Who Needs the Beach? These Easy-to-Use Bronzing Drops Gave Us a Sunkissed Glow in an Instant — from $6

The Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Drops are a tried-and-true favorite that sent the internet into a bronzing frenzy and keeps us coming back for more. Not only is this glowy formula the secret to an instant tan (no sunburns or self-tan stickiness necessary), it also includes several skin-loving ingredients like cocoa extract, peptide blends, and chronocyclin (a Vitamin D-mimicking peptide) that fortifies and elasticizes the skin barrier.

I mixed a few drops of this product into just about everything — sunscreens, serums, moisturizers, and foundations — and the formula played nicely each time, leaving a warm glow across my skin. But while I can sing many praises for this bronzer in a bottle, I wish the brand offered deeper shades for a wider range of skin tones and wasn’t as pricey. 

Shades: 1 | Key Ingredients: Cocoa extract, peptide blend, chronocyclin, white tea extract | Size: 1 fluid ounce | Skin Benefits: Reduces appearance of fine lines, soothes, promotes elasticity

You may think a realistic, bottled glow yields a high price tag, but this potion from Essence Cosmetics proves otherwise. This “glow booster” can be worn alone for a sunkissed look or mixed into your daily face moisturizer or foundation for a hint of color — and it’s only $6. I like that this product offers more shades than many others do, providing options that look natural on fair to deep skin tones. There is a bit of a smell that took some getting used to, but it’s not a dealbreaker considering the easy-to-blend formula and lit-from-within finish.

Shades: 7 | Key Ingredients: Water, glycerin, castor seed oil | Size: 0.47 fluid ounces | Skin Benefits: Conceals redness, illuminates

The L’Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion is an all-in-one moisturizer and bronzer, with celebrity accolades to boot: Routine users like Martha Stewart, Eva Longoria, and Kendall Jenner all wear this budget-friendly glow enhancer in their daily lives and even to the Oscars. This hydrating formula kept my skin looking and feeling bouncy all day long, with a youthful glow that fared well as a base for my makeup and as a standalone on my skin. It offers several shades and wears beautifully on all skin types. Its ability to smooth over dry patches without settling into fine lines makes it a great option for mature skin.  

Shades: 5 | Key Ingredients: Glycerin, shea butter | Size: 1.35 fluid ounces | Skin Benefits: Hydrating

If you’re someone who breaks out easily, it can be daunting to add an unfamiliar product into your routine. That said, this liquid bronzer from Saltyface is more than just an instant tanner: It’s skincare. Its formula is fortified with hyaluronic acid to smooth and hydrate, niacinamide to brighten and even skin tone, aloe for environmental stressor protection, and chamomile to calm redness and acne. Plus, the cocoa-colored liquid blended beautifully with every product I mashed it with, producing a natural glow that had my friends asking how I looked so tan — all without causing blemishes, irritation, or redness.

Shades: 1 | Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, aloe, chamomile | Size: 1 fluid ounce | Skin Benefits: Brightens, moisturizes, reduces dark spots

You don’t have to be a Sephora-shopping tween to get your hands on good bronzing drops. This glowy formula is specifically made to plump and hydrate your skin without settling into fine lines — a perk for mature beauty lovers.

While I wish there were more shades to choose from, the darkest shade, Sheer Bronzed, was easy to build in coverage and color and offered a radiant-looking finish. The super-fine, light-reflecting pigments made my complexion look healthy, not oily, and would provide a glowy finish on deeper skin tones — just not as much of a bronze. But if you want to find a good liquid blush or golden highlighter, this product has shades for those, too. (In fact, these are the ones I’d buy if I couldn’t get my hands on the Drunk Elephant drops.)

Shades: 3 | Key Ingredients: Polyglutamic acid, blackberry extract, vitamin E | Size: 1 fluid ounce | Skin Benefits: Hydrates, protects, moisturizes

Some brands struggle with shade range inclusivity, but Morphe is not one of them. With six shades that range from light bronze to deep cocoa, it only takes a few drops of this pigmented formula (mixed with a base) to get a buildable, warm look on fair to deep skin. Though it lacked a glowy effect, this formula was more wearable for day-to-day, and left my skin looking very healthy.

