Audrey Dao

NARS Highlighting/Bronzing Blush Duo ($37) This limited-edition Blush-Bronzer Duo contains the incomparable combination of Nars’ Orgasm Blush (subtly peachy-pink shimmer) and Laguna Bronzer (sheer light brown shimmer), which have been individually touted for their universally flattering and natural-looking hues. This compatible pairing creates summer’s quintessential glow both with ease and convenience – anytime of year.

My Thoughts:

Orgasm and Laguna are cult favorites. So when I saw this duo I had to snatch it up. Also, it doesn’t hurt that it was on sale. Thank you Sephora Friends and Family.  Did I mention I’m a sucker for sales?

Orgasm: a very pigmented shimmery/sparkly blush. It’s a peachy pink shade that despite what practically everyone says, doesn’t work on every skin tone. I’m sure it works on most skin tones, but it didn’t really work on mine. I have yellow undertones if you were wondering. Orgasm looked more pink than peachy on my skin.  It also shimmered like a disco ball. I think it’s overrated. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a pretty color. I just think there are better shades of peachy, pink blushes than Orgasm. Overall, the blush texture is wonderful. It’s finely milled, soft, and pigmented. You can read about my thoughts on Nars blushes in the review section.

Laguna: gotta love the Laguna Bronzer. It gives you that perfect tan color that isn’t reddish or orangy. Do you notice that? That reddish or orangy tone that comes with most bronzers? I have to say Laguna will probably suit  most skin tones. Be careful if you have a light/pale complexion. It can look dirty/muddy if you put too much on. Laguna adds a natural warmth to you face that will be perfect for summer and handy during the winter. It’s a pigmented bronzer that does shimmer. Overall, I will probably purchase the full sized Laguna bronzer. It’s not everyday you find a good bronzer.  I can understand why people are going nutso over Laguna.

Urban Decay Baked Bronzer ($24) Our bronzer’s name is a bit of a triple-entendre. First of all, it gives you a nice baked, toasty glow without the threat of skin damage. Second, it’s literally baked in an Italian oven on a tiny terra cotta disc for 24 hours, then hand-finished by a factory full of motherly Italian women. The result is an ultra-smooth, sheer-finish bronzer that can be used wet or dry and always goes on streak-free. And third, well, if you don’t get the joke, we’re just not going to tell you.

Apply dry with a fat brush for a light dusting of summer sun, or use it wet with a sponge for a deeper St. Tropez shade. Because the formula is cooked, not pressed, the powder returns to a micro-fine feel after being wet – without glazing!

My Thoughts:

Another great item from Urban Decay and so worth the $24! This bronzer has lasted me forever, and it’s still going. I have yet to hit the bottom and it has been over a year. When the light hits your face, it gives you this angelic glow. It’s amazing! It doesn’t make you look dirty or orange. I can’t think of a dupe, because chances are, there isn’t one. There are 3 different shades: baked, gilded, and toasted. So you will for sure find a bronzer shade for you. It never looks to dry or powdery. Besides the awesome performance the bronzer puts on, the packaging is so cute! It comes packaged like a cupcake!

(Photos from Makeup For Life)

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MAC Magic Mirth and Mischief Fab Racadabra Bronze Face Kit ($38)

A face compact inspired by the fab-racadabra impact of bronze. Features Golden Bronzing Powder, Sunbasque Sheertone Shimmer Blush, and Buffed & Polished Iridescent Powder/Pressed in a sleek, square silvery-pewter compact decorated with a whimsical pattern of coloured dots on the lid, each one representing a shade from the compact’s palette. Limited edition.

MAC Magic Mirth and Mischief Hocus Focus Colourful Face Kit ($38)

An exclusive holiday compact featuring three key products for the face: Pretty Baby Beauty Powder, Peachykeen Sheertone Shimmer Blush and Sunsparked Pearl Beauty Powder in a sleek, square silvery-pewter compact decorated with a whimsical pattern of coloured dots on the lid, each one representing a shade from the compact’s palette. Limited edition.

My Thoughts:

I decided to skip out on the face kits because I didn’t find anything special about them except for the packaging. I still can’t get over how cute the packaging is! The face kits were not very pigmented (perfect if you’re heavy handed). Usually for the holiday, I want something that is pigmented so I can have more color in my complexion since I’m a lot paler. Other than that, the powders and blush were very soft and smooth. I had no difficulties blending and applying.

