Chanel Bronze Universel, a review

Someone give me a pat on the back!!!

Finally, after 6 months of playing around with my first-ever Chanel acquisition, I feel confident enough to write down my two cents about one of the most popular bronzers in the market.

You see, this cult makeup product (that everyone knows by its old name Bronze Universel) is a tricky one to get used to! Due to its uniqueness, it takes some time for a person to test its flexibility and familiarize with its full potential.

But first, let's get some trivial things out of the way:

This tub contains 30g of product and is priced at around 45€ (in Greece). If you calculate the €-to-gr ratio, you'll find out that this Chanel bronzer is better value for your money than, say, the Mac equivalents.

Then again, you're buying the equivalent of 3 regular bronzers all at once- which, according to Chanel, will expire after 18 months. So, is it a great deal after all? You be the judge of that ;)

As soon as you open the tub and remove the plastic protector, you're encountered with the usual peachy/floral Chanel scent. Personally I'm loving it, all the more so because it's fairly subdued- nothing like choking on an overpowering smell!

As for its texture, Lorraine Stanick's description couldn't be more accurate: upon touch, it does feel like soap. Having this unique consistency that stands apart from any other bronzing product- that's why it takes quite some time to learn how to use it properly: what brush should I pair it with? How much pressure to apply on the brush?

   Brushes, from left to right: Art Deco duo-fibre brush (discontinued),
   The Body Shop travel blush brush, Mac 130 brush 

To my surprise, out for these three brushes I tried out with Bronze Universel, the Body Shop travel blush brush (in the middle) has to be the winner. The Art Deco duo-fibre brush (left) was far too big to offer any control on application, while the Mac 130 brush (right), despite having the appropriate size, seemed to have very few bristles to pick up a good amount of product.

To sum it up: the most appropriate brush to use with Bronze Universel is one with a medium head, dense bristles and preferably dome-shaped, as its helps to blend the bronzer on the skin.

Now, for the actual uses of Bronze Universel...
Is it as multitasking as everyone raves about?

In my opinion, after 6 months of trial and error,
Bronze Universel does NOT work as a contour shade.

The way I see it, a makeup product for contouring should run a little ashy/muddy or on the grey side, in order to look like a natural shadow. This Chanel bronzer swatches a little orange indeed- and given that it's fairly light in colour, it's very easy to go overboard and paint two orange stripes under your cheekbones! It may work as a contour for Nic from Pixiwoo, but on me it's a big, utter "no".

   Heavy swatch

   Blended into the skin

However, it looks absolutely gorgeous when it's strategically placed where the sun would naturally tan your face- forehead, cheeks and nose-, while it also blends so beautifully when worn as an all-over bronzer on top of foundation (gives that Chanel caramel glow on the skin).
For these two purposes, I love it.

Overall, I'm more than happy with my purchase. I'm loving the chic Chanel packaging and take great pleasure when I look at it in my makeup bag! This bronzer gives me that expensive-looking skin that only high-end foundations really give (the silicon-based formula aids for that matter).

However, it's so bulky for travelling! I'm not expecting Chanel to fix that any time soon though- the true Chanel lady has no bourgeois need to save valuable space in her luggage- she can pack as many suitcases as she pleases and have her man carry them around...

Back to you: have you tried Bronze Universel by Chanel?
Which is your all-time favourite bronzer?

Evi   xx