Bronzing on a Budget | E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream

Hey everybody, I hope you’re all well! I’m finally adding another post to one of my favourite series and today its focused on a cream bronzer and blusher duo. If you were to ask me to recommend you 5 products to pick up from E.L.F, this would be one of them. In the range there are at least two powder versions available, however both the bronzers contain shimmer and because of this I just wasn’t the biggest fan. This cream version however is in a whole new league of drugstore bronzers!

It is packaged in the standard, can get a little grubby, black plastic casing with a decent mirror inside. In my opinion its sturdy and super convenient for travelling. You get about 4g of blush and 4g of bronzer which is a really decent amount for the £3.95 price.

I find the shade of the bronzer so versatile, it would look great from fair to medium skintones as it can be applied very lightly or built up. It has a light orange undertone, but leans more on the neutral side which makes it great for really warming up the face.  A little bit goes a long way and it blends beautifully into the skin without looking blotchy or streaky. At the moment I’m trying out the Dior NudeSkin foundation which is a smidge too light for me. This and the bourjois bronzing primer both work equally well for warming up the face and the fact that it adds a really gorgeous natural warmth makes it so amazing.

I find the words ‘contouring’ a little bit deceptive, you can achieve a very light type of contour if you layer this up bit by bit, but too much and it may end up looking too orange.  Before I bought the L.A Girl Pro Concealers  this is what I used under powder contour, for a long lasting structured contour. However the LA girl concealers in beautiful bronze and toast are deeper and work better for contouring (read my review with swatches here). This bronze and blush duo could probably make a decent contour shade for light skin-tones, but mainly its wonderful for warming up the face without much effort at all!

The best way to apply this duo is using fingers in my opinion, its the easiest way to apply a small amount and not go overboard. By drawing small lines under the cheekbones, around the perimeters or the face and a little on the side of the nose and then blending out the bronzer with the E.L.F Small Duo-Fibre Brush the product is perfectly blended out. The colour of the blusher is perfect with the shade of bronzer, it is a medium coral tone, not too pink and not too orange which matches the bronzer beautifully. I love applying and blending the blush with the warmth of my fingers because that’s how it looks to most natural, and I can add a little more if I need too.

 

Bronzer Roundup!

Orange or Red?

Neutral to slightly orange.

Pigmented?

Yes very pigmented, but also super blendable as it is a cream product, so don’t worry if it comes on too strong at first!

Matte or Shimmer?

Matte, but again due to its consistency it isn’t flat looking. It doesn't dry down to a powder finish in my opinion, more of a satin finish which looks super natural and is one of the main reasons why I adore it.

Buy Again?

Yes I would buy it again! This bronzer is just wonderful, and works great for me to warm up my face with a light base. Definitely one to add to your list next time you’re having a E.L.F shop!

 

Other bronzers in the series;

E.L.F Warm Bronzer

Rimmel Natural Bronzer  021 sunlight

 

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Bronzing on a Budget | E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream

Hey everybody, I hope you’re all well! I’m finally adding another post to one of my favourite series and today its focused on a cream bronzer and blusher duo. If you were to ask me to recommend you 5 products to pick up from E.L.F, this would be one of them. In the range there are at least two powder versions available, however both the bronzers contain shimmer and because of this I just wasn’t the biggest fan. This cream version however is in a whole new league of drugstore bronzers!

Review | Bourjois Délice de Poudre bronzing powder & highlighter

Hello everybody, I hope you’re all well. Today I am going to be reviewing Bourjois’s bronzer and highlighter duo, or the fancy term: Bourjois Délice de Poudre (£7.99) After using it for about 3 weeks straight I am well and truly ready to share it with all you lovely people! The drugstore are getting good at creating these 2-in-1 products, but I can’t think of many decent contour and highlight kits aside from Sleek’s, so this was already well anticipated since I saw the release!





