I Wore “Blonzer” Once and Everyone Asked Where I’d Been on Holiday

Summer beauty has its hallmarks: glowy skin, flushed cheeks, and, of course, a bronzed complexion that tells the story of vacations and long, balmy days days spent outside. Of course, if you're applying as much SPF as you should (and you really should be), this often means mimicking a tan with the help of some bronzing products.

Well, that was until makeup artist and fashion week mainstay Fara Homidi told us that we should be "blonzing" instead. While the concept has been around for quite some time, the category felt a little outdated until Homidi stepped in.

The term refers to a product that performs like a blush but acts like a bronzer, and as the MUA explains, it's the ultimate step in a sun-chasing make-up look, minus the damage. "Using this product really completes my night-bronzed fantasy. It mimics how your skin looks in the evening after a full day spent out in the sun," she tells Marie Claire UK.

Of course, you could just as easily double up on your own bronzer and blush, but dedicated blonzers take the guesswork out of picking the right combination of colours and undertones for your skin. Homidi's blonzers, in particular, are formulated to suit all skin tones, from fair to deep.

How to Choose Your Shade of Blonzer

Picking the right blonzer depends on how dramatic a look you want, but the easiest way too choose is by bearing in mind the depth and pigment of the product at hand.

"Going for a darker blonzer shade, when you have a fair complexion, will give a beautiful berry flush, like Jennifer Connelly. Or a beige-pink, like my Nue, on a medium complexion will give more of a 'sun-kissed' Bella Hadid look," notes the MUA, adding that every skin tone can wear any of the shades—it just depends on how much of a 'sun-kissed' or 'sunburnt' look you want.

How to Apply Blonzer

Homidi explains that you can still use bronzer while blonzing—especially as most of the latter products have some shimmer in them. "My technique is to apply my Bronzer first in the areas the sun naturally touches: the forehead, outer perimeters of the face, and chin. Then apply the blonzer mainly on the inner parts of the face; high on your cheeks and nose (areas where you might have a slight sunburn) and finish with a light tap onto the forehead and chin to connect the pinkish flush to the Bronzer, so you can’t see where one begins and one ends.

And then, because blonzers tend to be very pigmented, it's important to prime the brush—a technique long beloved by MUAs. "Dip the brush into the product and swirl it in the palm of your hand to disperse it evenly into the bristles before it touches your complexion," advises Homidi. "When you apply the Blonzer after priming the brush, it allows you to slowly build in layers and gives you a soft focus finish that looks more lit-from-within."

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