ProductWhores

Illuminating Bronze

Why do I love Bobbi Brown so very, very much?  I think the answer is because she never disappoints me.  Winter, spring, summer or fall, her collections are great and I love them all.  (What can I say?  It's late and I've been staring at my computer screen for a long time.  And rhyming is kind of fun).  Bobbi's new Illuminating Bronze Collection is the perfect way to get yourself in that summer mode.  (Also, it's way more fun than trying on your bathing suit and cursing yourself for eating that last Ho-Ho).  The item that I'd call the absolute must-have is the new Limited-Edition Shimmer Brick for Body.  I'm slightly obsessed with the "regular" Shimmer Bricks (I think I have them all) and how gorgeous is that above picture?  The oversized compact has three different shimmering bars of color that can be used anywhere on your body that you want to add a little color.  I can't wait to dust it on my shoulders for a night out.  (I know it's kind of pricey at $75, but this one might be worth making a few sacrifices for.  Who needs to eat, anyway?)

The collection also includes the Illuminating Bronzing Powder, which comes in six different shades.  The "ultra-soft and smooth pressed powder is formulated with a unique and innovative blend of sheer powder and micro pearls. Powder glides on evenly and gives skin a seamless and sheer natural-looking glow."  As much as I love the Shimmer Brick, I think that's more of a nighttime powder.  These are definitely daytime worthy and will be perfect for anytime you want to add a touch of color to your face.

The All Over Bronzing Gel SPF 15 is another product I can't wait to try.  I haven't been the biggest gel bronzer fan in the past, but if anyone can turn that around, it's Bobbi.  I'm already impressed because this one has an SPF 15, so in addition to giving your face a healthy glow, it protects your skin when you're outside in the sun.  Genius!  As much as I love the look a (good) self-tanner gives me, I also like knowing that when I use this, I can wash it off at night and go back to my usual pale self.  (What can I say?  It's what I'm used to!)

The collection also includes the short handle Bronzer Brush and the new Limited-Edition All Over Body Brush.  The All Over Body Brush is meant to be used with the Shimmer Brick for Body and I would totally buy it, but even my love for Bobbi cannnot compel me to purchase an $85 brush.  (Sorry, Bobbi!  But I promise, if I was rich, I'd buy one for each of my houses!) 

The Illuminating Bronze Collection is on Bobbi Brown counters and at bobbibrowncosmetics.com now. 

Free Bronzer!

Physicians Formula is one of my favorite drugstore brands.  (If you haven't tried their Shimmer Strips yet, get yourself to a drugstore this weekend.  They're awesome).  And even better than buying Physicians Formula is getting free Physicians Formula.  Right now, all eight Canyon Beachwear stores in Manhattan and throughout California are having a free bronzer promotion.  Every person that purchases a swim suit at a Canyon Beachwear store gets a free Physicians Formula bronzer from their just released Bronze Booster collection.  It's kind of a perfect pairing, if you think about it.  (I know no one wants to see my pale ass self in a bathing suit without a little self tanning beforehand).  The three bronzers in the collection are the Glow-Boosting Pressed Bronzer, the Glow-Boosting Loose Bronzing Veil, and the Self-Tanning Bronzing Veil, so there are a lot of options to fake your way to the perfect swimsuit look. 

Wear a Veil Every Day

I'm part ready to say goodbye to summer and part really sad that it's almost over.  On the one hand, fall brings the new TV season and no more sweating the second I get out of the shower.  On the other hand, summer means barbecues and sundresses, which I love.  The part of me that's hanging on to the warm weather is loving Physicians Formula's Mineral Wear Talc-Free Bronzing Veil.  I'm a big fan of bronzers (no sun for me!) and this one has a lot going for it.  It's totally portable, which I love, because if there's one thing I'm horrible at, it's remembering to pack brushes in my bags whenever I go anywhere.  (It happens to me all the time - I'll have the makeup, but nothing to apply it with besides my fingers, and that is so not happening).  It's great for people with skin that's prone to breakouts because it's hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, oil-free and talc-Free.  It's also non-comedogenic and dermatologist approved, so if you break out while wearing this, don't blame the bronzer!  Available in three shades that retail for only $11.95 (and that's without a coupon, which you can easily find most of the time), the color goes on light and natural, so it doesn't weigh down my skin or look too heavy.  (It's the summer, after all - I want my skin to breathe!)  I've been throwing this in my bag lately and busting it out after lunch instead of my usual pressed powder to make my face less shiny.  I'm going to be so sad when I have to force myself to give up bronzer and go back to my usual pale white self in a month or so.  (Although considering some of the scary orange women Los Angeles has to offer, maybe I don't...) 

