The Chanel Les Beiges Bronzing Cream Is Like Vacation in a Jar

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It’s time to show some love for bronzer. Yes, blush has been having a moment, but even the biggest devotees have to admit that bronzer is just as important. I consider myself a big fan of both products, and believe they go hand in hand to create that healthy, only-on-vacation glow we’re constantly trying to re-create. Both are essential to any makeup look—from no-makeup makeup to a full-face beat—and help bring color and life to your face.

It’s easy for blush to steal the spotlight with it’s gorgeous shades and range of formulas, but let’s not forget: Bronzer is the backbone of any good beauty look, people! It creates a frame for makeup by adding color and dimension, contours and sculpts your features, and can even be used on your lids for a monochromatic look. And like blush, it comes in different types of formulas and packaging, from powder palettes to cream sticks and liquid wands.

Despite the different types of bronzer on the market, it’s no secret that cream formulas have become the go-to for natural, dewy, and skinlike finishes—just take a look at the glazed-doughnut skin trend. So when I discovered Chanel’s Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream (through Glamour, no less), I knew it was going to be good.

The product comes in a huge jar the size of a hockey puck (that will no doubt last me the rest of my bronzing life) and is decked out with Chanel’s interlocking-C logo. The texture is unlike any bronzer I’ve used before. Some cream formulas tend to be heavy on the pores, but the texture on this one is featherlight and smooth, thanks to a combination of silica and soft-focus powders that work pretty much like an IRL beauty filter.

But perhaps my favorite thing about this product is how it blends out. It never cakes, pills, or creases—instead it melts into skin for a natural bronze that is as close as it gets to spending all day at the beach. Mineral waxes and powders help to effortlessly diffuse the bronzer out, no matter how much I pile on.

The product warms up my face without overpowering it and is very buildable, so if I want to use it for contouring, I just apply a little extra. I take my makeup brush, swirl it around, and dab it into the hollows of my cheeks, jaw, and temples of my forehead, and brush the product out in an upward motion. To top it off, it contains light-reflecting pigments for that lit-from-within glow and is noncomedogenic to prevent clogged pores and breakouts.

This bronzer comes in two shades, Soleil Tan Bronze and Soleil Tan Deep Bronze, and trust me, I was initially skeptical too. How can only two shades of bronzer work for all skin tones? But lo and behold, this bronzer held up through months of testing and a panel of judges with varying skin tones for Glamour, and came out on top as the best bronzer in our luxury makeup category. The blendable formula lends itself well to a wide shade range, making it work for light, tan, and deep skin tones alike.

At $50, the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream is definitely a splurge, but for a vacation-worthy glow (without having to spend your hard-earned coin on overpriced plane tickets), I’d say it’s definitely worth the investment.