By stufflovely
Once upon a time, I didn’t own any bronzers. My makeup collection may not have been as big as it is now, but with the lack of options for my skin tone and general confusion about how to use it, bronzer was really not on my radar. You might be confused, too. But makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff assures me that the product can add a little extra oomph to your makeup look. “Bronzer is used to mimic and recreate the sun’s warmth on skin when we get a tan,” she explains.
And having melanin-rich skin doesn’t mean you can’t lose that gorgeous warmth from your skin during the cooler months, nor does it mean you can’t enhance it a little bit with some makeup. “Bronzer helps darker skin maintain that healthy summer glow all year round, especially during winter when darker skin can become several shades lighter and lose its vitamin D-boosted, healthy [radiance] from summer’s longer, sunlit days,” Sheriff says.
I officially became a fierce believer in bronzer after watching several YouTube videos and discovering options, though limited, that would work for me. Since then, I’ve been adding as many as I can find to my collection. Thankfully, the bronzer market for deep shades has grown immensely over the last few years as brands like Fenty Beauty and Prime Beauty are offering more options. Still, it’s not quite where it should be, in my not-so-humble opinion. So, when I do find with dark enough bronzer shades, I immediately need to try them. That’s exactly why the Mented Cosmetics Bronzer caught my eye when it first launched in July 2020.
The bronzer is available in four warm matte shades: Beach Bum (tan), Vacay (light brown), Yacht Life (dark cinnamon), and Out of Office (hickory). Each has a hint of shimmer that adds a subtle gleam to the face.
I’m a fan of the two darkest options: Yacht Life is the closest to my skin tone while Out of Office is far deeper. I like to start off with the lighter brown before blending in a little bit of the deeper hickory hue to create the perfect glow on my skin.
