I took a month long vacation to visit family back home (in India) in February and I somehow got back into USA just before the world went into lockdown mid-march. So by Mid-May I have been quarantined (and working from home) for about 2 months! Along with the rest of the world, my mind was sad, anxious and obviously my overall mood was very sullen. Early in the lock-down phase, everything was so uncertain, and it made my mind even more anxious. I didn't even want to buy any new makeup which typically helps me to fight sad feelings in normal times.
I still browsed through Sephora's 'New Arrival' section to see if retail therapy could help. This Bronzino Illuminating Bronzer from Tower 28 Beauty caught my attention for two reasons -
- It had such a clean, simple packaging.
- It was available at a much reasonable price, especially compared to some unnecessarily expensive bronzers.
It has been 3 months since I got it; I think it's time to gather my thoughts and talk about it.
Every summer, I buy a bronzer! It is like a little makeup tradition I have built over the years. I am glad I bought Bronzino this year. I have almost used up my beloved RMS Beauty Buriti Bronzer (briefly talked about it in this post), so it was the perfect time to try out a new cream formula.
Shade/Color (I got it in Best Coast): I ordered it online; it took Sephora more than a week to send it my way (it's completely fine in a pandemic world). When I swatched it for the first time, I was a tad bit disappointed! I was apprehensive after looking at the pan and swatching it on my hand; I assumed it would not be a good shade for me. When I looked in the pan, I could see that it has a strong orange-red undertone along with a ton of shimmer. I love a little bit of shimmer and I love a red undertone, but even for someone like me who enjoys these attributes in a bronzer, it felt like it was too much! Atleast at the first glance/swatch! But upon using it a couple of times, and playing with it more, I got over that initial disappointment! Now, after using it almost every time I have been wearing makeup in these last 3 months, I can confidently say that I love the red-undertone - it does really suits my warm medium skin-tone. And yes, the shimmer is a lot, but I use it somewhat carefully and blend it out without any problem!
One other thing - Bronzino comes with only two shade! It is a bronzer, not a foundation product so one shade can cover a bigger range of skin-tone (than a foundation) but it still is not entirely inclusive right? I refuse to believe that two shades of bronzer is enough for the entire skin-tone from pale to ebony skin-tones. I sincerely hope they are working on adding more shades!
Formula: It's a cream product; I mean you already know that 😂! It's a lovely (cream) formula; very soft and emollient. The formula doesn't have much rigidity to it so it is easy to blend out. I use my fingers to get the product from the pan and pat it down on the specific areas of my face and then, I use a slightly damp beauty blender (the same one I use for my foundation) to blend out the bronzer. I typically apply bronzer in the shape of a 3 around the perimeter of my face. But, I do NOT apply Bronzino on the jawline or right on the extreme end of my forehead near the hairline coz sometimes, in photos Bronzino can seem a little bit too shimmery and unnatural in those places. I mainly keep it on my forehead (just on the very top of it) and on the cheeks. Oh, and this layers quite nicely on top or under other cream formula. I have used powder bronzer on top of it without any problem.
Tower 28 is a clean beauty and Bronzino is a "Clean at Sephora" product. As found in Sephora -"Clean at Sephora is formulated without a list of over 50 ingredients, including sulfates (SLS and SLES), parabens, phthalates, and more. For the full list, check out the Ingredients tab. It is a Cruelty free, vegan product. (I recommend reading more in Clean products and what you consider to be clean; like a lot of beauty concepts, Clean is also a concept that is not universally defined. What is 'clean' for me, may not be 'clean' by your standard.)
Staying Power: For a cream product, this has decent staying power. Of course, this summer has been different and I haven't been able to test it out for a full active day! For a normal day of mainly staying at home (with a full face of makeup 😉 and some light-weight activities like walking around the neighbourhood), the bronzino lasts decently throughout the day. After 6-7 hrs, the fierce warmth and red color fades a bit but it leaves behind the shimmer and the shine which by that time melts into my skin to give a melted-down/lived-in bronze-y look and I love that!
Packaging: It comes in a beautiful clear square compact. I love the clean, simple design. There is no mirror- but I am absolutely fine with it. Also, because of the clear packaging I can see the shade which is something I appreciate. It looks sturdy to me, I have only travelled with it once and it hasn't given me any problem. But I have heard that the packaging can be problematic and can mul-function with more usage.
Price & Availability: This will cost you $20 for 0.16 oz (4.5 g). Available in Sephora and Tower 28 Beauty website. Here is a comparison with some other cream bronzer price!
They are both different types of bronzer; Buriti Bronzer is a much densely bound cream product; it is still very easy to blend and move around. But it much rich and dense in texture! Whereas Bronzino is a much more softer in consistency; much more emollient. Despite that difference, both bronzers are very easy to blend. Buriti Bronzer has a shimmery finish as well, but it is much more cooler in tone; I do see a bit red in it. Because of it's cooler tone, I can use it to shape my face, to an extent! Bronzino is much more warmer and redder! Buriti Bronzer will cost you $28 for 0.2 oz of product so price per oz, it is slightly more expensive. Both bronzers are "Clean at Sephora" - cruelty-free and clean products. I am not sure if Buriti Bronzer is Vegan or not, but Bronzino is.
Love,
~Arrru
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