Yes ladies, I still am struggling on my exam preparation yet I just can’t neglect my blog, aye? π This post is going to compare four different bronzers that I have. Instead of reviewing them one by one, I decided to put them all in one post ;). Beware though, this post will be a picture heavy one. Teehee~
Just in case you can’t read what I typed in the picture (which I’m pretty sure you can’t lol), I will re-write the products’ names. On the top left is The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in Bronze. The one on the top right is MAC Style Warrior Bronzing Powder in Solar Riche. On the bottom left is the ever famous Benefit 10 and beside it is Physicians Formula Baked Bronzer in Baked Bronze.
Why bronzers? I am not a snow-white fair π My skin is considerably fair-medium, but I am dead pale. Unless I let myself being baked under the sun, only I can show up the healthy baked flush. Anyway, I believe that’s pretty damaging to my skin, so it ain’t happening. Instead, I opted for blush and bronzer to perk up my look :D. I don’t like looking pale with obvious blush, so a little touch of bronzer will help me out A LOT. Besides, my arms are not as light as the rest of my body (I wear long pants everyday) so toning down my skin tone is pretty necessary. Hence, all the bronzers… lol
Here’s where the nightmare begins..
This is the picture of the actual powders..
Let’s start with The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in Bronze π
The price of 8.5g worth of product is RM79 (I believe, I scrapped off the price label already). I just recently bought this during TBS annual sale so the actual $$$ I paid for it was a little less than RM79. From TBS US site, the price is USD22.
TBS Shimmer Waves comes in mixture of five colors in a wave-like pattern. The texture is very smooth yet not powdery. It is pretty shimmery and you can use each color as eyeshadow or swipe all the colors together as a blush or bronzer. I prefer to use it a bronzer and eyeshadow (during the days when I am lazy to pick out colors to be used). As a bronzer, it is pretty dark for my skin tone, yet applying it light-handedly will do the trick. Also choosing the right brush to go on with this bronzer will determine the final finish. I used my I Nuovi large powder brush as it helps to soften up the look a little bit. Since it is pretty shimmery, I just applied a little bit where necessary. I don’t want to look shiny :P.Swatches without flash: Overall color and the color swatches from the bottom one (on the left most) to the top color (right most on my arm)
As eyeshadows, I like the first, second and third color π They’re so lovely when combined together to create a warm neutral look π
Next, please!
Yes yes, it is the infamous BeneFit 10, a bronzing and highlighting face powder duo. This baby is the most expensive one compared to the other bronzers. Retailing at USD26/RM129, this box-o-powder is pretty huge, containing 10g worth of product.
As you can see, the powder has a shimmery bronzer on the left side and a highlighter on the right side. The box came with a scratchy useless brush, so please get a brush to apply this bronzer. I have found my love to apply this bronzer π It’s ELF contouring brush. Basically it’s a small angled brush. The width is just perfect to pick up the bronzer alone π (not to mention it is cheap!). BeneFit 10 bronzer is almost as shimmery as TBS Shimmer Waves yet the hue of the bronzer is a little different. I found that the BeneFit 10 bronzer is a little lighter compared to TBS Shimmer Waves, yet it is still quite pigmented, so please apply it with light hand, alright? In the pictures, it might look like as if BeneFit 10 is darker, yet in real it’s actually a little lighter, but just a little…. Again, it is my first bronzer and I love how it looks on me, yet I am not really a big fan of shimmery bronzer. The highlighter side is pretty great too in highlighting cheek bones. I sometimes use it to highlight my collar bones ^_^
Swatches of the bronzer and highlighter without flash
With flash (sorry about the lighting, I tried several angles, yet this one is still better compared to the others)
The next bronzer is the newest addition to my stash π
It’s MAC Bronzing Powder in Solar Riche from recent Style Warrior collection. It retails at USD21/RM85. From MAC website, the color is described as mid-tone deep orange brown. I found the color description is pretty reliable. You can see the picture below:
It may look scarily orange, yet it is actually pretty sheer. In fact, this is the sheerest (if such word exists!) bronzer among the other three, not to mention being the lightest too. It has a hint of shimmer, yet it looks matte upon application which I like! π The fact that it’s not too pigmented and dark, complements my skin tone well. I look healthier yet the difference between my arms and face is very subtle. Since it’s pretty sheer, you can layer it to achieve the look you want. However, if you have darker skin tone, I doubt this will show up on your skin as it is really light. However, you can always give it a try by visiting the nearest MAC store. When it comes to this bronzer, I use my TBS foundation kabuki brush (for softer look I use I Nuovi large powder brush). Basically you can use any brush of your choice to apply this bronzer. This new baby of mine has been regularly used as my primary bronzer π
Swatch without flash. I had to swatch several times until the color came up. Both swatches are from the same bronzer.
The last one and the least I like is Physicians Formula Baked Bronzer in Baked Bronze.
This bronzer retails at USD11.95 and I don’t think it’s available in Malaysia. It has domed veins pattern that mimicks that of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish. Some part of it is bronzer and the other part is the shimmer (or what I prefer to call, GLITTER). Do you know why I hate this bronzer? It’s the crazy glitters! Look at this:
I only need to swipe my finger lightly on the bronzer, and look at the amount of glitter you can see on my finger -_-. Usually even if you have shimmery bronzer, the shimmer doesn’t really transfer to your face, but need not to worry, this one really does transfer as much glitter as possible to your face making you end up looking like a walking disco ball. It is just my opinion, some people might like it. I do think this one will be great if you wear it to party π The amount of glitter is just nice for partying, but not for everyday use. You can see my EOTD here to observe how glittery it is on my forehead that it almost looks like sweats :P. Its counterpart, Baked Tan, however has a good rating at MUA. I decided to take a look on how it looks like. Baked Tan is nowhere as glittery as Baked Bronze!
