Review : Korres Bronzing Powder in 01 Sunglow Light

I recently got this bronzing powder as part of a Korres set that was 60% off and I like it so much that I took it with me on my vacation! That means a lot if you keep in mind the number of bronzers I own!

Let’s start with the packaging first! This bronzing powder comes in a plastic brown/bronzy compact that’s very sturdy! When you open it up you get a quite big mirror that you could use for touch-ups or even to put your makeup on while on the go! I love compacts that come with a mirror! ;) The only downside of this compact is that you can quite easily leave fingerprints on it and I like my cosmetics to be/look clean! Here’s what it looks like:

On to the actual product now! This bronzing powder is finely milled, it blends easily and it lasts fairly long on my oily skin even without a primer! The interesting part of this bronzer is that if you apply it lightly it looks matte and if you apply it heavily it’s quite shimmery! So, here’s what I do : I apply it quite heavily on my cheeks, so it looks like I have bronzer and highlighter on, and lightly on the rest of my face just to give my skin some color without looking shimmery (I have oily skin) ! Cool huh? ;) It’s quite pigmented, but not extremely pigmented, so don’t worry that you will look like a clown! I apply it with Sigma SS150 Large Powder Brush and it works great! Since this bronzer looks quite shimmery when you don’t apply it lightly, I don’t think you can use it for contouring, unless you’re fair! By the way it doesn’t look orange or muddy on me! Here's an unblended swatch of it taken in natural daylight:

I think this bronzing powder retails for about 15 Euros, but I paid less than 6Euros, since I got it as part of a set with 4 products for 23Euros! You get 11g of product in this compact, which is a fairly good amount, since with most bronzers you get between 8 and 10g! Definitely check it out, especially if you can find a discounted set like that, it’s so worth it! To be honest with you I don’t know if I would purchase it full price, just because I find it a bit pricey, but I would definitely get it again if I could find it on sale!

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Review : Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF50 Bronzer (2 shades)

Description taken from Physicians Formula official website :


·         Delivers maximum SPF 50 broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection and provides the warmth and luminosity of a natural tan glow.

·         Protects- SPF Boosters and Mineral-based sunscreens provide SPF 50 protection without residue or greasiness.

·         Prevents- Potent antioxidant blend helps prevent future UV damage and premature signs of aging.

·         Restores-Licorice Extract & Tomato Derivatives help brighten skin and diminish the appearance of sun spots.

I'm really impressed with this product, it's my first Physicians Formula product ever! Everybody knows I have oily skin, so I wanted to avoid facial sunscreen in a creamy form, because sunscreens make me shiny and more oily! I just can't stand them, but I still want some protection for my face! I was looking for sunscreen in powder form to use while I'm in the city (I would still use creamy sunscreen while at the beach) and a girl at a beauty blog suggested the Shiseido one, but come on.. it's almost 34Euros (around $43) ! That's so expensive for just a powder with some sunscreen in it! So, I was really excited when I found out that Physicians Formula had a powder bronzer with SPF 50!!!

First of all I love the packaging!! It comes in a rather big bronzey compact, which I don't mind being big, because it's sooo cute!! It has a pink ribbon on the top of the packaging, I have no idea what its purpose is, but I like it! :) Here's what it looks like:

With flash

Without flash

When you open it up you get the bronzer with Healthy Wear engraved on it and a nice mirror! Cute! :) I love compacts that come with a mirror!

If you flip the part that holds the bronzer you get a quite small brush, which I don't use! If you're used to apply your powder with a sponge, then you could throw this brush away and put a sponge in there! ;) I personally carry a retractable powder brush in case I need to re-apply it!

Ok, time for the actual product now! First of all I own 2 shades, Fair and Medium and to be honest they don't look like bronzers to me (and I'm quite light), Fair is like a skin tone powder on me, which isn't bad at all actually, because I wanted to use this as a powder anyway! Medium is just a bit darker, but I can still wear it as a powder! If you're fair though you can definitely use these as bronzers, but don't expect any dramatic effect from them! They will give you just a bit of color, so they're practically fool-proof! The powder itself is quite finely milled and soft, but not crambly! It blends easily and it lasts quite well on my oily skin! :) Fair is totally matte in the pan/swatched/on your face, while Medium is a bit shimmery in the pan/swatched, but I don't see any shimmer on my face when I apply it! :) Here are some unblended swatches in natural daylight (you can't see much of a difference really between the 2 shades), Fair is on the left and Medium is on the right :

