Product Reviews Rated 4.32 out of 5 stars
204 Reviews
Most Helpful Positive Review Love this! I've been looking for a bronzer for a while since i'm almost out of what I have now and then I had the opportunity to try this and it couldn't have been presented at a better time. I love it! It might be a little too dark for me right now but it's going to be perfect for summer. I love a bronze look and I love contouring. It's what completes my look (when I do decide to wear face makeup). I just smelt it too not knowing it had a scent and it smells like summer? Maybe i'm crazy but it does it smell like a really nice sunscreen. I would definitely purchase this again but I think it's going to last me a while! Absolutely no complaints... except that you might have to use quite a bit for it to show up! I received this product complimentary for review purposes.
Most Helpful Critical Review Warning: Caused SEVERE cystic acne I was super excited about this bronzer after seeing some of my favorite beauty gurus recommend it as a cost-effective dupe for higher end alternatives like Fenty. The color is great and it went on smooth. It also lasted all day. The problem? It caused severe, cystic pimples in the areas where I applied it. I gave it a few days to be sure, but I am convinced it is this product. The zits are literally lined up in the areas where I brushed this on (lower cheeks and temples). I checked the ingredients list and dimethicone (a silicone based element that is terrible for acne prone skin) is the third ingredient! While dimethicone is hard to avoid in many cosmetic powders, it is rarely that high on the list. For comparison, dimethicone is number 8 or less in Bare Minerals, ABH, and Fenty bronzers. I will try Bare Minerals next since that brand has been really good for my acne prone skin thus far. I hate to spend $20 more, but my skin can't take this product. I hope Maybelline reworks this formula.
Reviewed by 204 customers good bronzer 4
mallory from usa
easy to blend and a pretty good color since it's hard to find bronzers light enough because I'm so pale
YOU NEED SHADE 200 IF YOU HAVE OLIVE SKIN!!! 5
olivia from Virginia
Okay. I'm excited. WOW. I've been on the hunt for the perfect bronzer for my light olive skin tone for what feels like forever, and I can finally say that I found my PERFECT bronzer!! The shade 200 has a slight yellow/mustard-y undertone that perfectly mimics the color that I turn when I get tan. A lot of drugstore bronzers are too cool-toned (and look ashy on me) or too red/orange (and look unnatural because I don't sunburn). If you have a light-medium olive/yellow skin tone, YOU NEED THIS!! (Side note: I got too excited talking about the color, but the formula is amazing too! Very very easy to blend and never looks muddy!!)
Much too orange 1
Mc from Syracuse ny
I was excited to use this product as I was looking for a bronzer with a bit more payout and contouring effect. The color looked great in the package but when I went to use it, there was so much fall out and the color did not remotely resemble the color of the packaging. It was very orange and patchy. I regret buying this for my skin tone, but if you're looking for something more orange and bright this would work well. Just not for what I'm trying to do.
Yes! 4
Amber from Florida
Easily blendable. I'm very fair and this shade is almost TOO light on me ?! If you're super fair this would be a great bronzer!
Defining! Perfect for tone and depth, color was just right. 5
Heather, flower girl from Doylestown PA
Bronzer added dimension to my fair skin on face and neck.
Best bronzer for fair skin!! 5
J from FL
I have very fair skin and I struggle to find a bronzer that doesn't make me look orange, but this beautifully warms up the face without an orange undertone!! I got the lightest color that they had because I wanted a bronzer that wasn't too much darker than my foundation and I will definitely be purchasing this product again.
Awesome Bronzer! 5
Veronica from Las Vegas
I got both the 200 and the 300 yesterday. For reference, I am a Mac NC 40, NARS Stromboli. The 200 looks really nice because it is not orange at all. I bought the 300 just to deepen the contour wherever I want more of a dark contrast such as the hollows of my cheeks and under my chin. Both are great colors and the quality is absolutely amazing and comparable to high-end bronzers. You really cannot beat this bronzer for a drugstore price
Great blending 4
Loli6429 from Oregon
I like this bronzer but I'm super pale so even the lightest shade can look a little orange on me. Other than that I love it!
Great bronzer 5
declare92 from Florida
This powder fit my skin tone better than most bronzers I have tried. It isn't messy and it gives good medium coverage so that it doesn't look like I am wearing heavy makeup. Great for every day.
Great pigment!!! 5
Nina from Chicago
I have medium to tan skin so I bought 300 and the bronzer pigment is sooooo good! A little goes a long way!
Does not blend well 2
Jenn from Fairfax
It is very blotchy, and does not blend well. It is a nice color but it will leave streaks.
I bought the 200 color 4
MUFON from Small town, Nevada
I just bought it, put it on and it's perfect. I'm light, not fair and almost tan. Yellowish undertones. I almost bought the 300 but it looked like the Saddle in ABH, but probably a mediocre version, maybe not. Anyways it's a good contour. I like more reddish brown for bronzer. But I look more sophisticated with just contour and not looking clownish. That's a fear with the orangy look.
