11 Best Makeup Artist-Approved Bronzers For Olive Skin Tone (2024)

Add dimension to your face with shades that make for wonderful, caramelized finishes.

Reviewed by Cha Cha Woska, Certified Makeup Artist Cha Cha Woska Cha Cha WoskaCertified Makeup Artist insta_icon
Written by Srijita De, MA (English & Literature), Certified Style & Image Consultant Srijita De MA (English & Literature), Certified Style & Image Consultant linkedin_icon Experience: 2 years
Edited by Srijani Roy Chowdhury, MA (Journalism & Mass Communication), Certified Style & Image Consultant Srijani Roy Chowdhury MA (Journalism & Mass Communication), Certified Style & Image Consultant linkedin_icon Experience: 3 years
Fact-checked by Madhumati Chowdhury, MA (English Literature) Madhumati Chowdhury MA (English Literature) linkedin_icon Experience: 7 years
Last Updated on
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Choosing the perfect shade of bronzers can be tricky, as the more the shade differs from your natural skin tone, the more artificial it will look. When looking for the best bronzer for olive skin tone, you have to make sure you get the shade that will compliment your tone, and you can achieve the gorgeous glow in just two strokes of the bronzer. Olive skin tone is a warm tone that gives out a greenish undertone. If you are not careful about choosing the correct color, it will make your skin look dull and shabby. To make sure you never go wrong with your choice of bronzer shade, we have a list of 11 bronzers for olive skin tone. Once you get your hands on it, there is no going back to makeup routines without adding a pinch of the natural sun-kissed look to enhance your timeless beauty! So, who is ready to flaunt an exotic skin tone?

Top PicksCheck Price
Best Matte Finish:Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing PowderPrice on Amazon
Best Streak-Free:Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow Boosting Pressed PowderPrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart
Best For Quick Application:Y.C. New York Color Smooth Skin Bronzer - SunnyPrice on Amazon
Best Affordable:L'Oreal Paris Cosmetics True Match Lumi Bronze It - LightPrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart
Best Shimmer Finish:Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder - SunglowPrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart
Best Pigmented:NARS Bronzing Powder - CasinoPrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart
Best Vegan:NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Matte BronzerPrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart
Best Cream-Based:Bronzer by Fake BakePrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart
Best Medium Coverage:Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer - Medium/DeepPrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart
Best Buildable:Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Bronzer, Tawny LightPrice on AmazonPrice on Walmart

11 Best Bronzers For Olive Skin Tone (2024)

1. Best Matte Finish:Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder

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4.6
Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder Image: Benefit

If there is one bronzer you just cannot go wrong with it is the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder. It is not too dark nor too light – making it such a good bronzer for olive skin. Its easily buildable formula allows you to layer the product with looking too cakey and allowing you to reach just the right pigmentation for your skin shade. You can opt for a subtle sun-kissed look, a light contouring, or a sharp contour look- your call! Or, you can also simply do both by going from a sun-kissed morning look to a contoured diva in the night. All you have to do is throw this godsend bronzer in the deep corner of your bag and reach out only when you need to retouch. The packaging of this bronzer is so sleek and sturdy that you’ll look forward to retouching only to look at it! Check out this review video with the reviewer’s experience of using the product for more information.

Pros

  • Easily buildable
  • Long-lasting
  • Blendable
  • Matte and velvety textured
  • Comes with an applicator
  • Can be used as an eye shadow and for contouring
  • Available in two sizes
  • Ideal for most shades of olive skin

Cons

  • Expensive
worth-buy-icon

Why We Think It's Worth Buying

The extensive 3,302 rave reviews on Amazon prove why we are vouching for this product.

2. Best Streak-Free:Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow Boosting Pressed Powder

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4.4
Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Pressed Bronzer Review Image: Physicians Formula

Despite being a mouthful, this bronze booster pressed powder by the celebrity-favorite Physicians Formula is undoubtedly going to be the next favorite of all those with olive skin tone. This product is perfectly made to meet all your dewy bronzing needs without giving you a washed-out or orange look. In addition to meeting all your goddess-glow-look needs, this rigorously tested bronzer provides you enough health benefits that it could find a spot in your medicine/vitamin cabinet. The lightweight powder glides onto your skin smoothly allowing uniform application and yet, manages to be highly pigmented that you’ll hardly need to apply it twice. It also helps save you money and time! Buy it and thank us later.

