Bronzer Archives - Page 6 of 10 - The Beauty Look Book

Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Color in Blush Guilt and Bronzed Amber

May 7, 2013

Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Color is new for summer and comes in two limited-edition shades Blush Guilt 01 and Bronzed Amber 02 ($58 each for .42 oz/12g). Both are packaged in a convenient twist-up stick very much like his stick foundation. Blush Guilt is a sheer pale seashell pink shimmer. It’s a dreamy glimmering pink that goes on very sheer on my skin. It does show up pink but the effect is extremely natural on me – even more natural than the Fire Lust Liquid Skin Illuminator. Bronzed Amber is a warm darker bronze shimmer that sheers out to a beautiful warm bronzed glow. It looks deep and dramatic when swatched but blends out to a beautiful natural bronze.

Both shades have a dewy texture with a sheer finish. They can be layered for more color but are still fairly natural shades. I was surprised how much I fell in love with Bronzed Amber. I expected Blush Guilt to be my favorite, but once blended out the color is borderline too light for my skin to wear alone. It’s a color that needs a bit of extra work with layering of bronzer or blush. Although the shimmering quality is just beyond gorgeous on the skin.

Swatches were a bit difficult to capture due to the dewy nature, light keeps reflecting off each shade. I recommend seeing swatches on The RaeViewer and Best Things in Beauty for a better idea of what they look like on the skin.

The Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Colors are quite emollient but they do stay put a surprisingly long time for such a dewy product. On me I don’t end up getting greasy as fast as with some other cream blushes, but by afternoon, I can definitely feel that my face feels moist from these cream blushes. I wouldn’t recommend them for oily skin, although they can be set with a powder. Compared to NARS Multiples, the Tom Ford is dewier and sheerer. I personally prefer the finish of the Tom Ford sticks because the transparent quality gives you a more natural luminous glow. On the other hand I prefer the pigment of the NARS sticks because they offer more color without any added blush/bronzer needed.

Here are some of the shades compared below to Armani, NARS and MAC. You can see that the colors of Tom Ford Blush Guilt and Bronzed Amber are quite unique.

All shades swatched with a heavy hand below:

I think Bronzed Amber is a must-have, but Blush Guilt is definitely the hit shade of summer. There’s something irresistible about a shimmering seashell pink blush.

Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Colors ($58 each) are limited-edition. Right now both Bronzed Amber and Blush Guilt is still available online at Saks. Bronzed Amber is still available online at Neiman Marcus. If you’re interested act fast, the Tom Ford Summer items are selling out very quickly. (Tom Ford locations posted in the Fire Lust post a few posts below).

Shop the items at Saks:

This post contains affiliate links, for more info see the About/FAQ section.

12 Comments

Uncategorized

Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette (Limited-Edition)

May 1, 2013

Affiliate Links

Giorgio Armani’s Bronze All-Over Palette for Summer 2013 just might be this season’s prettiest palette ($88, limited-edition). It’s a sleek two-tiered palette with a gorgeous bronzer on the top and three shimmery neutrals on the bottom. Many thanks to Café Makeup for giving me the heads up as soon as this arrived online at Giorgio Armani Beauty. It’s a luxurious splurge but a definite must-have for this season.

The bronzer is a stunning golden luminous bronze. It has a metallic overspray making it look like sunshine in a compact. Underneath is a soft glowy golden bronze that makes the skin just glow. I love that it’s luminous without emphasizing pores and that it does not turn orangey on the skin.

The three shadows below are stunning neutrals with incredible pigment. There’s a soft cream, a neutral peach-pink and a bronzey shimmer. Without any base the colors are rich and very pigmented. The textures are extremely soft and finely milled (think along the lines of the better Burberry and Urban Decay soft shadows). They are very easy to blend and goof-proof.

Swatches below, two different views with different lighting:

A few comparisons below. The Armani Summer 2013 Bronzer is similar to Bobbi Brown’s Aruba, but the Armani is less frosty on the skin and the soft texture prevents it from turning orange.

For eyeshadows, I thought Armani Summer 2013’s shades would be a dupe for Chanel’s long discontinued Shimmering Dunes, they are actually different.

Armani’s Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette is definitely a luxurious splurge but worth every penny. See other swatches and reviews on other skintones at Café Makeup, Temptalia, Beautezine and Best Things in Beauty.

Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette retails for $88 and is limited-edition. It is available at all Armani Beauty counters and online at Nordstrom.com (free shipping), Giorgio Armani Beauty (complementary shipping with orders of $75+), Saks.com.

This post contains an affiliate link, for more information see the About/FAQ section.

