A Bevy of Bronzers

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!

Betty-Lou gives off a beautiful sunlit glow effortlessly.  I like to use it to highlight my face by sweeping it across the tops of my cheeks, down my nose and under my brows.  Again, no chunks of glitter or gold, just smooth golden goodness... LOVE!

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.

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.

Mineralized And Full of Glee

MAC describes it as a "deep, dirty blue-pink with gold pearl" and I think that's a fair and pretty accurate telling of its color.  The gold pearl is very subtle, though, therefore it doesn't interfere but works with the pink to allow a luminous sheen to the cheeks.  Luminous, but not sparkly.  Sheen, but no shine.  It's an easy, everyday blush that works all year 'round.  For your review, I'd like to talk a little about MAC's Mineralized Blush in Gleeful.

 
Gleeful is one of eight shades from MAC's mineralized blush lineup.  It is a finely milled, baked blush with a surprisingly smooth texture.  It does not feel rough or dry to the touch at all.  Absent are the veining and separation of color one often finds in mineralized products; the dusty pink is consistent throughout with the gold pearl being barely visible to the eye.

The blush's soft dome yields a hearty amount of color.  It's a fully pigmented color that's not all the way opaque, but rather lends a lovely, rosy veil to the face. 

I am really fond of this blush and the way it feels, the color, the color payoff and how it lasts all day on me.  It's a shade that would befit a wide range of skin tones and its buildable coverage makes it versatile enough to wear day or night.  And now that spring has just about sprung, I believe Gleeful may be worth checking out if you're on the hunt for a new hue to rock for the new season. 

MAC's Mineralized Blush in Gleeful can be found at MAC stores and retails for $25. 

Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel

 

For years, I've been a simple "soap and water" girl when it came to my face.  No special cleansers or rituals.  Just a plain old bar of Jergens or Oil of Olay.  And it's been working fine, but I wanted to see if the grass was just a little bit greener on the other side of skincare.  I wanted to try something that wouldn't strip my skin, but would leave it feeling clean at the same time.  The first cleanser I tried smelled like freshly cut pineapples and was "all natural", but gradually sucked the life out of my skin.  I didn't realize how harsh and drying it was until I woke up one morning and literally looked like a one hundred year old woman.  Yeah.  So I decided to invest in a full-sized version of a sample I had tried earlier and actually liked  - Boscia's Purifying Cleansing Gel - and I'm glad I did.  I'm a few months in and my skin looks and feels pretty darn good.

Boscia is a Japanese skincare brand that prides itself on having a preservative-free, botanically-based line of products.  The Purifying Cleanser is sulfate-free and contains green tea in addition to other natural ingredients that aid in promoting healthy, conditioned, clean skin.  My face feels soft and clean after washing, but never parched and/or taut.  After washing, I put my Ole Henriksen moisturizer on top and I'm good for the day/night. 

The cleanser is a high performing, clear gel that is virtually fragrance free.  It produces a soft, not overly frothy, lather when engaged with water and only a half to a full pump of product is needed to effectively clean your face.

So, I must say that this cleanser has been working quite well for me.   My skin feels fresh and healthy, and there hasn't been a centenarian sighting in my mirror for months now.  And I don't expect to see her any time soon.  I've happily done away with my "bar of soap" regimen and have permanently replaced it with Boscia's Cleansing Gel.  If you're looking for a sulfate-free cleanser for your face, this one may be worth checking out.

Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel is available at Sephora and retails for $26.

A Beautiful Skyline

Want to try something that's a little different?  Do you like experimenting with new and interesting products?  Are you itching to add yet another item to your makeup stash?  Well, I think I may have something that's right up your alley.  I would like to present for your review Stila's Stay All Day 3D Wet-To-Set Trio in Skyline.

Skyline is one of six trios from Stila's new line of water activated eyeshadows.  The solid brick of three colors  housed in a glossy black compact that also contains a mirror.

 

Opening the compact reveals the two shimmery and one matte that makes up Skyline's trifecta of shadows which, going from left to right, includes a shimmery cream, pearly mauve and a matte, charcoal tinged purple.

Now when swatching it dry, the shadows feels hard and do not yield much color at all, although the mauve was halfway cooperative and yielded the most out of the three.

But the true magic is supposed to happen when it's wet...

And so, when following the instructed application of wetting your brush and swirling it around in the product, the shadows turn to a creamy consistency and BINGO!  We have color!

Now I found that if you dip your brush into the shadows and then wet your brush with the dry shadow on it, you will get more of a watercolor effect (like the tail end of the purple swatch and the white swatch above).  And if you wet your brush first then swirl it around, gathering the damp shadow on your brush, you will get a more potent pass of color (like the middle mauve swatch above).  No matter which technique you use, the color is buildable; after applying to lids, wait for it to dry then apply more.  Also worth noting, even though it appeared to be a cream color in the pan, the lighter shade in the Skyline trio turned out to be more of a white when swatched. 

Overall, I really like Skyline and think that the Wet-To-Set formula is pretty neat.  I totally see using the charcoal-purple from time to time as a liner and the mauve is just so doggone pretty.   My only caveat: it does have a faint smell to it when you first open it, but it does not seem to linger during or after application. 

Stila's Stay All Day 3D Wet-To-Set Eyeshadow Trio in Skyline is available at stilacosmetics.com and Ulta.com, and retails for $24.

Seasonal Foundation

Do you change your makeup with the seasons?  I have to admit that I don't really find the need to wear foundation too often.  However, I have taken notice that certain products tend to do better than others under certain situations.  This winter my skin woefully expressed a need for extra moisture so I obliged it by reaching for a tinted moisturizer in lieu of regular foundation.  And the summer prior I opted for my Revlon ColorStay because of its stellar performance in the humidity and heat.  Each seemed better suited for that specific climate at the time.  Thus began my unscripted seasonal assigning of foundations based on weather changes and environmental demands.

Tinted moisturizer in the winter?  Yes, ma'am!  I find it more suitable for my parched winter skin than in the summer when my skin is slick with dew from perspiration.  My favorite right now is Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer.   

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Laura Mercier included a wide range of shades to accommodate a broad spectrum of skin tones.  My color is Walnut.  I like this a lot because it is light in coverage (like most TMs) and it gives my skin a soft, healthy looking, satin-like finish.  For application, I simply use my fingers.

Now my Revlon ColorStay is absolutely infallible in the summer, which is why I rock it during the hot months.  I think it holds up so well because it is the oily skin formulation so it works extra hard to fight back shine and extra oil on your face.  Now the thing is is that I do NOT have oily skin, but I ended up buying this formula because "normal" 400 Caramel is not the same color as "oily" 400 Caramel, which I find weird.  "Normal" Caramel is flatter and paler in comparison and, therefore, not a match for my skin.

I like Revlon ColorStay foundation because it does not leave me feeling like I am wearing a heavy mask on my face.  The coverage is medium to buildable and the combo/oily formula has a semi-matte to satin finish.  I use my duo fiber brush for a flawless application.

And then there's my Perfectly Real powder foundation from Clinique.  I absolutely love this stuff because it's totally versatile to wear no matter what season and leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft. 

My shade is 146 and it is a dead-on match.  For a seamless application, I like to use my retractable Kabuki to lightly buff and blend the color.

And so there you have it -  my cozy selection of "seasonal foundations", if you will.  Now nothing is etched in stone and I will basically wear what I want when I want to wear it, but I am keenly aware of the benefits of knowing the efficacy of my makeup and how it may change from season to season.
 
Do you change your makeup in accordance with the seasons?  And if so, what's your preferred lineup?