Pros

  • Stain-free
  • Streak-free
  • Orange-free
  • Odor-free
  • Affordable
  • Pigmented
  • No animal testing
  • Comes with an applicator
  • Can be used for contouring

Cons

  • Too light for deep olive skin and olive tan skin

3. Best For Quick Application:N.Y.C. New York Color Smooth Skin Bronzer – Sunny

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4.3

As the best bronzer for medium skin, This is for all our busy-bees who love the just-out-of-the-beach look but don’t have the time to go to a beach or put on that kind of makeup. We know you and have you covered! Or actually, let us rephrase that – the N.Y.C. New York Color Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny has your back. It is very quick and very comfortable to wear. With just the right amount of ‘sunniness’, this bronzer is good for olive skin, all shades, tones, and textures of it! From darker skin tone to light-medium olive skin, this bronzer is a dream come true for all. With no orange tones or overdone pigment – this bronzer is ideal for layering, allowing you to build any kind of look. The reviews for the product state that it adds color to the skin to create a natural, sheer finish.

Pros

  • Easy and quick application
  • Buildable
  • Ideal bronzer for fair olive skin
  • Without shimmer
  • Comes with applicator

Cons

  • Some may need to apply a lot of the product for good coverage
Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder
Best Matte Finish
Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow Boosting Pressed Powder
Best Streak-Free
vv
Best For Quick Application
Color Hoola 1- Light-to-Medium Sunny
Dimensions 1.57 x 1.97 x 1.57 inches 2.88 x 1.18 x 3.63 inches 2.95 x 0.63 x 3.15 inches
Weight 0.28 Ounces 0.3 Ounces 1.44 Ounces
Rating
Reviews3,3022,318439
Price$32.0$11.52$34.95

4. Best Affordable:L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics True Match Lumi Bronze It – Light

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4.5
L'Oreal Paris Cosmetics True Match Lumi Bronze It - Light Image: Loreal

This makeup artist-approved brand comes with a bronzer that has the potential to be the real soul-mate of all our readers with light and pale olive skin tones to add warmth to their faces. There is nothing that I can say about this bronzer that you wouldn’t like. In addition to melting into your skin like butter, this formula provides a luxurious multi-dimensional sheer color for a perfectly bronzed complexion and an all-over warmth without making you look like an orange. It is a dream come true, isn’t it? Infused with a barely-there shimmer, the powder creates a glow-from-within.  You can sweep it on your cheekbones, your forehead, neck, and clavicles – to reach a bronzed radiant look. If you want to know more about the benefits of this product and the reviewer’s experience of using it, check out this quick review on YouTube.

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Barely there shimmer
  • Long-lasting
  • Ideal bronzer for light olive skin

Cons

  • No applicator
  • Not ideal for dark and medium skin tones

5. Best Shimmer Finish:Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder – Sunglow

Milani promises to make a product for every skin color, and they’ve kept their promise. The Strobelight Instant Glow Powder in Sunglow is ideal for all olive-skinned people out there looking for extra radiance and a statement-making look. This bronzer does what it says – give you a Sunglow! With an added pearl-like glitter to its formula, you can use this bronzer as a highlighter just by layering it on. This is the ideal bronzer-cum-highlighter – 5th line for olive skin. The light-reflecting pearls create an aura of radiance without overpowering with glittering reflections. Apply the bronzer on your desired areas and get a smooth shimmering finish without even trying too hard. To make things better and your conscience clear, this product is certified cruelty-free by PETA and is totally vegan. Here’s an honest review of the product and the reviewer’s experience of using it.

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Cruelty-free
  • Vegan
  • Has shimmer
  • Can be used as a highlighter
  • Ideal for all shades of olive skin

Cons

  • No applicator in packaging
  • Not a sturdy packaging

protip_icon Pro Tip
If you have medium to dark skin tone, repurpose your shimmery bronzer as a highlighter.

worth-buy-icon

Why We Think It's Worth Buying

The product has more than 755 reviews claiming its efficacy.