Putting the glitters issue apart, this bronzer is actually pretty pigmented but a tad bit too dark for my liking. Hey, I mean you pay for USD11.95 yet you get a pretty pigmented bronzer, it’s worth buying you know.. I’d recommend you to get the Baked Tan instead.. The bronzer itself is quite smooth and not so powdery, nonetheless it’s really difficult to pick up only the bronzer using a brush. The glitters tend to be picked out too. I tried different kind of brushes but I still can’t find the right one, so for the moment, this bronzer has been put aside on my bottom drawer. I did mention the bronzer part is not so powdery, but the glitters… man, if you tried to blow the bronzer after swiping once with your brush, you can practically see chunks of glitter flying around! This is a pretty good bronzer in my opinion, but the glitter is a huge issue for me.
I swatched all bronzers together so that you can compare them. Now you can see that BeneFit 10 is tad lighter than TBS Shimmer Waves. π
From left to right: TBS Shimmer Waves in Bronze, BeneFit 10, Physicians Formula Baked Bronzer in Baked Bronze, MAC Style Warrior Bronzing Powder in Solar Riche
Phew, that’s a lot of pictures..! π I hope you enjoy reading this post ^_^ What do you think?
What about you? Do you use any bronzer?
Haha, I’m just like you. I don’t wear anything but long pants everyday too, lol. My legs are super pale. My friend is caucasian and her legs are a bit more tan than mines, haha. I really like the Solar Riche Bronzer. I was thinking of buying it since I’ve seen a lot of people having it, but the color scared me a bit, but its so sheer and natural looking! You should definitely buy Golden Nectar highlight powder when the Naked Honey collection comes out over in Asia. The shimmers not obvious at all. It gives my skin a nice dewy glow. I think it would look great with Solar Riche on you. π
Hi Dee!
Yeah.. I have discoloured arms xD I think my friends have had enough of me complaining about it π
Oh I can’t wait for Golden Nectar collection! I will check it out once it’s released here π Thanks for the suggestion Dee! ^_^
Of course! Oh, I want to update you on the Golden Nectar highlight powder. When you first see it, the golden “sheen” is quite strong, but fades off after a couple uses. Its more subtle now, and you can actually use it as a light bronzer too! π
Haha, my friends make fun of my legs. They call them “glow in the dark”, lmao.
lol @ glow in the dark tease..
Oh yay! Thanks for the update Dee π I’ve put it on my “must check out” list! xD Even from the picture, the color looks interesting. How does it really look in real anyway? π
I did a review today!
When you first see it, its super shimmery. but goes on rather natural. After a few uses, the sheen is less intense. That’s why I recommend using it as a bronzer too, since it isn’t too pigmented. It’ll give a nice bronze finish to your face. Definitely great for winter! π
Although it’s practically summer throughout the year here, no harm checking it out π I can’t wait XD
lol
i dont get to wear anything but long pants because i have scars all over my legs π
you girls should be greatful
cheer up π
Hey Lynn π
I have heavy lower body part, so I’m used to wearing long pants everyday.. I just don’t feel comfortable revealing it lol
We all have our flaws but again, we can always emphasize on better aspects of ours π
Lovely site you have there π
I got that Benefit 10. I actually bought it coz of a pushy sales assistant -_-;; Anyways, I started using it like last month and I love it. I agree with you it’s a light bronzer and it makes my eurasian skin pop with a glow π
Take care x
Hi Sandy,
Thanks for dropping by and I hope you enjoy your stay here π
Yes it is a great bronzer π I still love it despite slight shimmer it has π Anyway, it’s just a matter of preference I guess, I prefer matte bronzer due to the weather over here π
Your skin is perfectly nice! Looks very healthy and glowing π
I got the body shop shimmer waves too, u try use it with strippling brush….Then u can get the perfect colour without much shimmer…My skin is super oily but i can take this as blush if i use with MAC187… Happy trying… π
Hi Chris,
Thank you for the suggestion π I will definitely try it out! Geez how come I never thought of it.. lol
I’m using Stila bronze powder. Now that Stila’s leaving malaysia, i’ve been frantically searching for other suitable replacement. Hmmm im lemming that MAC Style Warrior bronzer. But too sheer for dark skintone? dem…
Maybe you can try Refined Golden as I reckon is tad bit darker than Solar Riche, but both are still pretty sheer.. I guess to make it work you need to use a kabuki brush or flat top brush to pack on the color so that the bronzer will show up. Physicians Formula Baked Bronzer in Baked Bronze is actually the darker version of baked tan (if I’m not mistaken). It’s quite dark on my skin.. I think this bronzer would be great IF they remove majority of the glitter chunks!
You can check out Bloom’s bronzer too π
shimmery bronzers are not my thing.
I tried TBS shimmer waves and found them shimmery and maybe a little frosty? >_<
Benefit's 10 look a bit, hm, subtle shimmer, which I like, but the price, puts me off given the recent price raise.
What works for me now is the Pop Beauty ones, ELF i am using them as e/s or just lightly brush them over my cheeks. Bad for contouring lor those ELF.
I prefer matte one as well though a little shimmer is fine with me.. The Physicians Formula bronzer seriously turned me off!
It is pretty shimmery yet applying it with skunk brush tones it down a little (thanks to Chris for the tips) π
I got Benefit’s 10 as a gift from my friend as she wanted to reduce her makeup stash π I love it, but again the hefty price tag of Benefit items is always the thing preventing me to get more π¦
Thanks for sharing plue!