I love bronzers.
They can help sculpt cheekbones where there are none, thin out a nose, slenderize a face, lift a jawline, add oomph to your shoulders or décolletage, or simply add sunny color to perk up your bland complexion.
Let me admit here that I'm not a fan of shimmery bronzers. I do have one by Victoria's Secret, but I rarely use it. It looks goofy on me, in my opinion. Perhaps dusted on my body for a special occasion; but on my face, it looks like I'm a teenage, oily, disco queen. Not good.
IMO, shimmery ones are not good for sculpting work, anyhow. They should be used to achieve sun-kissed coloring.
So, we need MATTE bronzers, ladies.
Benefit makes a great matte bronzer called Hoola.
It's wonderful. It's matte, it's subtle in color, yet effective.
I got a big deluxe sample of it in this pack, "Ulta"mate Sexy Six Starter Kit,
which you can pick up at Ulta for $24 (Awesome kit to try out some of Benefit's touted products, BTW).
Or you can buy a full size HERE for $28.
So, I also spotted New York Color's Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder at my local Big Box Store...noticed it too was MATTE, unlike so many other cheap bronzers, so I grabbed it up as well. Snagged it in the shade "All Over Bronze Glow". Other colors are available.
If you can 't seem to find it at your local Big Box Store or drugstore, you can look HERE to see where to find it for around $4.99.
Even though the colors are not EXACTLY the same, they are very close. Close enough to stand in for each other; although, if I'm honest, I will say I prefer the slightly browner shade of the Hoola. I just can't say if I like it enough to pay over 5 TIMES as much. The NYC bronzer (right) has a little more warmth (redness) than the Hoola (left), as you can see.
They seem to be comparable in strength/pigmentation.
It's worth mentioning, too, that these bronzers BOTH make great SUBTLE eye shadow, for an almost-no-makeup-look. Just sweep some on your lid & into the crease, then blend, blend, blend!
You can see here how it looks on my eyes, and also how it helps me "fake" a more sculpted face when I sweep it under my cheekbones.
If you're not sure how to use bronzer, here's a great, quick video Benefit created to show you how to use it.
So, whether you opt for the more expensive Hoola, grab the Sexy Starter Kit, or seek out the less expensive NYC Mosaic Wheel, I hope you explore the many uses of bronzer this spring.
Do you use bronzer?
Which one do you like?
Any tips for us?