6. Best Pigmented:NARS Bronzing Powder – Casino

The NARS Casino Bronzing Powder serves different purposes for different olive skinned tone people. For medium to deeper skin tones, it serves the purpose of a bronzer that gives you a radiant post-vacation glow. Kathy Jeung, makeup artist of celebrities like Rita Ora and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, carries this bronzer everywhere. For our light olive skin readers, it is more than ideal for contouring. A little goes a long way in both cases! On one hand, two stokes of perfect sharpness should be enough to give you a sculpted Kim-K-like contour. Whereas, a subtle blended application can leave with you an elegant shine, which is just as easily confused as an inner glow. Either way, it leaves you a radiant matte finish that is not orange or glittery. This makeup artist-approved pigmented product is a must-have for all over olive skin readers!This FakeBake gem is all you need to fake a California beach tan. It enhances your own

Pros

  • Mild shine
  • Pigmented
  • Blendable
  • Buildable
  • Long-lasting
  • Matte finish
  • Can be used for contouring
  • Ideal for all olive skin tones

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Might cause irritation on sensitive skin
  • No applicator in packaging

7. Best Vegan:NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Matte Bronzer

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4.4
NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Matte Bronzer Image: Nyx

Try the NYX Professional Makeup’s Matte Bronzer for a natural, warm, and sun-kissed glow! This pressed powder bronzer has a matte finish, for enhanced beauty and a radiant complexion without the glitter. It has a lightweight formula, which makes it ideal for sculpting and defining your facial features. It contains Isopropyl Isostearate for smooth and oil-free application. It is free of alcohol and essential oils. You can enhance your look by applying the bronzer after your setting powder and building the product to your desired intensity.

Pros

  • Vegan
  • Cruelty-free
  • Fragrance-free
  • Available in 5 different shades
  • Built-in mirror

Cons

  • No applicator
worth-buy-icon

Why We Think It's Worth Buying

This product has received 1,397 reviews from customers on Amazon, indicating its popularity and reliability.

8. Best Cream-Based:Bronzer by Fake Bake

This FakeBake gem is all you need to fake a California beach tan. It enhances your own skin pigments and leaves you with a natural-looking tan that lasts longer than forever. As a cream-based bronzing powder, this product melts into your skin for perfect blending and adds this naturally warm tone to your face without looking overdone. This cream bronzer has no shades of orange, saving you the embarrassment of walking around with a fake tan look. Reviewers mention the cream product goes on smoothly and blends seamlessly. With a generously-sized packaging, this bronzer can last you for the longest time and give you that magic hour look in the absence of the magic hour.

Pros

  • Easily buildable
  • Blendable
  • Cream-based
  • Generous packaging

Cons

  • No applicator

protip_icon Pro Tip
Do not use a powder blush if you are using a cream bronzer because it will not blend well on your skin. If you apply a cream bronzer, it is best to follow it with a cream blush.

9. Best Medium Coverage:Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer – Medium/Deep

This bronzer smells as good as it looks, if not better. Infused with 100 percent real cocoa powder, this is a chocolatey dream come true for folks with fair skin tones. It is made to perfect your glam game one stroke at a time. It is buildable and easily blendable. It leaves you with a matte finish that lasts up to 8 hours with an all-over warmth. You can use this formula to contour or get a sharp cheekbone or simply add warmth to your exhausted face. This is the perfect bronzer for olive skin and is so smooth that it would give silk a run for its money.

Pros

  • Vegan
  • Medium coverage
  • Matte finish
  • Long-Lasting
  • Sturdy packaging
  • Infused with chocolate

Cons

  • No applicator in packaging

10. Best Buildable:Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Bronzer, Tawny Light

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4.6
Anastasia Beverly Hills Image: Anastasia Beverly Hills

All our olive skin tone friends who are in awe of the no-makeup-makeup look, this is a call for attention. This Anastasia Bronzer is the best product you can spend your money on to get a flawlessly radiant and natural-looking glow to your skin – without looking like you have makeup on. You can obviously build it to achieve a variety of looks – but its best work is in the field of subtlety. It blends seamlessly onto your face and body – giving you an instant warmth and added dimension. It will last for hours on your face and years in your makeup bag.

Pros

  • Buildable
  • Seamlessly blendable
  • Long-lasting
  • Ideal for all olive skin tones

Cons

  • Expensive
  • No applicator in packaging

11. Best For A Natural Glow:MAC – Bronzing Powder – Matte Bronze

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4.4

If you are looking for bronzing with some added frosting, the MAC Bronzing Powder is your best bet. In the absence of any red, peach, and orange tones, this ultra-fine and baked bronzer becomes a solid investment opportunity for olive skinned people. This makeup artist-approved bronzer leaves you a perfect brownie finish, an even-toned texture, and wanting more. The added frosting gives the skin a natural glow without looking overdone.

Pros

  • Blendable
  • Buildable
  • More break-resistant than compressed powders
  • Ideal for all olive skin tones
  • Applicator in packaging
  • Dermatologist-tested
  • Ophthalmologist-tested

Cons

  • Expensive
*The prices provided in this article are based on the latest available information. However, they may vary due to changes in pricing by the seller and/or promotional offers.

