Yearning for that warm golden hue that Mother Nature so graciously bestows upon your cheeks in June? Well, as Jennifer Lopez has proven, you can glow all year ’round…with the right bronzer, of course! Here are some surefire bronzing tips and road-tested top picks that will have you beaming until those summer winds start blowing in…

With all those choices out there, what’s a winter-ravaged beauty maven to do? Here are the most essential lessons I have learned about choosing (and using!) bronzer:

• The best ones are the priciest. Now I know this is bad news for all you bargain shoppers out there, but it’s true. The costlier bronzers seem to glide on more smoothly and feel weightless as opposed to “cakey.”
• The secret, my dear, is in the brush. Always use a bronzing brush/blusher! I know the little brush that comes in the compact is cute, but there’s just no comparison to the natural, evenly-toned blend that a bronzing brush provides. Most bronzers I have tested are pretty heavily-concentrated, so the smaller brushes run you the risk of giving yourself a splotchy, spotty complexion because they only apply color to specific parts of your face. You don’t have to break the bank with an expensive brush, either. I love the Sonia Kashuk line of cosmetic brushes at Target. The blusher brush makes you feel like you’re using a high-roller brush, but the big difference is that you only dropped about $18 on it.
• Color is key! In most cases, the same color doesn’t work for everyone! I picked my faves based on the overall quality of the bronzer, but I did not include colors because they definitely need to be tailored to your skin tone. There are some who claim “universal” appeal, but I have found that is not the case most of the time! The most important step is to find a good quality bronzer (we’ll help with that in the next post, of course), and then just find the shade within that line or by that company that best complements your skin. It will make you look even more fabulous than you already look!
• Beware the “It” bronzers! As with all beauty products, the lure of the “newest, biggest breakthrough” items is hard to resist. But before you drop $60 on a new bronzer, test it out first!
• Easy on the shimmer! Many bronzers out there contain light-reflecting particles that are added to increase the overall glow that your skin is supposed to radiate post-application. However, you want to make sure that this is the look you are going for before shelling out the cash on an expensive bronzer. Shimmer and glimmer are great for clubbing, but at the office? Not so much. Instead, try using a non-shimmery bronzer for everyday, but also buy an additional shimmery powder that complements the bronzer. For those nights on the town, apply your bronzer first, then add a little shimmer on top of it. I love Nars Sparkling Loose Powder ($35), but if the price is alittle out of your range, Benefit’s line of sparkling eye/face powders, Show Offs!, is not bad if you crave different colors as well ($16 each). There are about 10 to choose from, but my personal faves are the Powder Puff (a pink champagne) and Pistachio (a golden tan).

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What does sweet and innocent American Idol contestant Brooke White have in common with her tattooed and edgy competitor Carly Smithson? They both love Vita Como Wraps. These talented finalists on America’s hit show have been sporting Vita’s studded leather bracelets this past week – in colors to match their personality. Brooke stacked pink, green and orange bracelets, while Carly stuck with a bolder red wrap. Vita Como Wraps come in two lengths – single or double – and can be worn individually, or snapped together to create unique lengths and color combinations. Celebrity fans of Vita Como Wraps include Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Hayden Panettiere, and Mischa Barton. These Como Wraps and other styles of Vita bracelets are available here.

United Nude makes some of the neatest, most stand-out shoes around, and it’s easy to see why they’ve won fans like Jessica Simpson and landed on the cover of Vogue. That said, the shoes are also pretty weird- you should be prepared for a lot of questions before you trot these out in, say, Duluth.

With features like interchangable heels, hollow wedges and crazy heel-less designs like the Eamz (also pictured above) they’re certainly not boring, and with many styles in the $100-250 range, they’re less expensive than you’d expect. Whether you’re into this look or not, the entire Spring/Summer ‘08 catalog is viewable here, and it’s definitely not boring.

Leather’s traditionally one of two things- the kind of jewelry you buy at a hippie show or the kind of adornment left to bikers and fans of Hot Topic. This season, however, designers are hawking both refined hippie wares to go with the bohemian stuff, and a preppier look to go with the structured neutrals and brights we’re seeing.

Top left, Leather Meets Metal Ring, Sundance, $120, available here.

Sheryl Crow, a master of the high-end bohemian look, owns one of these bracelets, traditionally made from reindeer leather by the Sami people of Sweden. From Etsy’s Swedart shop, $59. Available here.

At right, Free People chain gang necklace, $268, available here. So cute, but why so expensive?

Bottom middle, Malababa necklace at Shopbop, $95, available here. I like the playfulness of this piece.

Bottom left, Suhali Blanc Koala Bracelet, $330 Louis Vuitton at ELuxury, available here. This one’s not my favorite, but for you luxury hounds it’s a great way to get a little piece of a big designer.