The Bronzer The Better

An Absolute Staple in My Makeup Routine

One of my earliest makeup memories is of bronzer. I used to watch my mom apply it to her cheeks for the ultimate sun-tan glow.

I believe it was a cream stick from Ultima, which is long expired. What I remember is how gorgeous she looked. The foundation allowed her freckles, which were starting to appear on her nose, to come through. She also used to line her eyes with a black No. 2 Ebony pencil and often applied false eyelashes. Oh my gosh, she was stunning.

I borrowed my mom's bronzer with her permission, of course, for the first time in middle school in the '70s, around the time Love Story came out, with my beauty muse Ali MacGraw. She had that just-back-from-the-beach tan, so it was a no-brainer. It was quick and easy to apply, and I loved the way I looked.

Bronzer soon became my secret weapon for faking a tan when I felt my skin didn’t get enough sun during my vacation in Florida, and I wanted to show up at school looking well-bronzed. Sun safety wasn’t even a discussion back then—anyone remember baby oil and iodine, or Bain de Soleil SPF #4, which was actually orange? That smell was incredible—or at least I thought so.

Flash forward to the '90s, when I was a freelance makeup artist. Bronzer was always a step in my personal routine and had a full range in my kit. I discovered that bronzers could color-correct or even fix the old-style foundations, which were mostly pink and pasty.