Finding the best bronzer is never easy. The next section will help you purchase the right one!

Buying Guide

You are one wrong shade away from looking a watered-down, plastic sculpture. We understand the pressure of making the right choice, and are here to help you with it!

  • Before buying your next bronzer keep your skin tone in mind. Olive skin tone has an underlying tone of green, hence its called olive!
  • Any bronzer with too much orange will stand out – not in a nice way, and anything with cooling blue hues will wash out your color and make you look muddy- nobody likes that.
  • The balance is in finding something with bronze/brown – not copper, silver, and golden- but simply bronze/brown tones.

See that wasn’t so hard! In this post, we put together some of our favorite best bronzers that 2024 has to offer. Add a dash of the bronzer to your au naturel look and make it one for the books! Now you know how to choose the right product, dive deep into our list and make your next buy.

Infographic: The Dos And Don’ts Of Applying Bronzer On Olive Skin Tones

With only a touch of bronzer, you can achieve a natural, sun-kissed look. The product enhances the best features of your face. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when applying bronzer to olive skin tones to ensure a flattering and natural finish. Check out the below infographic to learn more.

Do's And Don'ts For Applying Bronzer On Olive Skin Tone (infographic)

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

The Bottom Line

Experience the sun-kissed radiance you deserve with the handpicked selection of the best bronzers for olive skin tones featured in the article. Whether you are aiming for a subtle glow or a more pronounced contour, the versatile range ensures a seamless application. With both matte and shimmering finishes, these bronzers offer limitless possibilities to enhance your natural beauty. The Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder offers a smooth finish that adds warmth and dimension to your complexion while the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow Boosting Pressed Powder gives a streak-free application with a luminous finish. However, if you want a quick and easy application-based product that glides on the skin effortlessly, use the Y.C. New York Color Smooth Skin Bronzer – Sunny. Now you can improve your beauty routine to accentuate your olive skin’s inherent beauty, thanks to these exceptional bronzer options. However, read through the customer reviews and check what makeup artists have said about these bronzers before picking your favorite bronzer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How necessary is bronzer for olive skin?

Like most makeup, a bronzer is not necessary for any skin tone. But again, like most makeup, a bronzer assists in highlighting your strong features and hiding those you aren’t too fond of – and who doesn’t want a bit of that?

What colors suit olive skin tones best?

For bronzers, stick to warm brown hues and see the magic work! Stay away from strong warm colors like reds, peaches and oranges, and cool colors with hints of blue.

Does olive skin tone have warm or cool undertones?

Olive skin, although warm has a green undertone that makes it extremely unique.

Do people with olive skin tones tan easily?

Olive skin tans easily under the direct sun but does not burn. To keep your skin from tanning and aging, always apply SPF.

Is olive skin neutral or golden?

Olive skin tone has both warm and neutral undertones.

Why Trust StyleCraze?

The author, Srijita De, is a makeup enthusiast. She has compiled and reviewed the best bronzers for olive skin tones based on user reviews and feedback from trusted online sources and brand websites. She has scanned through multiple products and their key ingredients across different forums before listing suitable options. These bronzers provide a natural sun-kissed finish and meet the needs of people with olive skin tones.

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Cha Cha Woska
Cha Cha WoskaCertified Makeup Artist
Cha Cha is a certified professional makeup artist, airbrush makeup artist, and beauty educator with over 20 years in the beauty industry. She is also the owner of Cha Cha Beauty Bar and has done extensive work in the bridal and special event categories.

Read full bio of Cha Cha Woska
Srijita De
Srijita DeCommerce Writer
Srijita De is a makeup and fashion enthusiast with a passion for empowering readers through practical tips and tricks to present their best selves with confidence. Armed with a postgraduate degree in English and Literature from the University of Calcutta, she has honed her writing skills and developed an in-depth understanding of the beauty and fashion world.

Read full bio of Srijita De
Srijani Roy Chowdhury
Srijani Roy Chowdhury Associate Commerce Editor
Srijani is an associate commerce editor with a master's degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal. She is certified in makeup techniques and is also a certified style and image consultant.

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Madhumati Chowdhury
Madhumati ChowdhuryAssociate Editor
Madhumati is an associate editor with seven years of professional experience. She has previously worked as an editor, proofreader, and a writer with various organizations, helping her navigate through the various facets of content creation and refinement with ease.

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