Photo courtesy of Physicians Formula

Pure Gold

Now that summer is coming, I'm starting my yearly quest to find the perfect bronzer for the days I'm too lazy to use self-tanner.  After hearing so many raves reviews of Jane Iredale's Moonglow Bronzer, I decided to give that one a shot and I have to say, I'm kinda loving it.  First of all, it looks great in the container, with the four different shades that you can swirl together or use separately.  It just looks prettier than most bronzers that are all one shade (and I'm a sucker for a product that looks pretty and does its job well).  I also like that it's a regular size.  I love bronzers that come in oversized compacts (more product!), but that also makes them practically impossible to carry with you and I really like to have the option to take my makeup wherever I go.  The bronzer itself gives me a healthy overall color with a slight shimmer, which comes from the 24-Karat food grade gold flakes that it contains (that's one way to get myself some gold!)  The other thing I really like about it is that the four different colors aren't only meant to be used as a bronzer, they can also be used on lips, cheeks, eyes - wherever you want really - because Jane Iredale products don't contain any dyes or irritants (I seriously didn't know this was important and now I'm wondering how many bad things I've put on my eyes in the past because I like to use bronzer colors as shadow sometimes).  At $46, it's not exactly an impulse buy, but the fact that it can be used anywhere makes that price a little more manageable.  Besides, what girl couldn't use a little more gold in her life?  None that I know.    

You can find a store near you that carries Jane Iredale products here.

Photo courtesy of Jane Iredale

Bronze For The Earth

Because you can never have enough free stuff... Physicians Formula is having a contest tomorrow to celebrate Earth Day (and what's more appropriate on Earth Day than winning a product that will make it look like you spend all of your time outdoors?)  On Tuesday, April 22nd, they'll be giving away 1,000 Organic Wear bronzers - a makeup that's good for the earth AND your skin.  (I've tried it and it's fantastic).  The contest starts at noon tomorrow (EST, so all of you west coast people will have to get up a little earlier to win) and all you have to do is go to http://www.physiciansformula.com/EarthDayGiveaway/ to enter.   Good luck and happy bronzing!

Bronze Safely

I love the idea of products that protect your skin while they make you look better. I'm also a huge fan of bronzer, since I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible, but live in Los Angeles where they're practically allowed to arrest you for being too pale. So it makes sense that I would like Sephora's new Bronzer Powder SPF 15. It comes in two different shades, so you're not forced to wear a color that's too dark for you, and both come with built in sun protection. Just by virtue of it being a powder formula, it's hard to say how well it would block the sun, so I definitely plan on wearing my usual sunscreen underneath. Still, every little bit helps in my quest to keep away wrinkles. And if you reapply during the day, it's like putting on sunscreen all over again, which is a huge bonus when you live in a sunny climate. All of this would mean nothing if the bronzer was streaky, but it isn't - I got a golden glow that looked natural for only $15. Plus, I like buying the Sephora brand - I have some twisted sense of logic that makes me feel like I'm supporting my favorite store and helping them stay open, even though I'm pretty sure the chain would survive without me. But not sure enough to stop shopping there...

