My TOP 3: matte Bronzers

Boy, do I love this time of year:

When the weather starts to get real summery and people around me announce proudly their first sunbath of the season, that's the perfect time to abuse my bronzers!

I normally use matte bronzers to warm up my skin, for obvious reasons:
natural tan has no shimmer!

The following products are my favourite matte bronzers from the entire of my makeup collection. Goes without saying, I would recommend all three products to anyone- provided each of them is used for its own purposes.

That, actually, answers the inevitable question:
"do you really need three or more matte bronzers? They're the same thing!"
Well, as you will find out below, these products are nothing but the same!
Thus, each of them has a different use.

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, Bronzing Makeup Base
This is my summer bronzer, the one I'm currently (ab)using! Its texture is phenomenal, although the surface tends to harden and it needs a little scraping from time to time. Because it's a cream formula, it looks so seamless and healthy on the skin than powder bronzers. This has a caramel (dare I say orange?) tint that, in my humble opinion, an olive complexion can easily pull off during summer. It may run a little too orange on pale winter skin, though. Full review here

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder, shade #02
First of all, one has to give credit to the Body Shop for carrying a complete bronzing makeup range with 4 (!) matte bronzing powder shades. This is the one I'm using during winter! It has a very light bronzey colour that looks so natural on pale skin, and because it's so light, it's hard to get overboard with it. It's also the one I'm carrying with me when I'm travelling, as it has a nice compact size and a convenient mirror. Full review here

Elf Studio Countouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
This duo, as the name suggests, is best to be used for contouring. I couldn't agree more: the bronzer side is way too dark to pass as a natural-looking bronzing powder! This is my go-to choice for when I want to make my cheekbones look more prominent and I always, always use it on nights out. Upon first glance, it looks as if it has some shimmer, but it practically swatches matte on the skin. Full review here

    Swatches, from left to right: Chanel, The Body Shop, Elf

Can you see now how different these products look on the skin?
That's why I need three matte bronzers in my life ;)

I cannot stress enough how indispensable a matte bronzer should be in a girl's makeup bag! I hope you can deduct from this post that you can find a good quality bronzer from luxury brands, as well as on the cheap.

Now, tell me: what's your favourite matte bronzer?
Have you tried the products featured in this post?

You can also have a look at my first TOP 3 post on the Elf $1 products. Click!

Evi   xx

My TOP 3: Elf products, part 1

Hello my lovelies! How you've been?

I decided to start a new top 3 series, where each time I'll be displaying three of my most loved makeup products from every brand or product category.

In this case, I'm going to show you my favourite Elf products from their dirt-cheap "Essentials" range. Out of the 10 Elf products in this price tag that I've tried so far, these 3 are the only ones I would 100% recommend to anyone!



#3: Luscious Liquid Lipstick, shade "Baby Lips"
We all keep in our makeup bag a sheer gloss with the sole purpose of layering it on top of less shiny lipsticks. This gloss does just that, but it does so in a lovely way: it's not sticky, the unique sponge applicator feels so nice on the lips, while the mild mint tingling is actally fun! You can't go wrong with this, as long as you keep in mind it's not the most pigmented lipgloss Elf makes. Full review here

#2: Natural Radiance Blusher, shade "Shy"
When it comes to cheap blushes, it's easy for makeup companies to come up with shimmery versions of pinks, peaches and bronzes. But what about matte shades? Shy blush swatches as a matte, baby pink shade that flatters all skintones and is particularly guy-friendly, guaranteed! I haven't yet found a similar blush shade by other affordable makeup brands; so for that alone, Shy is a great introduction to matte baby pink blushes without spending much. Full review here

#1: Empty eyeshadow palette
I absolutely love these! You can utilize them in so many ways: put all your eyeshadow pans in one place, create a quad for travelling, melt lipsticks, press your own eyeshadows- or you can even remove the plastic divider to fit eyeshadows with different pan shapes! This is a must-have Elf product, I can assure you it's adequately sturdy for the price. The only downside is that it's not magnetic, but who cares? See how I organised 2 palettes here and how I depotted my eyeshadows here

A last note on Elf cosmetics:
Now that it's been a year since my first Elf purchase, I noticed that some of the products I ordered at the time have started to harden- which is an indication they may have been expired. So keep that in mind during your next Elf order- shop wisely and enjoy wearing the products while they're still new!

Have you tried these Elf products?
What would be your top 3 out of the "Essentials" range?

Evi   xx