This duo is packaged in the same way as Bourjois’s well known delice de poudre and featuring the same scent too - of delicious chocolate (how they actually get it to smell like choccy I have no idea, but I’m certainly not complaining.) I also love the magnetic clasp, so if you pop this in your makeup bag, not only are you continently saving space and getting 2 products in 1, but the powder is securely protected and won’t open up!



As you can see the bronzer itself is shaped in four cute chunks, very much like the original. On the right hand side is the illuminating highlighter, which is almost white and not very pigmented. On the left is the bronzer which I would describe as a fantastic contour shade for light-medium skintones. It isn’t orange in colour when applied moderately, but it's just cool enough to give the perception of a shadow on the cheeks, adding definition without going over board. Although you can see slight shimmers in the pan, this doesn’t translate onto the skin at all, so I would describe this as a matte subtle contour. I think it gives a lovely naturally tan appearance, however it can be built up for more of a contour. For skintones over NC35, I think you could have a hard time getting this to show up as a contour and so it would work better as a light bronze all over the face.


The highlight shade does appear quite stark and I did shy away from it at first. However bourjois are brilliant at getting the pigmentation of their bronzers to a very buildable state. Meaning that one swipe won’t have you left with streaks on your face! The highlight/illuminator does take more building up (which is a good thing for a subtle everyday look). Using this has introduced me to how stunning white/silver toned highlights can look when used subtly and perhaps when not so bronzed.

As mentioned in my September favourites this really surprised me, it doesn’t look like much when you first swatch it, but I found myself enjoying using this often as it gave a beautiful subtle contour without much effort at all.  In comparison to the Sleek contour kit, I would say this shade is in between the light and medium powder. It gets the balance between warmth and definition spot on so unlike the contour kits from Sleek, it’s extremely hard to over do it!
In my 3 contour categories, quick, natural and sculpt, I would classify this one in the quick contour. I mean it could be a natural one too, as it is subtle, but for me the speed at which I can add a tad of definition is what impresses me the most.
I’m terrible at doing swatches, but I found some gorgeous ones HERE.
 

Final Verdict:

Product rating: 7

Pros: The bronzer is matte and works as a great contour for light-medium skintones. The pigmentation of both illuminator and bronzer are buildable. It smells like chocolate and looks like it too! It’s hard to over-do and quick to apply a dash of definition on the cheekbones and along the perimeter of the face, so a great product for on the go! The magnetic closing and the sturdy cardboard make it even more travel friendly. Having two products in one is not only convenient but saves space and money ^_^ Also I should mention that you get a heft 16g of powder, which is a generous 8g of each ^_^

Cons: The bronzer shade is not fantastic for deeper skintones. The highlight/illuminator is a little TOO sheer for my liking, I have to do a lot of building up, and I would have liked a small mirror in here for travelling. These are pretty minor in comparison to the quality of the product. 

Repurchase? Yes I think I would, this has become a solid reliable product for me and I like how its so quick and easy to use. I wouldn’t rely on this for all over bronzing as I prefer something warmer, but for quick contouring...me likes!

What is your favourite contouring duo?

Thanks for reading!

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Review | Bourjois Délice de Poudre bronzing powder & highlighter

Hello everybody, I hope you’re all well. Today I am going to be reviewing Bourjois’s bronzer and highlighter duo, or the fancy term: Bourjois Délice de Poudre (£7.99) After using it for about 3 weeks straight I am well and truly ready to share it with all you lovely people! The drugstore are getting good at creating these 2-in-1 products, but I can’t think of many decent contour and highlight kits aside from Sleek’s, so this was already well anticipated since I saw the release!

Contouring 3 Ways |Sculpting-out-ya-cheekbones Contouring

Hello! I hope you are all well! I have started my second year at uni, and aside from some extra transport issues, its been a fantastic day, quite glad to be back to a having a routing and just getting educated y’know? Anyway todays post is the final part of my contouring series. I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far!

Sculpting-out-ya-cheekbones Contouring (AKA: Heavy/I’ve made a effort/KIM K)

This is your full on contour, chiselled cheekbones to perfection type of contour. My favourite way to do this for a special occasion is to actually layer up with creams and powders. So I start a liquid contour and then set it with a darker powder.