This stuff does protect your face!! A few days ago I was out in the sun for about 2-3 hours running for errands and I wore a tank top, no body sunscreen applied (yeah I know, bad me!!) ! I didn't get burned, but I turned just a tiny bit red, which turned into brown the next day! I wore Fair bronzer on my face, no hat on to protect me from the sun (I don't really wear hats to be honest), just my sunglasses ( which are kinda big lol )! So, guess what? No red face, no burned face, nothing!! :D :D :D I freaking love this bronzer!!! And it's lightweight, so you can definitely apply another thin layer for extra protection after an hour or so! :)

Here's what it says on the box that it came in: hypoallergenic, fragrance free, paraben free, non irritating, dermatologist approved, non comedogenic and oil free! It definitely didn't irritate my skin or clog my pores! It also didn't accentuate the dry skin around my mouth and on the sides of my nose, which is really great! On the box it also says that it's long-wearing, perspiration-resistant and water-resistant! The first 2 claims are definitely true, I have no idea about the 3rd one though, as I don't wear makeup at the beach or anywhere near water, so I haven't tested out whether these bronzers are water-resistant or not!

These babies retail for $15 in the USA for 10.4g of product, which isn't bad, considering that the Shiseido product costs around $43!! I found mine on Ebay for $6.99 each plus $7 for shipping from the USA to Greece! Great deal !! :D I'm trying to find the powder foundation and the tinted moisturizer from the same line, but all the sellers I've found don't ship to Greece! :( If anybody knows where I can find them, please let me know!! Anyway, DEFINITELY try this product if you can find it! I think it's a must have, especially for people with oily skin! Great job Physicians Formula!! ;)

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Review : Revlon LE Bare Bronze Face Powder

Continuing with our bronzer series, it's time to review this baby! It's a LE (Limited Edition) product called Bare Bronze Face Powder and it's by Revlon!


The packaging of this bronzer is simple, yet cute! It comes in a black plastic compact with a clear lid, which is very convinient, because you can see the color of the product that's inside without having to open it! ;) The compact is nice and sturdy, you don't have the feeling that it's gonna break anytime soon! Here's what it looks like: 

When you open it up you get the bronzer with gorgeous patterns on it, which I've ruined, because I've used it and swatched it!

The actual product is quite finely milled and soft! It blends easily and it stays pretty well on my oily skin! Keep in mind that this bronzer has a lot of shimmer, but only on the top layer! So, you might wanna use the top layer as highlighter rather than as bronzer! The rest of the bronzer definitely has a sheen, but it's not shimmery! This bronzer is quite light, so it would work well on people with fair/light skin! If you have darker skin you could still use it as a highlighter! Since it has a sheen I wouldn't use it all over my face, because I have oily skin! You can use it all over your face if you have normal to dry skin, but use it sparingly! Here's another picture of this bronzer:

You can definitely see the shimmery top layer on the edges of the compact! Here's an unblended swatch of this bronzer in natural daylight:

Since this was a LE bronzer (I have no idea when it came out) you have to search online for it! I got mine off Ebay for about £5 and you get 10g of product, which will last you a long time, since it's pigmented! So, if you can find it online definitely get it! :)

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Review : Rimmel Sun Shimmer Duo Bronzing Powder in 002 Brunette

Back to my bronzer series! You thought I forgot about it? No, no my dears! :) This time I'll review Rimmel's Sun Shimmer Duo Bronzing Powder in 002 Brunette! This is a nice, yet quite rarely used bronzer! I'll let you know why in a minute! :)


As always we'll start with the packaging! This bronzer comes in a cute plastic bronzey packaging with a clear lid! I love the clear lid, because you can see the color of the bronzer inside without having to open it! It's a simple compact, but it's nice and sturdy! :) Here's what it looks like:

When you open it up you get a beautiful bronzer with 2 colors and the lighter of the colors forms a sun pattern! Very pretty, huh? :) I look staring at it! lol

On to the actual product now! This bronzer is quite finely milled and really soft, it feels almost like velvet! It's not powdery like some other bronzers I have! It blends really easily and it lasts well on my oily skin! On the back of the product it says "Duo Bronzing Powder", so nothing weird about it ! I wouldn't use this all over my face or for contouring, as it has an obvious sheen (no shimmer or glitter though) and I have oily skin, so I don't need more shine on my face! If you have oily skin and you apply this all over the face you will look quite shiny! I apply it on the apples of my cheeks for some bronzey color with a nice glow! If you have normal to dry skin you might be able to use it all over the face, but please use it quite sparingly! Here's another pic of this bronzer :

