Summer has arrived in Melbourne! I'm currently slumming it with Charlie in front of the air-con with all of the blinds drawn, and thought that it was the perfect time to bust out some of my bronzers. Does summer get you in the mood for bronzing it up, too?!
So as a self-proclaimed blush junkie, bronzer isn't a consistent part of my makeup routine if I'm honest. However, around this time of year both of my sisters head on summer holidays and come back looking uber brown, and since I am crazy-pale at the best of times, sitting next to them can make me look like a ghost if I'm not careful. I need a touch of bronzer to warm up my complexion since actual tanning is a no-no for me, and these are what I'm working with!
The easiest powder for me to wear is probably the Clarins Accent Face Powder thanks to the sheer formula, pale shade and dash of peppy pink to bring it into blush territory. Next up for the pale and sheer reasons would be The Body Shop Honeycomb bronzer, which it a tie for my very favourite bronzer altogether. Not only is it cute and compact, it blends like a dream and can be used as a contour thanks to the matte formula.
Now for an opinion that many won't agree with...let's talk about Nars Laguna. I see people rave about this all the time on blogs and YouTube, and am happy to say I got this adorable little travel size for free back when Mecca Maxima first opened the doors in Melbourne Central. As you can see, I've used it enough to hit pan on it, but if I have to be totally honest I'm just not a huge fan of this! It doesn't blend as nicely as most other bronzers I own, the colour isn't anything spectacular and as we all know, Nars rubber packaging gets super filthy in a flash! This is something I wouldn't personally purchase, but others seem to love it so take that with a grain of salt.
Another hyped up bronzer that I'm testing out is the beautiful Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel which is one of the only cream bronzers in my stash. I am yet to try this under my foundation as Estee/EssieButton recommends, but so far it seems easy to blend and the colour is pretty lovely for my skin tone. Plus c'mon, it is Chanel for crying out loud - stunning!
The most shimmery of the bronzers I own (and the most affordable at $11.95!) is definitely the Face of Australia Pressed Bronzer*, which I use sparingly on the top of my cheekbones for a subtle bronze glow. I don't see this as being the same as any of my other bronzer-type products, and use it more as a bronzed up highlighter than anything else. The top nod for my favourite bronzer (tied with The Body Shop number...) is the beautiful Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer* (the grinder version) which is the best for me in terms of colour, blendability and finish. I do see how frustrating the large packaging would be to travel with, but ultimately the other factors more than make up for that and my love for this bronzer holds strong.
And now for the swatch!
What are some of your favourite bronzers?
Are they a daily staple in your routine, or do you only bust them out occasionally too?
Emma @ emmabovarybeauty
*Provided for consideration, which doesn't affect the bronzed up love. Honesty, always.
Thank you for this post! Bronzers are such funny products in my opinion...everyone has a differing opinion about what makes a good bronzer. For me personally I like the matte, relatively sheer ones that I can sweep over my face to liven it up a little. The shimmer in the FOA one scares me to death, and I can't imagine trying to use a cream bronzer like the one from Chanel. Until late last year I really never wore them because I just thought it was too scary and too difficult to master. Anyway, enough rambling - I enjoyed this post :) x
ReplyDeleteI think it is very personal too, but the most common factors that I hear of are the matte factor, and sheer but buildable :) I still find bronzers much trickier than blush!
DeleteLove em! I'm a bronzer junkie. I love em all and want to try them all! I'll have to check out the Body Shop one now-that one looks rely nice!
ReplyDeleteIt's really lovely and the packaging is so sleek and slim, I adore it
DeleteGreat post for us fair girls!!! I will have to try some of these because I usually shy away!
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to look at reviews of bronzers if you are fair, I've found them really helpful in the past :)
DeleteGreat picks! I am currently solely using the Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel. I so love it and it really matches my skin tone. It blends wells with my skin. After I finish this, I think I will try out the Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer. It seems like a great product to try out.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear you are loving the Chanel, always nice to love some interlocked C's! I highly recommend the Clinique bronzer, I love it so much
DeleteI only have two bronzers haha. The one from NYC (sunny) and one from Maybelline Fit Me range (which isn't very good). Oh I lie, I also have a dark matte one from the Crush Cosmetics face palette. But I don't really use bronzers much. The products that you mentioned looked lovely!
ReplyDeletexxx Kat @ Katness
I've always wanted to try Sunny! I have heard that the quality of the Fit Me range isn't great, though my friend does use some of their stuff and likes it.
DeleteI am still a Laguna fan although it can look a bit dark on me in winter. I know loads of people like the Chanel one but I couldn't get on with it. Nice selection
ReplyDeleteSo many people love Laguna, I guess I am too lazy to make it work for me perhaps? Thanks for commenting :)
DeleteI went through such a maj bronzer phase sometime last year which I've thankfully come out of now. But just from your swatch, I really like the look of The Body Shop Honeycomb bronzer. The texture sounds super lovely too, reminiscent of the Stila bronzing powder that I have. I was just photographing pics of the Chanel bronzer today for possible upcoming post, funny that :) I've not tried it all over under foundation but I have over foundation and it works really well.
ReplyDeleteI actually haven't bought a bronzer recently, I think the last one would be the matte bronzer from Colour Theory which is really lovely and el cheapo. Am looking forward to seeing your Chanel bronzer post, very much :)
DeleteI only have one bronzer and it's the Body Shop one. I love it!
ReplyDelete