Very bad quality packaging 2
Disappointed from Pennsylvania
The lid that covers the bronzer came off 2 days after buying this bronzer, so I could not take it while traveling. The formula itself was not bad it's just the packaging that made me really hate it. This bronzer also has shimmers in its formula so it is not good for contouring.
Not a great shade 3
Too pale to bronze from MI
I am not experienced at using bronzer and wanted to start using it. I heard this was an excellent bronzer for fair skin. I tried to find a way to use this with different brushes, but it still came off too orange on my fair neutral skin. I ultimately could not make this one work for me.
Holy grail bronzer! 5
Rosie from Ohio
Bronzer is one of my most necessary steps in my makeup routine and no matter how many other bronzers I try, I always come back to this one! I've only used shade 300 and it's very warm, which is my preference for bronzers. The city bronzer performs best when buffed into the skin with a natural bristle brush but still looks beautiful with synthetic. It has a smoothing effect to the skin and when applying I've noticed that it has a faint perfume smell similar to a Chanel fragrance, which I personally love. 10/10 would recommend.
Just meh. 2
JLo from Seattle, WA
I was looking for an alternative to Butter Bronzer but this was a dud. It's too yellow, and too much fallout. Just looked muddy.
Love it! 5
SkinCareObsessed from Portland OR
I use the fair shade 100. For reference in the winter I wear L'Oréal freshwear in the shade pearl (400). And in the summer I wear L'Oréal in the shade Linen (425). Okay, now onto the product!
So, this bronzer is very easy to blend and looks very natural. I find the formula forgiving as well. It's not SO pigmented that you need a really light hand, or so colorless that you have to really build it up to get some color. It's a good middle ground.
I will note that this bronzer works better for me in the winter vs in the summer. In the summer I have to build it up a lot to get a very very natural bronze, so I usually opt for my butter bronzer during the summer months instead. (I'm sure this wouldn't be an issue if I just bought one of the deeper shades for the summer! I just wanted to note the limitations on skin tone for the fair shade).
I still use my fair city bronzer during the summer, just in a different way! My body and face tan quite easy in the sun, but my neck ALWAYS stays about 3 shades lighter than the rest of my face/body. 😒 So I use the bronzer on my neck in the summer. It works great! It's so natural (and matte) that you can't tell I used it. It just makes my neck more uniform with the rest of my body.
Better than some highend 5
Kayla from Albany in
Nice color payoff and blends great
Unpigmented and powdery... 1
Marth from New York
I'm pretty fair skinned, and can usually go back and forth between fair and light shades. I got this in 100, which is basically a slightly orange tinted all over powder. It's powdery, and has an incredibly large amount of fall out when tapping off the excess. I don't usually mind that, except that this was so bad it almost felt like you had been using shattered bronzer. Maybe the darker shades are alright, but I'll be returning this to try something else.
Very nice 5
Kayla from Virginia
This bronzer is easy to apply and is silky smooth!
perfect for fair skin 5
Atlantis from utah
love this bronzer!!
I keep buying this product. Great color 5
None from Waco, TX
I use this product every day. I put my moisturizer on and wait for it to absorb. Then I brush on the bronze powder to have a nice glow/tan. This helps to lessen the wrinkle look! My friends wanted to know how I look so good. Now they are trying the same thing!
The best bronzer! 5
Sandra PT from Dallas, TX
This bronzer is definitely better than any $30-$40 bronzer I have. I've used Too Faced, Tarte, Hoola Bronzer, Becca, but I always fine myself reaching for the City Bronzer now. It's natural and blends easily.
Warning: Caused SEVERE cystic acne 1
Ocky J from Houston, TX
I was super excited about this bronzer after seeing some of my favorite beauty gurus recommend it as a cost-effective dupe for higher end alternatives like Fenty. The color is great and it went on smooth. It also lasted all day. The problem? It caused severe, cystic pimples in the areas where I applied it. I gave it a few days to be sure, but I am convinced it is this product. The zits are literally lined up in the areas where I brushed this on (lower cheeks and temples). I checked the ingredients list and dimethicone (a silicone based element that is terrible for acne prone skin) is the third ingredient! While dimethicone is hard to avoid in many cosmetic powders, it is rarely that high on the list. For comparison, dimethicone is number 8 or less in Bare Minerals, ABH, and Fenty bronzers. I will try Bare Minerals next since that brand has been really good for my acne prone skin thus far. I hate to spend $20 more, but my skin can't take this product. I hope Maybelline reworks this formula.
Shade 200 - Weird Undertone 3
JLH from San Diego
I bought this bronzer in 200 because it had good reviews and I was looking for a new bronzer to try. I bought this in the summer and my summer skin tone is a neutral medium-tan. This bronzer does show up and is buildable. It blends well, but is nothing special. 200 has a weird yellowish undertone that I've never seen before in all the bronzers I've tried. I had to return it. There are tons of better bronzers out there for me!