Get That SoCal Glow

eleYes, this is another post about a bronzer.  What can I say?  I love them, and also I can totally explain the expense to my accountant because I'm saving my skin from sun damage and therefore doing a smart thing.  (You can ignore the fact that I already have twelve of them and a smarter thing would probably be to put the cash in my savings account).  I saw this SoCal Glow Big Bronzing Powder at the Sephora in Times Square this week and I instantly needed to own it because its got the cutest packaging ever.  The bronzer comes in a compact made to look like a map of Southern California, although they conveniently leave out any mention of the fact that if you live there, you will spend most of your life sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the Los Angeles roads in question.  It even has the Beverly Hills sign on it, which clearly shows that the Hard Candy people know where the good shopping can be found (always a plus in a company!)  And I love the fact that just like Sugar's Tropic Tan, the compact is huge, so for only $22 you get enough to make yourself glow all over, thus avoiding the need to self-tan for a last minute night out.  And since I don't have any real maps in my car, I figure if I ever get lost I can just pull this out of my bag and use it to guide me home.  See what I did there?  It's further proof that you can justify any purchase at Sephora if you just try hard enough. 

Portable Bronzing

I'm all about the bronzer lately. I guess that kind of goes with my self-tanner kick because I don't remember being this invested in bronzer last summer when I pretty much stayed my normal pasty white the whole three months. But this year, my Sugar Tropic Tan is always with me. And I love that it's such a big compact, EXCEPT for when I'm trying to pack it for a trip. Big in size doesn't exactly translate to "fits easily in my makeup case," which believe me, is already the size of a small carry on, even when I'm only going away for the weekend. (I seriously cannot travel with less than 20 lipsticks, even if half the shades look exactly alike. I have issues). But the geniuses at Sephora have now solved my problem by putting their bronzer in a portable brush dispenser. Yes, I already have one of these from Shiseido, but it's not THE Tropic Tan bronzer, the one they're practically sold out of every time I go to Sephora. Portable products are the best - you can throw them in your purse or luggage and not worry about them leaking or cracking or the mirror breaking. (I have enough bad luck without accidentally giving myself seven extra years). Plus, if you pack this, you don't have to add in your own brush, so that's even more space in your makeup bag for extra lipsticks. (I can't stop buying them! Somebody help me!)

Bronze Gets The Gold

In honor of my trip to Costa Rica, I was cleaning out my makeup drawers and unexpectedly stumbled upon a product I bought a long time ago and completely forgot about - Sugar's Tropic Tan bronzer. It says something about my makeup addiction that even products I love as much as this sometimes get lost in the shuffle because it's awesome. Most bronzers come in small compacts, so you're forced to ration it out or use it sparingly, but Tropic Tan's compact is HUGE, especially considering its $25 price tag. It's a lot of bronze for your buck. And the color it gives me is natural, so I don't look like an Oompa-Loompa (although I wouldn't mind being around that much chocolate every day). There's nothing worse than spending a lot of money on a bronzer only to find that it leaves you looking like an overripe piece of fruit. Another thing I like is that because the compact is so big, so is the mirror, so it's great to have in your bag for touch ups because you can see your whole face in it, as opposed to most compacts where you're lucky if you can make out one eye. Although I guess if I take this on vacation, I'll have no excuse if someone sees me walking around with lipstick on my teeth or smudged mascara. Unless I blame it on the pina coladas. Hhm, I think onto something here...

Portable Luminizing

Even though I live in southern California, I'm somewhat of an expert on bronzers - I may stay out of the sun as much as possible, but I still like to look like I've spent the past week cruising St. Tropez on a yacht. Plus, it's kind of necessary - some people with pale skin come off looking like a porcelain doll, but I mostly just come off looking pasty so I need the color. Shiseido has come out with a fantastic new portable powder that I'm currently in love with (and this isn't like my flirtation with Cover Girl when I was sixteen, this is true love). It's called Lumizing Brush Powder and even though it comes in three shades, the bronze shimmer is the one that captured my heart. The awesomely thin product uncaps to reveal a brush with the bronzer already on it, so you just sweep it on and go. It's practically idiot proof (I had to add the "practically" because it took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to get the cap back on over the brush, which is about 4 1/2 minutes longer than necessary since it ended up being REALLY simple). I'm all for products like this because it makes it easy to touch up your makeup during the day - I'm too lazy to pack bronzer and a brush in my purse every morning, but I can throw this in and go, secure in the knowledge that I can cover any shine that appears with a golden bronze color. The only drawback it has is that it's $45, which is a big chunk of change, but since I got it as a present, I can enjoy it guilt free. Thanks, Santa!