7 Comments

Uncategorized

Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Tailor-Made Bronzing Powder 00 Nude and 02 Naturel-Blondes

March 11, 2013

Guerlain has revamped their Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzers ($75 each for 10 g/0.35 oz, made in France) this year and released some new shades for spring-summer. I have not had much experience with Guerlain’s terracotta bronzers (except for a few seasonal limited ones) even though I’m obsessed with bronzers in all shades, formulas and finishes. This is the first time I’ve looked into the Terracotta Bronzer line from Guerlain. For this new release, there are six shades available. Two of the older shades have been re-named (sorry I’m not sure which ones have been repromoted), and four new colors have been added. I picked up the two lightest shades from Neimans, Terracotta 4 Seasons in Nude 00 and Naturel-Blondes 02.

Nude 00 is light quad with three tan shades and one pink shimmer. It’s fairly light. I have olive medium skin and currently use Chanel B30, Dolce & Gabbana Warm 100 and NARS Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska. I found Nude 00 to be extremely natural on me applying more like a nude blush rather than a bronzer. The finish is satiny leaning more on the matte side but not flat. Those who detest shimmer in their blush/bronzer will love the finish of the 4 Seasons bronzers.

Naturel-Blondes 02 is the second lightest option. All shades are medium tans (very similar). The bottom right corner has slight shimmer. It’s a warm but natural bronzer. On me it’s still on the natural side but true to bronzer form. Swatches below will make it seem on the orangey side. On the face it warms up the skin but doesn’t look orange at all. On me it’s goof proof. The color is layerable but it seems to be one of those shades that is impossible to mess up or overdo.

Each shade in the quads were a bit too sheer to swatch individually on the arm. On the face it’s easier to swirl the brush in a circular motion to mix all shades within each palette and then apply to the face. I’ve found that I can wear these alone without any layering of other blushes or creams.

Here are a few swatches, these were applied with a soft fluffy brush:

The Terracotta 4 Seasons are more matte than the Terracotta Light shades (mosaic looking bronzers) but have a similar finish in terms of pigment/intensity. I have two of the Terracotta Light shades, Blondes and Sun Blondes to compare.

I had some challenges capturing the true effect of each. There is a softness to each shade that my camera cannot capture. The Blondes and Sun Blondes have a noticeable luminous glow on the face, it might not be apparent below.

I dug through some of my current favorites to compare. Colors will vary depending on your skintone and also undertones. I have a lot of olive/yellow. Note the Guerlain was swatched with a slightly heavier hand to show the undertone. On the face they do not apply quite as intense.

I am one who loves all kinds of bronzers, even ones that are more dramatic and stronger. The Guerlain 4 Seasons shades I chose looked darker in the store and in finger/arm swatches compared to what you see when you apply on the face. They are well pigmented but still extremely soft in color. I think they are among the softest bronzers I own (MAC Golden is one of the softest in color, but I think it is because it matches my skintone closely). Lasting power was quite good. These are heavily scented with a powdery scent. I have a super sensitive nose but I found the scent faded after 5-10 minutes.

I had expected Nude 00 and Naturel-Blondes 02 to look darker and more dramatic on the face. Instead I found them to be more on the natural side. I have to admit the other colors instore looked extremely dark, but I almost wish I had tried the darker ones first. At a high price of $75 I highly recommend that you try before buying. I know I will get a lot of use out of the two I purchased. The texture of the 4 Seasons Bronzers is very luxurious and soft. They apply flawlessly. I like that the compacts are sturdy enough that I feel comfortable carrying one in my purse. After testing for a week or so, I like them, but it’s not love … yet. I personally prefer the Blondes/Sun Blondes even though the effect/finish is completely different.

For quick reference, here is a photo of all the ones in store. Some with the same names might look different because of the reflection from my iPhone flash:

Guerlain 4 Seasons Bronzers are available at counters now. I saw the entire lineup at Nordstrom and Neimans. I’ve heard it has also arrived at the Guerlain Boutique in Las Vegas. Currently it’s only showing up at 2 locations online at Nordstrom.com and Saks.com. I suspect it will show up at more locations online soon.

Have you checked out Guerlain’s Summer Collection for the Terracotta
release? Have you been a long-time Terracotta Bronzer user? I’d love to
hear what your favorites are (or have been) and your skintone.

This post contains an affiliate link. For more information please see the About/FAQ section.