It definitely looks shimmery and scary in the pan! When you swatch it though it's not shimmery, it just has a sheen, a more intense sheen than my other bronzers, that's why I don't use it very often! The color is gorgeous though!! It's a beautiful bronzey color that's not dark or orange! My other bronzers are mostly golden colored, this one is more of a light chocolate brown! I love it! Here's an unblended swatch of it in natural daylight:

See? When swatched it doesn't look all shimmery and scary like it looks in the pan! :) I think this bronzer is not available at stores anymore, because I couldn't find it on Rimme's official website ! I got mine off Ebay for about £4 and you get 10g of product, which is a good amount, since this bronzer is pigmented and you don't need a lot of it, so it will last you a long time! If you can get your hands on it definitely get it! It's completely different than most of the bronzers I have! :) Oh I forgot to mention that there's also a lighter version of this bronzer called 001 Blonde, which is quite light! :)

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Makeup 101: Bronzer

Bronzers are essential in the makeup routine, especially for people with fair to light skin! They can be used either on the hollows of your cheeks to make your face look slimmer and more defined or all over the face to achieve that gorgeous sunkissed look, without frying yourself out in the sun and without messing with self tanners! :) I love bronzers! :) They come in several different types:

• Pressed Powder Bronzer : This is the most popular type of bronzer I guess, because it's so easy to apply and so convinient to carry around, as it comes in a compact! It's suitable for all skintypes, but it's ideal for people with oily and combination skin, because it won't make your skin even more oily! If you have oily skin or if you want to contour choose a matte one, otherwise you will look like a disco ball! If you have normal to dry skin choose a slightly shimmery one to give your skin a nice glow! You can use several different brushes to apply this type of bronzer: for contouring you can use an angled  blush brush and for an all over application you can use either a fluffy powder brush or a kabuki brush!

• Loose Powder Bronzer : This quite messy type of bronzer comes in a jar with a sifter and due to its loose consistency you have to be very careful when you apply it, otherwise you'll end up with a cloud of loose powder on your clothes, on your counter, everywhere! lol ! It provides a nice, lightweight finish and it's suitable for all skintypes! If you have oily skin or if you want to contour choose a matte one, otherwise you will look like a disco ball! If you have normal to dry skin choose a slightly shimmery one to give your skin a nice glow! You can use several different brushes to apply this type of bronzer: for contouring you can use an angled  blush brush and for an all over application you can use either a fluffy powder brush or a kabuki brush!

• Cream Bronzer : This type of bronzer usually comes in a jar and it's ideal for people with dry skin, especially during the cold winter months, because it's moisturizing and it doesn't make the skin look flaky and even more dry than it already is! It's also great if you want to achieve that glowy look! People with oily skin should avoid cream bronzers, because they will feel heavy! You can apply cream bronzers with an angled blush brush for contouring or in 3 different ways all over the face: a sponge, your fingers or a stippling brush! Whatever method you choose, make sure to blend it into your skin well ! ;)

• Mousse Bronzer : This type of bronzer usually comes in a glass jar and it's a relatively new formula in the market of bronzers, but it has already become quite popular! Due to its airwhipped formula it feels great on the skin and it provides a light finish! Mousse bronzers are suitable for all skintypes and they're great for the summer, because we don't want a lot of stuff or heavy formulas on our skin when it's hot! Usually this type of bronzer provides a semi-matte finish, but some of them might be shimmery! You can apply mousse bronzers with a sponge, a stippling brush or even with your fingers! Whatever method you choose, make sure to blend it into your skin well ! ;)

• Liquid Bronzer : This type of bronzer usually comes in a tube and it's lightweight and almost translucent that gets absorbed quickly into the skin for a subtle all over glow! Liquid bronzers are suitable for all skintypes and they're great for summer, because they're so lightweight and you can apply them with a sponge or with your fingers! You can also mix some liquid bronzer with your foundation for varying levels of color and for a more natural look!