Hourglass Supernatural Waterproof Bronzer ($45) An extended-wear, waterproof bronzer that withstands high humidity and extreme moisture. Hourglass Supernatural Waterproof Bronzer seamlessly blends onto skin to create a natural bronze color. Oil free and long wearing, Supernatural is the go-to bronzer for swimming, outdoor activities, and the summer heat. Supernatural is housed in the Hourglass signature 360° swivel compact with a custom, PETA-friendly brush applicator.

My Thoughts:

Why oh why does this bronzer cost $45? I really wish it didn’t, but I have to admit it’s worth it. Hourglass Supernatural Waterproof Bronzer is amazing! It goes on so light and smooth. You don’t even know you’re wearing it. In fact, people looking at you won’t know you’re wearing it. It looks so natural. If you have pale skin, you don’t have to worry about it being too dark, and if you have dark skin, the sheer formula is buildable. The best part? It’s waterproof! Finally! A bronzer that won’t melt off my face in the California heat. I’ve tried it a few times already in warm weather, and it is waterproof. No streaking. No running. It stays put. The swivel mirror is also fun to play with.

I updated the 2009 New Bronzers Part 3 post with my reviews. Go and check it out!

Reviews of these products will soon be posted

Clinique Almost Bronzer SPF 15 ($28.50) Sheer bronzing duo protects with broad-spectrum SPF 15. Versatile formula lets you customize and build your bronze from sun kissed to suntanned. Provides a natural look all-year round. Long-wearing. Oil free. For all skins.

Lancome Tropiques Minerale Mineral Smoothing Loose Bronzer SPF 15 ($38.50) Precious earths, exclusively selected for their luxurious silky texture and gentle quality, are layered with mineral pigments in this lightweight powder to mimic the true color of tanned skin. Unique technology with inalterable earths ensures exquisite wear all day. Mineral blend smoothes complexion, while Aloe Vera helps protect skin from dryness. Result: Complexion is beautifully bronzed and perfectly natural, as if glowing from within. Not chalky, never cakey. Skin feels makeup-free.

DuWop Sundrops Bronzing Serum ($28) A universally flattering bronzing serum that hydrates and conditions the skin and imparts a healthy, radiant glow. DuWop Sundrops Bronzing Serum does not just deliver a gleaming, sunkissed glow, it also hydrates and conditions the skin with beneficial ingredients. Botaderm-90—a potent combination of botanical extracts including clover flower, hops, sage, and soy protein—nourishes the skin with Hexapeptide-9, a collagen-based peptide that aides in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. Your skin will get a sheer, natural bronze—the healthy way! Housed in an airless pump, Sundrops will retain its freshness and stay free from harmful contaminants.

Hourglass Supernatural Waterproof Bronzer ($45) An extended-wear, waterproof bronzer that withstands high humidity and extreme moisture. Hourglass Supernatural Waterproof Bronzer seamlessly blends onto skin to create a natural bronze color. Oil free and long wearing, Supernatural is the go-to bronzer for swimming, outdoor activities, and the summer heat.

Lancome Tropiques Minerale Mineral Smoothing Pressed Bronzer PSPF 15 ($38.50) Precious earths, exclusively selected for their luxurious silky texture and gentle quality, are layered with mineral pigments in this lightweight powder to mimic the true color of tanned skin. Unique technology with inalterable earths ensures exquisite wear all day. Mineral blend smoothes complexion, while Aloe Vera helps protect skin from dryness. Result: Complexion is beautifully bronzed and perfectly natural, as if glowing from within. Not chalky, never cakey. Skin feels makeup-free.

Be sure to check out these related posts:

How To Pick a Bronzer

2009 New Bronzers Part 3

2009 New Bronzers Part 2

2009 New Bronzers Part 1

Reviews of these products will soon be posted

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess SunBlush Illuminator ($32) Shimmering sun-kissed color to enhance your tan.Wear SunBlush Illuminator alone or over your favorite bronzer. From the Bronze Goddess Summer Color 2009 collection.

Laura Mercier Gilded Garden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc ($38) Laura introduces her first Limited Edition Gilded Garden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc – arriving in a fresh, floral design it adds a youthful, natural glow to the face for an effortlessly luminous look to carry you through Spring. Click here for my review.

Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer ($28) Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer is an oil-, talc- and fragrance-free bronzer that fuses earthly minerals with naturally derived ingredients for a finish that’s pure perfection. This bronzer contains Skinvigorating™ ingredients like vitamins A and E, which act as antioxidants to fight free radical damage and mineral pigments that are known for their soothing and softening properties. Click here for my review.

Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow Boosting Pressed Bronzer ($14.95) This bronzer with benefits provides an instant and lasting tan-boost that blends and builds easily to your desired level of bronze. Lightweight powder glides on smoothly for a totally uniform and even, healthy-looking tan glow. Formulated with Glow Activators, an exclusive infusion of vitamins, moisturizers and antioxidants that provide mistake-proof Triple-Action Bronze Boosting. Click here for my review.

Smashbox O-Bronze Intuitive Cheek Bronzer ($26) Get gorgeously glowing cheeks in your own perfect sunkissed bronze shade. This innovative creamy cheek bronzer instantly transforms from white to your own custom shade of bronze. O-Bronze is packed with our exclusive Goji-Berry C-Complex, ginkgo biloba, and pomegranate seed for antioxidant protection. Apply a small dab to cheeks with fingertips and blend, breaking beads to release your most natural bronze glow. Click here for my review.

Be sure to check out these related posts:

How To Pick a Bronzer

2009 New Bronzers Part 4

2009 New Bronzers Part 2

2009 New Bronzers Part 1

Laura Mercier Gilded Garden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc ($38) Laura introduces her first Limited Edition Gilded Garden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc – arriving in a fresh, floral design it adds a youthful, natural glow to the face for an effortlessly luminous look to carry you through Spring.

My Thoughts:

When I first opened the bronzer, I seriously thought the bronzer was just too pretty to use. It’s a sheer but buildable bronzer. I mostly use this when I go out at night, because it’s a bit too shimmery for the daytime. I have to be careful how much I use because it will turn my complexion pink if I use too much. If you have yellow undertones like me, either stay clear of this or apply a little bit at a time. If you have pink undertones, I say go for it.

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Mineral Bronzing Powder ($32) Infused with natural minerals, these Pure Finish Mineral powders contain light-reflective mica and skin-softening silica to assure a natural luminous look, plus aloe vera and chamomile – ingredients known for their soothing and moisturizing benefits. Sweep over cheekbones, forehead and brow bones, with its own Kabuki-style brush, to give skin a healthy sun-kissed glow. Click here for my review.

Guerlain Terracotta Mineral Flawless Bronzing Powder ($65) Guerlain Terracotta Mineral Flawless Bronzing Powder provides a natural-looking tan and a flawless finish—just like that of a sheer foundation. When Guerlain’s legendary bronzing expertise unites with the power of minerals, the result is a luminous, glowing complexion. Applying your Terracotta is as easy as ever, thanks to its revolutionary format: Housed in a clever, portable case with a mini professional Kabuki brush, the loose powder cannot escape! Click here for my review.

Lorac TANtalizer Baked Bronzer ($30) Baked on terra cotta, this silky-smooth, luminous bronzing powder keeps you looking bronze and beautiful long after the sun has set and the cameras have gone. Swirling sun-kissed shades deliver Red Carpet radiance in an instant.  Extend the summer with this all-in-one compact containing a bronzer in the top compartment and a brush and mirror in the lower compartment. Click here for my review.

Too Faced Bronze ($28.50) This good-for-you bronzing powder is made of pure minerals and real crushed fresh water pearls to give an authentically natural flawless tan all year long! Pure illuminating pigments are naturally activated by your skin to create a brighter smoother and more radiant complexion. Click here for my review.

Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Self Tanning Bronzing Veil ($14.95) Self-tanning formula provides an instant and lasting glow that blends and builds easily to your desired level of tan. Advanced Self-Tanning Technology includes DHA+ Infusion, a custom combination of the most advanced self-tanning ingredients, vitamins, and moisturizers for Triple-Action Bronze Boosting. Unique flow-through click pen delivers the perfect dose through a silky soft brush for easy, mess-free and mistake-proof application. Click here for my review.

Be sure to check out these related posts:

How To Pick a Bronzer

2009 New Bronzers Part 4

2009 New Bronzers Part 3

2009 New Bronzers Part 1

Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer ($28) Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer is an oil-, talc- and fragrance-free bronzer that fuses earthly minerals with naturally derived ingredients for a finish that’s pure perfection. This bronzer contains Skinvigorating™ ingredients like vitamins A and E, which act as antioxidants to fight free radical damage and mineral pigments that are known for their soothing and softening properties.

My Thoughts:

This is definitely one of my favorite bronzers. Aside from the adorable packaging and clever shade names (Hotel Heiress and Park Avenue Princess), I love how light weight this bronzer feels. When I wear this bronzer, it looks like I just came back from a day a the beach. It goes on super smooth and looks so natural. The bronzer gives you a natural glow; not a shimmery glow (which I love!). I think this bronzer will work for all the skintones because of its sheerness, but yet buildable formula.