cream blush or bronzer just beneath your highlighter, covering the cheekbone and the outer edge of the apples of the cheeks. Blend with your fingertips so there are no hard lines.
- Choose your undertone carefully. Paler winter skin suits a bronzer only one or two shades deeper than your natural tone. Too dark and it reads as muddy rather than sun-kissed.
Eyes: A Warm, Smoky Wash
Bronze eyes are one of the most flattering looks for every eye colour, and they’re surprisingly simple to create. “Start with your favourite eye primer or paint pot to create a long-lasting base and apply this over the entire eyelid,” says Dutton.
Next, use an eyeshadow brush to sweep your bronzer over the whole lid, blending slightly up into the crease and down along the lower lash line. It’s a clever way to make one product work twice as hard.
To add depth, Dutton recommends choosing a shadow two or three shades darker — a deeper bronze, chocolate brown, charcoal or even a plum — and pressing it into the outer corner. “Think about a C shape and go from the outer corner of the eye to a third of the way in.”
How to get it right:
- Brighten the inner corners. A touch of powder illuminator on the inner corner of each eye, applied with a pointed pencil brush, instantly opens up the eye.
- Define the lash line. Run a dark brown or black pencil along the upper lash line. For a softer finish, smudge it out with a smudger brush.
- Finish with mascara. Two coats on the top and bottom lashes complete the look.
Lips: Keep Everything In Balance
With warmth on the cheeks and eyes, the lips should complement rather than compete. To emphasise your pout, Dutton suggests using a pointed pencil brush to dab a cream or powder illuminator onto your Cupid’s bow. “You can bring this two-thirds of the way down the lip for extra plumping power.”
Her golden rule is to coordinate cheek and lip colour. “The best way to keep this bronzed goddess look balanced is to team your cheek and lip colour,” she says. If you’ve used a cream blush or bronzer, tap a little onto your lips too. Otherwise, choose a soft pink, peach, apricot or nude lipstick, gloss or stain.
The Takeaway
Wearing bronze in winter is about warmth, not colour. Start with light, build with cream textures, keep your shades close to your natural tone and tie everything together with a co-ordinated lip. The result is a healthy, polished glow that carries you right through the cooler months.
Image credits
Model: Alicia Maxwell. Photography: Julie Crespel. Hair and makeup: Peter Vackr. Styling: Iantha Yu.