I hope that you enjoyed my fourth Makeup 101 and that you found it helpful somehow! ;) See you in my next Makeup 101! ;)

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Review : Rimmel Sun Shimmer Maxi Bronzing Powder in 002 Sun Goddess

This is a huge, gigantic bronzer!! Seriously.. it's the biggest bronzer I've ever seen so far! And it's beautiful too! I really like this bronzer!


Ok, let's start with the packaging, which is a huge bronze-y compact made of plastic with a clear lid, which is great, because you can see the color inside! It's a simple compact, but it feels nice and sturdy! Now it's the time to scare you with a picture of it lol (click on the pic for larger view...yeah to scare you even more!) :

When you open it up you get a beautiful bronzer with a pretty sun pattern on it! Isn't that cute?

On to the actual product now! This bronzer is a bit powdery (nothing over the top though), but hey it's a pressed powder product, it can't be finely milled like a loose powder product! On the back of the compact it says "Shimmering bronzer to illuminate your face and body with a sunkissed glow"... Either I'm blind or Rimmel did a mistake with this bronzer's description, because it's a matte one, I don't see any shimmer or glitter in the pan or when I use it! Since it's matte it's great for contouring, it blends easily and it lasts pretty long on my oily skin!  Here's a swatch in natural daylight:

As you can see it has just a little bit of glow when heavily swatched, but on my face it doesn't have any glow, it's matte! Although it looks dark and scary in the pan, it's actually a nice medium color! I really like it, especially for a light dusting all over the face! :)

I got this bronzer off Ebay for about £4 and I don't know if it's still available in stores, because I couldn't find it on Rimmel's official website! If you can get your hands on it, definitely buy it! I forgot to tell you that you get 23g (!!!) of product! ;)

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Review & Swatches : Rimmel Natural Bronzer

Yes, yes, yes... more bronzers! LOL! It's summer and I got requests for bronzer reviews, what can I do? ;) So, this time I'll review the Rimmel Natural Bronzer in 2 different shades, 021 Sun Light and 027 Sun Dance! 


As always we'll start with the packaging! These bronzers come in a plain, yet cute plastic bronze-y packaging with a clear cap, which is great, because you can see the color inside! Some people might not find it cute, but I do! It feels sturdy, I mean you don't have the feeling that it's gonna break or something! Here's what it looks like:

You twist the cap off and then you get this, it's a really simple packaging:

The one on the left is Sun Light and the one on the right is Sun Dance! Both bronzers are a bit powdery (nothing over the top though), but I feel like Sun Dance is a bit more powdery than Sun Light! They both blend easily and last pretty long on my oily skin! Sun Light is matte, while Sun Dance is quite shimmery! I know the picture didn't pick that up, that's why I took a picture with flash as well:

There you go! Now you can definitely see the shimmer in Sun Dance, it's quite subtle though! Both bronzers are gorgeous, but Sun Light is my fave just because it's matte! Here's a swatch of both colors in natural daylight, the colors are packed on and unblended as always:

As you can see Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Light is darker than Stila Sun Bronzing Powder in Shade 01 and NYC Matte Bronzer in Sunny, but lighter than Milani Powder Bronzer in Light ! :)

Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Dance is slightly darker than Sun Light, but their main difference is the shimmer and the fact that Sun Dance has a slight golden undertone!

I think both bronzers are definitely worth trying! They retail for about $5-6 each and you get 14g of product, which is a very generous amount! They will last you a long time, since they're pigmented and you don't need to use a lot of product! I got mine off Ebay, but it's very easy to find Rimmel in the UK, since it's a UK brand based in London! Definitely check Rimmel out, they have fab products at great prices! :) You can find more info on their official website !

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Review : Milani Powder Bronzer in Light #01

As you can see I'm continuing with the bronzer reviews! Natalie, a lovely follower of my blog, requested reviews and swatches of the bronzers I recently bought, plus it's summer, so bronzers are a must have item now! ;) This time I'll review Milani Powder Bronzer in Light! I love, love, love Milani eyeshadows (both the quads and the single ones) and blushes, so I was really excited to try their bronzer as well !