25 Comments

Uncategorized

Soleil Tan de Chanel: 2011 Bronzes vs. 2012 Sables

April 29, 2012

Top: Bronze Rose (summer 2011) and Sable Rose (summer 2012)

Bottom: Bronze Corail (summer 2011) and Sable Beige (summer 2012)

Here is a comparison post of the stripe bronzers from Chanel. Overall thoughts on each release:

Summer 2011: Bronze Corail 537 and Bronze Rose 547 (reviewed here and here)

Retailed for $50 each
Four stripes of varying color
Overall darker and more brown-based
Product size 14 g/0.49 oz

Summer 2012: Sable Beige 907 and Sable Rose 917

Retails for $60 each
Seven stripes of varying color, each shade embossed with a stripe imprint
Overall softer glow and more sandy-beige undertones
Product size 15 g/0.53 oz

Bronze Corail vs. Sable Beige

Bronze Rose vs. Sable Rose

Swatched, two views/applications (labels corrected):

19 Comments

Uncategorized

Chanel Sable Beige and Sable Rose Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzers for Summer 2012

April 29, 2012

This summer Chanel has continued in the striped-bronzer theme and released two new variations of their Soleil Tan de Chanel bronzers in a luminous powder compact. The two colors this year are Sable Beige 907 and Sable Rose 917 ($60 for 15g/0.53 oz, both limited edition). Both shades contain 7 stripes of color each although to my eye, it appears that there are some repeats of colors within each pattern. The finish of both of these are subtle with a finely milled shimmer. It makes the skin glow without having too much shimmer. I recommend testing on the face in person since swatching on the hand or arm will not give you the same effect as on the face. I had similar thoughts/experiences to Product Doctor. The finish of these are softer than previous years. I also did not find these to be the typical bronzer, but rather a more luminous glow blush/highlighter – minus the frost or shimmer. This year’s releases are more glowy and sandy/beige than last year’s which I found more brown/bronzey.

Sable Beige 907 is a soft light beige bronze shimmer. I found this to be a lovely subtle warm contour. It can be used as a blush alone for lighter skins or over other colors of blush as well. I don’t recommend applying over a bare face. The texture needs some kind of base (foundation or tinted moisturizer) to show up. Sable Beige is the lighter of the two.

Sable Rose 917 is the darker bronzer. It has more bronze and pink stripes which make this more of a soft luminous rose-brown blush on my skin. On me the brown/beige dominate over the pink and shows up as more of a soft tawny bronze with a slight hint of pink. It’s lovely alone as a blush and has enough color to wear by itself.

More shots of both Sable Beige and Sable Rose shown side by side.

Swatched:

Overall thumbs up. When I called my Nordstrom Chanel associate, she thought I did not need either of these if I had both of last year’s bronzers. I still bought both. After playing with both I think she is correct, however if you found last year’s muddy on your skin, give these new ones a try. I can’t emphasize enough that what you see on the arm/hand will not translate to what you will see on the face. I’m about a 1/2 shade lighter (Chanel B30) than I was last year so I think both show up well on my skin. If you have doubts about which shade would look best on you, I recommend calling your Chanel counter to have a specialist help.

Are these must-haves? At $60 each and given my current bronzer collection, I could have probably just bought 1 although I can’t pick my favorite. I’ve been wearing Sable Rose regularly since I purchased it. It’s an easy no-fuss go-with-everything kind of color that works with all types of lip colors. I haven’t found one yet that didn’t work well with it.

Many have asked how these compare to last year’s. A more detailed comparison post to come soon.

21 Comments

Uncategorized

Estée Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée: Topaz Chameleon and Shimmering Sands

February 27, 2012

It feels as though I blinked and an entire week flew by without me realizing it. It’s almost the same with spring and summer collections these days. I could have sworn I just looked at the Spring Topaz collection from Estée Lauder and I was completely surprised to see the Summer Bronze Goddess collection at Macy’s during my lunch break on Friday. (Summer in February?!) Continuing the trend with the Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée, Estée Lauder has released another gorgeous embossed face highlighter this season called Shimmering Sands ($42 for .15 oz/4.5 g) which is a metallic bronzey pink. Topaz Chameleon ($40 for .17 oz/5 g) was from their Spring Topaz collection and I was lucky to find one in store this late after the collection launched. (It took me a while to decide to buy this one if you’re interested, I suggest you act fast).

Both highlighters are highly metallic but easily layerable for a more subtle glow. Illuminating Powder Gelées have a very unique gel-powder-cream formula. It’s not quite a cream like NARS Multiples but not quite a powder. Still, I wouldn’t describe it as a cream to powder since the finish is slightly dewy (only very slightly). Shimmering Sands and Chameleon Topaz both come with a beautiful embossed texture. I found both extremely pigmented with multidimensional shimmers. The formula seems to adhere to the skin quite well but blends in without looking like it sits on top like some metallic highlighters do. Although these are called “highlighters” there is so much color I can’t imagine wearing these over any other product (aside from powder and foundation). The tiny applicators pick up quite a bit of pigment but I prefer to use a full sized powder brush for a sheerer application over the cheeks. I love that the shimmers are not oversprays. Here are a few more photos side by side at different angles.

