Don't give me any of the "embrace your paleness" lecture, when Summer comes and everybody around me is getting a lovely caramel color, I'm jealous.
That's how I got into fake tan, back when I was a teenager (although I need to confess I didn't know how to apply it properly until I was in my 30's, hum). I'm not going to talk about self-tanners today because the lovely Tali from The Gloss Goss already told everything in this post after she tried Xen-Tan on my recommendation.
There's another kind of product into which I got more recently: bronzer.
For years, I was a snob and thought all bronzers looked orange. I blame Guerlain Terracotta for this misconception, and I changed my mind 2 years ago after having seen a sales assistant applying a Sisley bronzer on a lady who was as pale as I am. Of course, I had her put it on me too and ended up buying the (expensive) thing.
I have been hooked on bronzer since then, and I think this is a product everybody can wear for the biggest part of the year, even with no fake tan on. I just don't wear it in that limbo period between December and February because everything looks so grey, including myself, that bronzer really looks odd.
When I have a bit of a tan on, I use bronzer to emphasize some parts of the face. When I don't, I use it to contour or in combination with blush. I love the versatility of bronzers, and I love the variety of products available. And you know I like variety in makeup.
Last Summer I used a full Cargo Blu-Ray bronzer. I liked it a lot, obviously, but since Cargo is nowhere to be found in my country (I had received it as a gift from a friend), I looked for a dupe and found that the best match in terms of shade was Lancôme. So this one is my Summer, on top of fake tan, bronzer.
This Illamasqua Glint/Writhe bronzing duo was part of my Sirens collection haul. I like that it has 2 parts, the lightest one being a highlighter, because I can mix and combine to get the desired result. I mostly use this as a blush or in combination with it.
The Chanel Soleil Tan Bronze Universal is a unique gel-cream formula that I really love, and discovered very recently. It's now marketed as a makeup primer, but I apply it after my foundation with an Illamasqua blush brush (comparable to Mac 109). I do think, however, that it helps any product put on top of it in staying longer. It's very blendable and buildable, and very soft on the skin. Surprisingly it looks very natural even on my pale skin. This is a product that can be used all year round, as a contour product or as an all-over face bronzer, I think it's great and unique, and it's not as expensive as a lot of Chanel products.
The Stila duo was a limited edition last Summer and I must confess I haven't used it at all, because I got this as a gift and have no clue as how to use it correctly. Feel free to enlighten me.
The Givenchy Prism'Again Mango bronzer was also part of last Summer's collection but I love love love this one for... other seasons than Summer! You can custom-mix the 4 shades and use some of them as a blush. It can come out cool enough to be worn in Winter, and is not too pigmented (but buildable) and the smell is absolutely delish.
Last but not least, the infamous Nars Laguna/Orgasm duo. Honestly, Laguna isn't my favourite bronzer and Orgasm isn't my favourite blush used on its own. But I like the practical aspect of having both products together and they do an OK job. Plus, Orgasm is gorgeous when I layer it with Deep Throat, so I can make this work anyway.
So I can wait for Spring to come so I can wear bronzer again without looking like I'm trying too much.
Do you wear bronzer and what is your favourite?
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