HOW:

1. Starting with either the E.L.F Cream contour duo or the L.A Girl PRO Conceal concealer in beautiful bronze. I carefully apply my contour in the areas shown on your standard face chart. Of course every face shape is different, so it could take a little experimenting and trial and error to find the right ‘place’ to add the bronzer onto your face. Generally I feel for the bone area and apply the cream contour JUST under. I always add some cream contour to the jawline to disguise that double chin!
2. Then I take my e.l.f small stipple duo brush and gently buff and blend the contour out a little. At this point it will still look a little crazy but it’s alright, it’s all part of the process ^_^
3. Next taking a larger fluffy brush (95% of the time the trusty RT contour brush!) I gently tap it into a powder which isn’t a warm orange tone and go directly over the contour. Because the powder I use for a stronger contour is darker and more cool toned I never go heavy handed with this, again being gentle and taking your time add the powder. I always start at the top of the cheekbone and concentrate the most amount of contour powder at that point, blending downwards.
4. I then proceed to add blusher just over that contour line and blend the blush out upwards slightly. This adds colour to the cheeks, makes your face look more alive and slightly lessens the intensity of the contour. To me this makes the most flawless cheek and really gives the illusions that I don’t have chubby cheeks, instead I have cheekbones that could potentially slay. (am I getting carried away? ok I'm sorry but strong cheekbones change a girl!)

Nose Contouring?

With the nose its a tough one, honestly do not ever nose contour le nose in a hurry unless you’ve been doing it with plenty of practise, because nose contouring when gone wrong looks a lot worse than bad cheek contouring._. The best advice I can give it to literally youtube nose contouring and spend a decent amount of time observing how people do contour their noses because lets be honest, whilst there are probably 5 ‘face-shapes’ out there there are probably 10x the amount of different nose shapes and sizes.

I use and recommend:

The Balm Bahama Mama | £13.50: An amazing matte shade which is a cross between a dark brown and grey. It’s the first bronzer that I bought which has a real sculpting effect. It can look a little dark but applied precisely and blended out well and you can really achieve a fantastic shadow effect.

E.L.F Brow Kit in Medium | £3.95: You must be pretty confused if you haven’t read THIS post, but I’m sure you get the idea! This cool toned brown is literally the most wonderful sculpting contour I have ever discovered. It’s a tad lighter than Bahama Mama and so gives a shaped appearance with a little less effort.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer | £23.50: This is raved by beauty lovers all the time,  and there’s a great reason for it. It suits fair to medium skintones and can be built up with ease. I find that a little bit sculpts but I can also achieve a warmth from this matte shade too.

All three of these are wonderful sculpting powders and I love having them in my collection for when I want a stronger contour.

Which products do you turn to when you want a strong contour? I’d love to know!

Thanks for reading!

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Contouring 3 Ways |Sculpting-out-ya-cheekbones Contouring

Hello! I hope you are all well! I have started my second year at uni, and aside from some extra transport issues, its been a fantastic day, quite glad to be back to a having a routing and just getting educated y’know? Anyway todays post is the final part of my contouring series. I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far!

Contouring 3 ways | 2. The Light/Natural Contour

Hello ladies! Today I am going to be sharing the second part of 3 in my little contouring series. Please remember I am not an MUA, Pro or specially training. I’m simply a makeup lover who has trialled and error-ed her way through YouTube tutorials and a bunch of bronzers, and now I want to share my tips and methods.

2. Light and Natural Contouring

When I first started writing this up I thought about how I lightly contour and I was sure I would only be writing about cream products, but I have two methods, one that should perhaps have been in the first post (quick contouring) but anyhoo.

I like to lightly contour is when I’m going for a minimal makeup look or I just want to bronze up my skin and achieve a very natural look. I’m always amazed by how realist contouring with creams can appear and I enjoy that effortless makeup look too. I was always a little unsure about cream products, perhaps because I didn’t know the best way to apply them but I’m pleased to say I love me some cream bronzer!

How:

• I like using my fingers, the E.L.F angled contour brush or the E.L.F small stippling brush 
• I dab on the cream bronzer along my cheekbones, the temples of my forehead and a little along my jawline. Don’t be worried if it looks too harsh against your skintone because cream products blend in a lot easier than powder and with the right brush or sponge you can blend it to the exact intensity you’d prefer.
• I then take a larger stippling brush (the e.l.f one) and blend out the cream bronzer to my hearts content! Sometime I will blend the cream bronzer in a wider area around my cheek giving it that sunkissed look and then go in again with a second layer of the cream product, concentrating it on where a shadow would fall (the hollows of the cheekbones) and adding a bit more of a sculpt to this still very natural looking contour.

The best thing about using a cream rather than a powder is how natural the warmth on the face looks. Powders can look very harsh and obvious, but a cream product blended in well with a duo-fibre brush or a damp sponge gives a stunning warmth to the face, and if you use a darker shade that leans to the cooler spectrum, it can add definition perfectly.

 

I USE AND RECOMMEND:

• Bourjois Bronzing Primer (£9.99): Firstly I should comment on the texture of this, it’s like a moose and quite funny to swatch because when you put your finger in the pot all the product wobbles haha. Colour wise one layer is a little too light for me, but two layers is the perfect soft contour as it dries to a medium subtle warm brown tone. Like I stated earlier I like to apply this with my fingers first in my cheekbone area and then go over my cheekbones with the E.L.F Angled Contour Brush which is the PERFECT size to trace out and define cheekbones!

The texture of this and the beautiful colour still makes the whole effect look very natural but it does make a lot of difference. I especially love using this product when I’m using a lighter base like my bourjois CC cream. This would be great for fair to light/medium skintones . I’d recommend google image searching this as you’ll be able to see how people use it add that natural warmth.

 

• E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream - St. Lucia (£3.95) : I ADORE this cream duo! The contour shade is quite dark when first applied but it dries to a slightly darker shade than the Bourjois bronzing primer. This one would be great for NC35+ but as I said it really can be blended in duo to its consistency. I love how it adds a wonderfully healthy warmth to the face as well as subtly contouring, and again I always use this with the E.L.F Angled Contour Bronzer to apply this as it is darker then the above and so needs a little more precision. I also love the blush with this, they compliment each other perfectly and I’d highly recommend anyone with a medium/olive skintone to pick this up next time they have an awesome sale, for less than £2 this is a total steal ^_^

The Second Way:

So the above is the main way I achieve a natural contour, however sometimes when I’m feeling very lazy or I’m in a rush but I want a little bit of definition I grab my Real Techniques Powder Brush and apply the Calvin Klein Bronzer in Sun Bathe  (available HERE) which does have some shimmer but remember dusted lightly or the Rimmel Bronzing Compact Powder Medium Matte. Both of these are darker bronzers and I firstly dust one layer all over the cheekbones, jawline, forehead and a little on my nose. This gives that warmth and healthy appearance. I then concentrate the second sweep directly along the cheekbones which adds a little definition without a precise line along the cheek.

Those are my way to create a ‘natural contour’ if those two words can even be in a sentence at the same time! These ways are perfect for girls who want a very subtle but still pulled together look, who dislike that Kim K obvious structure and would rather have some warmth but not completely lose the definition! The cream method isn’t the quickest at first but once you get used to it, the process becomes effortless and the darker bronzer is a lazy girl’s best-friend! Tip: Stay far AWAY from orange-toned bronzers when using this method, ain’t nobody wanting to look like a cheese puff ._.

 

Stay tuned for my final contouring post - the full on contour coming soon! And if you missed my guide to how I contour quickly/day-to-day have a read right here. I hope this was somewhat helpful!

Thanks for reading!

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Contouring 3 ways | 2. The Light/Natural Contour

Hello ladies! Today I am going to be sharing the second part of 3 in my little contouring series. Please remember I am not an MUA, Pro or specially training. I’m simply a makeup lover who has trialled and error-ed her way through YouTube tutorials and a bunch of bronzers, and now I want to share my tips and methods.

Bronzing on a Budget | E.L.F Warm Bronzer

The second bronzer in my series is one of my all time favourite makeup products of ALL TIME. Again when swatched in the pan it looks nothing like how it appears on the skin...I’m beginning to see a theme here...you shouldn’t judge a bronzer till you’ve applied it on your face! It is made up of four shades, a light brown and a cool dark brown, a highlight and a pink blush shade and on the back of the paper packaging it claims to ‘Create a healthy looking tan’ which I am pleased to report it does very well!

My skintone is around NC30-35 and this bronzer, although it is more of a sheen finish (not shimmery at all, but no where near matte) gives the most beautiful natural warmth to the face. The pigmentation of this product is just right, not overly pigmented nor so light that you have to keep putting the brush into the pan to get it to show on your skin. I find that I can get an even application with my large Real Techniques powder brush, and I love the fact that its not chalky!

Personally I wouldn’t use the brown shades for contouring due to the sheen finish (which helps make it look like a healthy glow!) but you could use the pink shade as a blush, and the yellow shade as a highlighter. Its a stunning illuminating almost brightening shade (due to the yellow tone) and looks beautiful on the bridge of the nose and the tops of the cheekbones. It also makes a nice change from the pink toned highlighters that you usually find in drugstore highlighters.

Longevity wise I find this lasts me a good 8 hours at least which is fantastic! I think my favourite thing about this bronzer is how naturally it warms up the face because of its stunning finish. It is easily built up, and if I am using a lighter shade of CC cream, I swirl my powder blush around the four shades, do the 3 motion on both cheeks and then brush a little over my forehead and nose too. When I’m in a rush I love using this as the only powder product of the day, as it works as a blush/bronzer in one.

When swatched on my hand I was surprised to find how different this looked compared to how it transfers on my cheeks! Not sure if that is because of the brush, or because I am using all four shades as once but whatever it is - it works a dream! Personally the only way I like to use this is with a large powder brush with medium density.

I think this bronzer is perfect for light-medium skintones with warm undertones, and you can buy the bronzer in cool and golden too depending on your skintone :)

Bronzer Roundup!

Orange or Red?

This is definitely not on the orange side because it adds such a warmth, I would say that its ever so slightly on the red side.

Pigmented?

Honestly this is the perfect amount of pigmentation provided you use a medium density brush. I love the fact that its impossible to get a streaky look.

Matte or Shimmer?

More of a sheen finish than anything, and it really gives that perfect holiday glow for me. If I'm looking peaky and pale this is the first thing I turn to, as it adds a gorgeous sunkissed glow to my skin.

Buy Again?

As soon as I hit pan on this, I am buying it again! For me this is the most beautiful all over the face bronzer I have tried that provides that healthy glow. I understand why people may prefer matte for the face, but I like to stick to cool toned mattes for contouring which gives a shadow look and warm toned slightly sheeny bronzers to add colour to the face.

Thanks for reading!

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Bronzing on a Budget | E.L.F Warm Bronzer

The second bronzer in my series is one of my all time favourite makeup products of ALL TIME. Again when swatched in the pan it looks nothing like how it appears on the skin...I’m beginning to see a theme here...you shouldn’t judge a bronzer till you’ve applied it on your face! It is made up of four shades, a light brown and a cool dark brown, a highlight and a pink blush shade and on the back of the paper packaging it claims to ‘Create a healthy looking tan’ which I am pleased to report it does very well!

Bronzing on a Budget | Rimmel Natural Bronzer 021 Sun Light

Hi ladies! Looking through my stash, I have accumulated....lets be honest here....a LOT of everything over the past year! But one part of my makeup wardrobe, that has been silently growing, almost unnoticed by me, has been my bronzer draw! I thought I’d start a mini series on my blog, called ‘bronzing on a budget’ because although I have now dabbled into high-end bronzers (and I love em!) I have so many good drugstore ones that I’d love to share with you all ^_^

 

I think I should start by addressing my skintone. I am quite pale normally and whenever it comes to picking a foundation shade I like to go one up. I just like the healthier, warmer skintone (plus it matches the colour of my hands better too!) Because I wear a hijab and my neck is covered I find it VERY easy to switch shades on the daily if I feel like it. However sometimes my bases are just too pale and I feel like I need some more warmth and life in my face; enter bronzers!   If you’ve never ventured near them because you’re scared of that orange look then perhaps I can help you find a bronzer and a brush (that’s just as important!) to suit you.

Bronzer is easy to over-do, and there are so many shades out there (because look at how many beautiful skintones exist too!) so it’s worth doing a bit of research before purchasing any bronzer in my opinion, highend or otherwise. The thing with blush is you can more or less make any shade work with your skintone, but bronzer can be a little easier to get wrong.

This is why I love the Rimmel Natural Bronzer. It was actually the FIRST ever face powder I bought back when I was 14 and although I forgot about it for a good few years, purchasing it again at 19 bought back good memories! The reason why I bought it at the time was because when I swatched all the cheaper drugstore powders they all looked way too chalky and pale for me, but this felt light-weight and I was interested in seeing if I could bronze too, despite not being white. (Oh Iqra how far you have come with your bronzer knowledge haha)

Its cased in your typical drugstore plasticness, and the sun design on it is a nice little touch. On the packaging it claims that it is a ‘waterproof bronzer’ with ‘SPF 15’ which is promising for the summer months!

If I had never tried this before, and then I swatched it in boots I wouldn’t have it in my possession. Because when swatched on my hand it appears quite orange which is what most people back away from! However when applied with a large fluffy brush (I quite like the ELF Complexion one) at the temples, along the cheekbones and around the jawline it effortlessly warms up the face without looks blotchy or like you’ve stuck your face in a bowl of wotsits.

Its very buildable and a little bit will give you a slight wamrth but you can add more for that real sunkissed look. I didn’t actually realise you could get different shades of this till I looked at the back! If I didn’t own so many bronzers already I would probably be temped to by 22 as well!

Anyway my favourite thing about this bronzer is how well it warms up your base if its too light for you because you have tanned a little! For £5.99 you can’t go wrong with this one. Personally I couldn’t contour with this and I think for those of you who are VERY fair it would look orangish, but if you are NC20-NC40ish I would recommend this as a lovely natural bronze. I could get away with using concealer over redness and darkcircles, and then this bronzer in the 3 motion and my skin would look super healthy and put together ^_^

If you’re looking for a bronzer which will give you a natural non-blotchy warmth to your skin, this could be the answer!

 

Bronzer Roundup!

Orange or Red?

slightly more on the orange spectrum.

Pigmented?

Pigmented enough that you can warm the face up a LITTLE with one sweep, but not over the top so your face looks blotchy and fake-tan-gone-wrong-ified.

Matte or Shimmer?

This sits on the matte/glowing look I would say, its not a flat matte and personally not a powder I would use for contouring due to its slight orange tones, but the glowyness is probably what gives the illusion of a sunkissed healthy look!

Buy Again?

Yes I would buy it again! It says what it does on the tin, gives a natural bronze and the price is brilliant value.

 

Do you own this? What do you think of it? ^_^

Thanks for reading!

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Bronzing on a Budget | Rimmel Natural Bronzer 021 Sun Light

Hi ladies! Looking through my stash, I have accumulated....lets be honest here....a LOT of everything over the past year! But one part of my makeup wardrobe, that has been silently growing, almost unnoticed by me, has been my bronzer draw! I thought I’d start a mini series on my blog, called ‘bronzing on a budget’ because although I have now dabbled into high-end bronzers (and I love em!) I have so many good drugstore ones that I’d love to share with you all ^_^