In direct sunlight with flash, here you can see the metallic flashes:

Topaz Chameleon is a warm golden copper. At first swipe I was intimidated by how warm and pigmented the color was and walked away. It wasn’t until after seeing it on Karla Sugar, Temptalia and Makeup and Beauty Blog that I decided to revisit and try on the face. I thought it would look too orange/copper/yellow but it surprised me. It warms up the face to give a summery bronzed copper glow. I do recommend using with caution. One extra swipe could easily overdo it. Make sure your face is well prepped with a good base and foundation. Without it this can emphasize pores (at least in my experience, I like to use Koh Gen Do’s Royal Massage Milk and NARS Tinted Moisturizer these days). This one is very limited in stores but can still be found online at a few places.

Shimmering Sands looks like a soft champagne bronze in the compact but goes on quite a bit darker than I expected – like a bronzed pink. On my skin the pink/brownish tones pull more strongly and gives me an almost brown-burnt look if applied too heavily. Finding the right balance might take a bit of work but this one is still lovely. The shimmer effect is more subdued compared to Modern Mercury (from fall 2011) and Topaz Chameleon. I find this to be more of a true bronzer rather than a highlight. Does this one pull brown/reddish on your skin or is it just me? Perhaps tan skinned or darker skin girls will find this less of a bronze and more of a highlight.

Here are all three Illuminating Powder Gelées from Estée Lauder: Modern Mercury (Fall 2011), Chameleon Topaz (Spring 2012), Shimmering Sands (Summer 2012).

Swatches, heavily on the skin. I recommend you check out the other blogs I linked above to see the sheer vs. heavy swatches. There is no way I would ever wear these this heavy on the face but sheered out it was hard to get photos of the arm-swatches. I think Temptalia’s photos demonstrate how well these blend on the face. Also re-visit the reviews from Cafe Makeup on Modern Mercury to see the effect on Liz (see how it blends out on the cheeks versus swatched on the arm).

Modern Mercury is still my favorite. I wish it was a permanent product as I do think it is something I would like to repurchase when I hit pan (not that it will happen soon, but still). Topaz Chameleon is close second. I feel the latest Shimmering Sands is too dark for me right now, but when real summer arrives and I get my tan back I think this will work better for me. I’m all about dramatic bronzers but even this one is a bit too much for me.

18 Comments

Uncategorized

Loving Right Now: Chanel

May 30, 2011

Chanel is my favorite brand, hands down. Chanel never fails to release something beautiful and each season I find at least one thing that catches my eye. Many have asked for my top ten picks for Chanel in each product category (nails, lips, eyes etc.) but I find it difficult to narrow down my favorites to any given number. My favorites change monthly depending on season, mood and occasion. I will be hard pressed to name something that I don’t love from the brand (although I’m not really fond of their concealer or mascara). I do love all the other color items, however, RIGHT NOW, my favorites include the following:

Perlé Rouge Coco, Seashell Glossimer, Bronze Universel de Chanel (replaced by Soleil Tan De Chanel), Dragon Le Vernis, Jade Rose Le Vernis, Espresso Stylo Yeux, Regard Perlé Quad, Mystic Eyes Quad, Island Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Lips and Cheeks

Perlé Rouge Coco – soft shimmering pink (if you want something less expensive that is similar in effect, check out MAC VGV lipstick)
Seashell Glossimer – sheer shimmer
Bronze Universel de Chanel (replaced by Soleil Tan De Chanel) – the best cream bronzer to contour your face naturally and lasts all day, hit pan on 1, this is my second one

Nails:

Dragon is without a doubt THE best red out there
Jade Rose is subtle but elegant and never fails to look polished

Jade Rose:

Dragon & dreaming of a caviar classic flap in red:

Eyes:

Island Soft Touch Eyeshadow (unfortunately discontinued) is the prettiest soft peachy pink champagne, Liberty and Lotus are similar, or for cheaper MAC Naked Lunch, but to me nothing truly compares
Regard Perlé is still on my favorites list (see it here)
Mystic Eyes is a classic that can take you from day to night
Espresso Stylo Yeux comes with a sharpener at the end to keep the tip pointy, this eyeliner is soft, easy to blend but stays put all day

I can’t believe May is almost over!