golden goddess

Maybe it's the Spanish side of me or having spent the past five years in South Florida- hell, it's probably the weekly damn Victoria Secret catalog's that get shipped to me but I'm convinced life is better with a tan. By tan I mean a nice bronzed glow...please, do us all a favor and stay far far away from anything that makes you look the color orange or glittery. There is absolutely nothing natural or sexy about having an orange glow to your face or a bunch of glitter stuck on it- unless your goal is to look like Kesha. And, if someone compares your tan to Snooki's you've officially OD'd on bronzer.

In an earlier beauty bit I discussed my favorite body self tanners now I want to match the face by discussing my fave face bronzers. I haven't tried many face self tanners but I just purchased some so I will review those soon- promise. For now get your Kabuki brushes out and layer on one of these ah-mazing bronzers!


Guerlain- Terracotta Bronzing Powder $47.00 Yes, I'm fully aware that it's pricey but trust me when I say it's beyond worth it. The terracotta bronzer lasts me a year-easily. This is a cult fave and this is one cult I gladly will join. Make sure you pick the right shade for you and I promise (as in pinky) that you will never look the slightest bit orange and it will look extremely natural. Amazingly there is nothing shimmer or glittery in this but still manages to add a luminous glow to your beautiful faces. Also the powder is super fine which means that you honestly can't apply too much and make it look cakey, in fact it's actually moisturizing. I can go on and on and on....Guerlain is the expert in bronzing products- seriously this is the Bentley of bronzers. Make sure you get the right shade ( I believe there are three shades) so go to Sephora and try them all out and BUY it. Don't second guess yourself. If you think it's too thick (which has never ever crossed my mind) they do have a light sheer version of this beauty staple which I'm sure is fabulous.

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturizing Bronzing Powder 03


Lancome- Tropiques Minerale Mineral Smoothing Loose Bronzer $38.50 I bet this price is a bit sexier to you- me too. I'm not a fan of mineral makeup. I know people are obsessed with Bare Minerals and ID minerals and blah blah blah Minerals but that crap dries my skin out (don't yell at me...I know it's perfect for some people and I love the concept of it it's just doesn't work with my skin) Well, I hope you all by now know the special spot Lancome holds in my heart. So when one of my friend's introduced this to me I gave it a fair shot and once again fell head over heels in love with Lancome. It's paraban, fragrance, sulfates, and dye free and also claims to be non-drying.  So, why do I call Guerlain the Bentley and Lancome the Mercedes of bronzers? Well, because it has shimmer in it. Not ridiculous amounts but you definitely have more of a glow with this product. If you're looking for a bronzer to apply to your cheeks and get that bronzed glow look, this is your product! I find myself putting this product all over my face and then having to put some foundation over it in places like my forehead or chin. I'm kind of selective of where I want to be glowing. Unlike, Guerlain you can go overboard with this product so don't apply too much please! Still, it won't make you orangy looking and you will have a beautiful healthy glowing tan! Try it out at Sephora too and make sure to pick the right shade for your skin tone! (Lancome also carries a pressed powder version of this bronzer that gets great reviews- I haven't tried it, but if you go check bronzers out might as well see if you would prefer that one over the loose powdered one)

Lancome Tropiques Minerale Natural Copper



Nars- Bronzing Powder Laguna $32.00  I bet you like this price even better. Well, this is a fab bronzer. You can't go wrong with Nars products they are all great quality and there are usually so many different shades to chose from. Out of all their bronzers this is by far the best and most universally flattering. It meets my requirements which of course are that it's not too shimmery and that you don't look orange. It's extremely natural looking and you can apply quite a bit without looking like you caked your makeup on. The one downside of this compact is that if you travel a lot or are clumsy (both things that describe me) it breaks pretty easily which once lead me to a frightening f-bomb fest after it shattered to pieces on the bathroom floor. Besides that little faux pas I recommend this bronzer especially if you have fair or medium skin tones it really will give your face a beautiful and natural glowing tan. Go test it out at Sephora (of course)

NARS Bronzing Powder Laguna

Bonne Bell - Gel Bronze $3.95 No this is not a joke and that price is beyond ah-mazing! Please don't stop reading my blog because I just listed Bonne Bell as a top product. Don't hate. I first used this stuff in high school (probably because it was the only makeup I could afford) and clearly have had a hard time letting go. However, I now have a more sophisticated way of applying this product compared to those glory days when I would plaster this stuff on my face in a strange attempt to pretend I went to some tropical destination, other than Michigan, during those summer months. I now mix a few drops of this gel into my regular foundation and it adds a subtle tan to my foundation. It's super sheer so when you purchase it (honestly, what do you have to lose by not purchasing it's $4.00) make sure you get the darkest shade (yes, they actually make more than one version) You can apply it over your foundation too and it will give you a nice little glow. I can't believe I just blogged about this stuff but honestly this is a diamond in the rough. Now go to your local drugstore and pick up a tube and while you're at it buy your fave Bonne Bell Lipsmacker- you will be swept instantly right back to those lovely awkward years.

Bonne bell face and body gel bronze, golden tan - 1.1 Oz, 2 ea


Alright, my bronzed goddesses trust me on this topic. There are a million bronzers on the market and these are seriously la creme de la creme (yes, including my Bonne Bell) If you are wondering about another bronzer out there feel free to ask me questions- seriously, there's a good chance I've tried it!

xx

Liz