bronzer

Brand: Benefit
Product: Dallas

Splurge item

We’re in the thick of it. For you pale-skinned girls who have the winter blues, may I suggest an alternative to those orangey, dirty looking bronzers? Try a sweep of Benefit’s Dallas on your cheekbones, temples and the bridge of
your nose. The effect is so much more natural and breathtaking than your average bronzer.

What makes it unique? It is dusty mauve based, not orange. It provides that “just got a little sun” glow. It’s not cheap, a box will run you $28 at Sephora, and the brush included is pretty useless. No biggie, we all know never to use the included brushes, and a box of this will last at least a year if used properly. I love this stuff.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma

cost cutting, cutie, drugstore cosmetics

Brand: Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy
Product: Sheerest Cream Bronzer – Miami Glow

I am a fair skinned gal. I’m not ashamed of it. I accept it. For the most part, I don’t mind. Sure, there was that period in the early part of the millennium where everyone seemed to be sporting an orange glow, from insipid actresses like Lindsay Lohan to Acadamy Award winning screen sirens like Charlize Theron. But, surely the Oompah Loompah look is easier to carry off when you’re either stoned or encased in a form fitting sheath and accessorized with an Oscar statuette. Well, the strongest drug that I take is Nyquil. Most days I’m wearing an apron and accessorized with a spatula. The Oompah Loompah look just isn’t for me.
Actresses like Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon have given us fair skinned gals some hope. But, I must admit that sometimes in the dead of winter I become a bit self-conscious about my lack of pigment. Fair skin can be pretty, sure….but blue veins under the eyes? Not so much. The problem is that I don’t believe in tanning, self-tanners turn me orange, and powder bronzers make me look either dirty or like a disco ball.
I recently began using a sheer cream bronzer by Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy. I found it at CVS for $11.99. As I’ve posted before, I’m a fan of Carmindy and her show What Not to Wear. I’m also a huge advocate of her new affordable makeup line with Sally Hansen. I have purchased, used and loved several items from her line, but I held out on the cream bronzer because, frankly, the concept scared me. I’d never used a cream bronzer before and I worried about its blendability. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried or held out so long. This stuff rocks. It comes with an angled brush that you sweep lightly across the compact. Applied and blended into the temples, cheekbones and the bridge of my nose it created a color so subtle and natural I needed a chair to sit down in. Seriously, I was that blown away. No sparkles, no glitter no muddiness to speak of. The texture is phenomenal. You won’t feel it at all and it won’t cause any breakouts. I’ve worn it over both cream and mineral foundations with nary a problem. The pot is also generous and comes in three different colors to match your skintone. Fair skinned girls this is your Holy Grail. Search no longer.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma