Tag: best bronzer

Catrice California in a Box

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I wouldn’t call myself a connoisseur of makeup palettes — I’m more of a “single color eyeshadow dish” kind of person. I know exactly what colors I want and need for my blush, bronzer, and eyeshadow and I am scared to deviate from that (although, I was obsessed with orange eyeshadow for awhile, and I kind of enjoyed it). But this palette really stood out to me while I was standing in Ulta — I realized I actually liked every color in it, and would probably actually use them!

Here’s a quick rundown of my take on what’s in the box:

Pearly and dark blush: The darker colored blush surprisingly paints far lighter than I would expect it to. For some reason I anticipated a more mauve-y undertone, but I’d describe it more as deep pink. This has a fantastic pigment and would look beautiful on someone with a medium or darker skintone. Now, for me personally, the dark blush was a little bit heavy for my complexion, so this is where the pearly blush came into play for me. The peachy tones make for a very subtle color on my cheeks, with just a tiny bit of “pop” of pearl highlighter that slightly illuminates the look. Almost undetectable, otherwise — just the way I like it! (but it probably won’t be for you if you’re looking for a bolder look)

Light and dark bronzer: The bronzer is my only gripe about this product. It dark bronzer really skews orange, and I could only see this getting worse as time passes and more oxidizing occurs. The light bronzer is a lesser offender of turning orange, but it’s so light. I think it would be imperceptible on anyone, except possibly someone with an alabaster skin tone.

Highlighter: this is definitely not the most extreme of highlighters, which might be for the best since I’ve noticed the bright highlighter trend sort of winding down on Instagram. It’s very subtle; you might want to add a second layer if you really want it to stand out. The nude coloration of this highlighter makes it look far more natural looking than a pure white highlighter.

Overall one of my biggest issues with this palette is that the colors aren’t very malleable, and they’re unforgiving of user error. Usually if I’m a bit heavy-handed with blush, I can correct it without too many issues just by blending it in more with the brush. That’s a difficult ask with this product, though, so I recommend using a very fluffy brush for the bronzers and blushes.

I didn’t have any issues with the products losing efficacy over time, although perhaps the highlighter may have lost it’s shine after hour 4 since it’s already very subtle to begin with. Also, the bronzer made me want to wash my entire face after hour two when I realized that the orange was only getting worse. But I didn’t, and the bronzer sadly still persisted until past the eight hour mark.

For $12, this is not a bad product if you’re looking for something subtle! Despite the vacation vibes that the marketing of this product gives off, this palette is actually quite suitable for work — you’ll get the faintly sunkissed glow without looking overdone. Just make sure you go in with a very light hand! ~A

Perceived efficacy: 3.5/5

Longevity: 3.5/5

How much I actually like this product: 3.75/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: Yes

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Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls

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Powder Palette Mineral Glow

This is technically a powder, of which there are four different shades. As far as using this as a powder, this is not great since my experience is that it doesn’t have phenomenal staying power (I tried both translucent, and beige when summer rolled around), and I did notice some oil breakthrough.

But as a bronzer? If you pick up a shade darker than you’re supposed to be, this is actually great. The coloration on light bronze is awesome — not TOO dark, but dark enough to create a good contour. No orange skewing, either! I love the extra “shiny” boost it gives you. Now granted, the longevity issue still remains — if you don’t use a setting spray, the color will begin to slide off around hour four, and disappear completely or shift, uh, downwards onto your skin where it wasn’t before.

This is a $12 grab at Ulta, true to Physicians Formula higher-than-usual drugstore pricepoint, but it’s well worth it as the product lasts quite a long time in the compact (the one I’m using now is going on a year. Is that bad?) I’ve seen some Ulta reviews citing that people use it as a highlighter. I personally can’t see it. It is glittery, but not THAT glittery, so even with translucent or beige, I didn’t feel like it really stood out. As for people complaining that the glitter is only on the top, well, I personally disagree – I feel that it lasts through the whole container.

In the end, this is good looking as a bronzer, not a powder. In fact, it might be a holy grail bronzer for me. I do recommend that it gets used with a setting spray for sure, and don’t be too heavy-handed when applying since the color comes out relatively heavy. The colors also shifts over time, and sets into your skin a little peculiarly.  ~A

Perceived efficacy: 4/5 (As a bronzer)

Longevity: 3.5/5

How much I actually like this product: 4/5