Ahh, yes. The days are starting to get longer, which means the sunshine of spring is beginning to take up residence from coast to coast. I've already shared with you how I like to wear bronzer across the seasons in my LORAC Hot Flash post, but I do recognize that it's during the warmer months when most choose to get their "sunshine by proxy" on. There are bronzers that highlight and make your skin look sunlit and there are those that you can contour with that'll make you look sun-kissed. I enjoy the benefits of both and would like to share with you some of my faves.
One of my absolute favorite bronzers EVER is from CoverGirl's Queen Collection - Q120 Ebony Bronze. It is a warm, mahogany brown with very subtle gold shimmer. And I love it!
NO chunky gold glitter at all. NO obnoxiously orange overtones in sight. I use Ebony Bronze as a contour under my cheekbones and around my temples and it totally warms up my face and gives it depth. For those that may find the shade too dark, it does come in two lighter shades as well. It's such a nice, quality product that really deserves checking out if you haven't already. Love, love, LOVE!
Next up is theBalm's Betty-Lou Manizer and it is FAB-U-LOUS! It is a finely milled, honeyed bronze that comes with a mirror in its compact and it is gorgeous!
I picked up Laura Mercier's Sunsoaked Bronze in a makeup kit I bought a while ago. It is a finely milled, pale nutmeg shade with subtle gold shimmer and comes in a small compact with a mirror.
Now when I first laid eyes on this one, I knew there wasn't enough contrast between it and my brown skin to act as a bronzer. So I reassigned it as a blending shade for my eyeshadows and it works perfectly as such. However, I think this would be an excellent bronzer for my fairer beauties.
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| CG Ebony Bronze (top), theBalm Betty-Lou (middle), LM Sunsoaked (bottom) |
Last, but not least, is my Happy Mood Booster Bronzer from Physicians Formula. Ok, I can't front - it was all the little embossed hearts that drew me to this one. It claims to be able to boost your mood via its violet scent and endorphin inducing plant extracts... claims that I cant exactly verify as of yet. But I can say that seeing the hearts, alone, was enough to make me smile.
Happy Mood Bronzer is comprised of different shades of hearts that can be applied separately or swirled together to create your "perfect" bronzer. The pink heart is intended as a highlight for the apple of your cheeks. It comes in different variations and shades of tan/brown and I opted for the darkest one.
Although it does not have a mirror, the chunky pink compact does come with a matching pink brush conveniently hidden underneath the pan.
Every one of the shaded hearts, including the gilded one in the corner, is soft and nicely pigmented. I like that I have my choice of being sunlit or sun-kissed all in one product and the pink is the perfect complement to either look.
I hope you can tell, but there are four swatches from Happy Mood above. The top swatch is the darkest heart, the second swatch is both the mid and lightest hearts, the third is all the brown/gold shades swirled together and the last is the pink.
I've heard that there are some that are frightened by the thought of wearing bronzer because they think they will end up looking like they have a "dirty face". Some fear that they will look like an Oompa loompa (too orange) while others think that their skin is too dark to even benefit from wearing it. All of this is nonsense! You can find the right bronzer that will fit your skin tone and complexion; there are just too many formulas and shades out there to choose from for you to fail.
CoverGirl's Queen Collection Ebony Bronze ($6.99) and Physician Formula's Mood Booster Bronzer (13.95) can be found at Target and various drug stores; Laura Mercier's bronzers ($32) and theBalm's Betty-Lou Manizer ($24) can be found at Sephora.
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