Its feather-light formula felt nearly weightless and played well with makeup. Plus, it provided ample hydration thanks to a slew of vitamins and moisture complexes, including niacinamide, glycerin, and natural algae, in its ingredients list. Best of all, this option has the most travel-friendly packaging while holding the most amount of product on this list. 

Shades: 6 | Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, glycerin, natural algae, vitamin E, vitamin B5 | Size: 2.32 fluid ounces | Skin Benefits: Hydrates, soothes dryness, smoothes texture, protects skin

Much like the Versed Glow Drops, the Saie Glowy Super Gel comes in bronze, highlight, and blush-pink shades — though I warmed up my skin with the darkest hue, Sunglow, for a touch of faux sun. I couldn’t get enough of how plump and healthy this gel made my skin look, and whether I was wearing this glowy product alone or mixing it with various lotions and potions, its hydrating formula never made my skin look streaky, orange, or muddy. My foundation and concealer layered nicely on top without picking up the product or pilling, making this the perfect base for a makeup routine. 

Shades: 3 | Key Ingredients: Glycerin, squalane, papaya seed oil, rosehip oil | Size: 1 fluid ounce | Skin Benefits: Hydrates, brightens, smoothes

Made from a blend of potent light-reflecting pigments, this liquid looks like molten gold when applied to your skin. I only needed a few drops in my tinted moisturizer to add an extra dose of shimmer, and I even tried blending the product directly onto my cheekbones for a radiant bronze. While it lacks the skincare benefits found in other formulas, it absolutely delivers a glow.

Shades: 2 | Key Ingredients: Mica, dimethicone, caprylyl methicone | Size: 0.30 fluid ounces | Skin Benefits: Illuminates

Whether you’re going for a soft glow or a bronzy contour, you can integrate this versatile product into your routine. Its sheer, shimmer-flecked formula can be worn alone for a wash of color and applied directly to the high points of your face to generate some faux sun. I like using the pump to mix a few drops into my moisturizer, but you can also unscrew the cap to reveal a wand applicator, which makes precise placement much easier. 

Blending this product with a brush made my “tan” look effortless and helped build coverage where I wanted it most — along my cheekbones, temples, and jawline — a slam-dunk for anyone who wants to cut out the contour step in their makeup routines. While it’s on the more expensive side, the double applicator, as well as the buildable and hydrating formula make this purchase well worth it.

Shades: 7 | Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin E | Size: 1.01 fluid ounces | Skin Benefits: Hydrates, nourishes

These drops are some of the easiest to get your hands on when shopping, and they were some of the most weightless that I tried, too. Formulated with a nourishing cocktail of vitamin E and sunflower seed oil that moisturized and softened my skin, this serum-like bronzer felt lighter than air when applied.

The drops also happen to be a favorite of Scibelli’s, who keeps coming back to these as the months pass on. “I keep reaching for E.l.f’s bronzing drops — they come in three buildable shades, they don’t contain any visible pigments of shimmer, but they give the skin a healthy bronzed glow,” he says. “They’re also an affordable option and easy to apply.”

Shades: 3 | Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, sunflower seed oil | Size: 1 fluid ounce | Skin Benefits: Moisturizes, nourishes, softens

Bronzer can sometimes accentuate dark spots, but that’s not the case with the Isle of Paradise Sunny Serum. Famous for its self-tanning products, this brand knows a thing or two about skin tone shapeshifting. When blended with my moisturizer or sunscreen, this bronzer was able to make my rosacea and dark circle-prone skin look even and smooth. 

Its golden formula is loaded with light-reflecting pigments, which leave a soft glow that emanates through a face of makeup or gives you an ethereal radiance when worn with moisturizer alone. The bulky packaging takes up more room than a 1-ounce product should (and doesn’t pack easily), however, I’ll overlook that considering the intensely glowy, balanced, and nourished skin I got from this product.

Shades: 1 | Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, squalane, jojoba oil | Size: 1.01 fluid ounces | Skin Benefits: Conceals redness, evens skin tone, hydrates, nourishes