The packaging is really simple, which isn't a bad thing actually! It comes in a plastic compact with a clear lid! I love products with a clear lid/cap, because I can see what's inside! The compact is flat and quite small, so it doesn't take a lot of space in your makeup bag or your hangbag! My only problem with this packaging is that it's a bit hard to open, especially if you have long nails! Here's what it looks like:

The actual product is a bit powdery, but nothing over the top! It looks a bit shimmery in the pan, but once you apply it on your face it looks quite matte, so you can definitely use it all over your face or for contouring! It blends easily and it lasts pretty long on my oily cheeks! As you can see this bronzer is darker than the one from NYC and Stila I've already reviewed on my blog and the shade I have (Light) is the second lightest shade they make, so if you're very fair it might not work for you! This bronzer comes in 2 more shades, Radiant and Medium! Even Radiant, which is the lightest shade they make, looks pretty dark to me! Anyway, here's a swatch of Light in natural daylight :

As you can see it's really pigmented and quite dark, so use a light hand with it! Keep in mind that the color in the picture is packed on and unblended, you won't apply it like that on your face! In the compact you get 10g of product and it retails for about $5-6, which is pretty cheap, if you consider that you only need a tiny amount each time! I got this bronzer off ebay, but you can also find it on Cherry Culture ! You can find out more about Milani Cosmetics on their official website ! Definitely check this bronzer out! ;)

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Review : NYC Matte Bronzer in Sunny

I guess NYC isn't a very popular brand, however their bronzer is amazing!! I heard about it from Emily on youtube, as we don't have NYC here in Greece, and she was raving so much about it that I had to have it! :)


The packaging isn't anything fancy, it's just a cheap plastic compact! However I couldn't expect anything great, since the retail price of this bronzer is very low! It feels sturdy, I mean you don't have the feeling that it's gonna break and it closes really tightly! :) Here's what it looks like (click on the picture for larger view) :

The writings on my packaging are slightly different than the ones I see online, but I don't know why! I'm guessing that this an older packaging! Anyway! When you open up the compact, you get a mirror (how exciting!!! I didn't expect it to have a mirror inside) and the powder that has a sun pattern on it, how cute! Here's what it looks like:

The actual product is a bit powdery, but nothing excessive, and it's totally matte, which makes it great for contouring! Girls with fair to light skin can definitely use this bronzer, since it's not dark or orange! I usually apply it with a big, fluffy brush all over my face to get that sunkissed look and it lasts pretty long on my oily skin, even without a primer! This bronzer is pigmented, but not extremely pigmented, but if you're very fair you have to be careful not to put too much on! Here's a swatch on bare skin and in natural daylight :

If you have seen my review on Stila's Sun Bronzing Powder, NYC Matte Bronzer in Sunny looks very similar to that bronzer! So, it's a good alternative! ;) You get a fairly good amount of product in this compact, 9.4g to be exact, and I think this product retails for $3-4, so it's so cheap! I got mine off Ebay! :) It's among my 3 favorite bronzers! :) Definitely check it out! :)

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Review : Stila Sun SPF15 Bronzing Powder in Shade 01

I love Stila, their packaging is super cute!!! So, when I heard Irene from youtube talking about Stila's bronzer I had to have it! lol ! I searched on Ebay and voila.. I got it!! :) And I must tell you that I really like it!!


As I've already said the packaging is super cute! This bronzer comes in a plastic bronze-y compact with a sun and the name Stila embossed on the packaging! Cute, cute, cute! And it feels nice and sturdy too! Here's what it looks like (click on picture for larger view) :

When you open it up you get a nice mirror, which is great for touchups, and the powder! I love compacts that have a mirror inside! I'm pretty sure it doesn't come with a puff or sponge or anything like that! At least mine didn't, but I'm glad it didn't, because I usually throw powder puffs/sponges away! Here's what it looks like open : 

On to the actual product now! This bronzer is completely matte, which makes it great for contouring, quite finely milled and it lasts pretty long on my oily skin, even if I'm not using a primer! The shade 01 that I got is perfect if you have fair to light skin, as it's not dark or orange! I usually apply it with a big, fluffy brush all over my face to get that sunkissed look! This bronzer is pigmented, but not extremely pigmented, but if you're very fair you have to be careful not to put too much on! Here's a swatch on bare skin and in natural daylight :

In this cute compact you get 8g of product and it retails for $28, so I think that they should give you more product, since the price is so high!Anyway! Stila products are sold at Sephora, but you can also find them online on their official website, on Ebay, on Strawberrynet etc. ! I got mine off Ebay for about $10 including shipping, so that was an amazing deal, and I'm so glad to have this bronzer in my collection! It's among my 3 favorite and most used bronzers! ;) Check it out girls! ;) There's also a darker shade (02), but I don't own it, so I can't tell you anything about it! 

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