Top 5 Bronzers

Back in the day my answer to "what is one makeup item you'd like to have with you if you were stranded on a deserted island" was always mascara. It's funny that in a matter of couple years that answer has changed to...bronzer! I feel like bronzer is the magic product that can make almost anyone healthier and younger. I don't sport a full face of makeup everyday but bronzer is just a must-have in my book!

Eskiden "issiz bir adaya dusseniz yaniniza alacaginiz tek makyaj urunu ne olurdu" sorusuna cevabim hep maskara olmustur. Ama bu cevap birkac sene icinde bronzlastiriciya donustu. Bronzlastirici bana gore hemen hemen herkesin daha saglikli ve dinc gorunmesini saglayabilen mucizevi bir urun. Hergun ful makyaj yapmasam bile, bronzlastirici olmazsa olmazim.

My very first bronzer, which isn't photographed here, was NARS Casino. I bought it when I was in high school and took care of it as if it was my child. Considering my age, it was anything but affordable. I used it like crazy over its lifespan of 2 years. Then I hit pan on it and it naturally shattered into pieces. Since then I have experimented with bronzers from many different brands (even though I reminisce about Casino from time to time, I think I will just have to repurchase it after all these years) but here are the 5 I have been the happiest with.

Ilk bronzlastircim NARS Casino idi. Lisedeyken aldigim ve cocugum gibi baktigim Casino yasimi ve o zamanlari dusunursek bana epey pahaliya patlamisti. 2 senelik hayatinda bu bronzlastiriciyi deli gibi kullandim diyebilirim. Sonra malesef dibi gorundu ve haliyle paramparca oldu. Bu hikayede boyle bitti. O zamandan bircok markanin bronzlastiricisini kullandim ama asagidaki 5liden sasmam!

Benefit Hoola (11.0g/0.40oz - $28)

Matte, blends very easily, buildable, no mirror, cardboard packaging isn't my favorite

Mat, dagitimi kolay, kat kat surulebilir, ayna yok, karton kutuda olusu pek etkileyeci degil

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel (30g/1oz - $48)

Creamy, mousse-like texture, long-lasting, bulky, pricey, very luxurious packaging

Kopuksu/kremsi yapida, kaliciligi uzun, iri, fiyati tuzlu, kutusu oldukca luks

elf Blush and Bronzing Duo Blushed/Bronzed (8g/.028oz - $3)

Slightly shimmery, very affordable, compact/mirror, can easily double up as a blush (I love using it as a blush)

Hafif pariltili, fiyati uygun, kompakt ve aynali, ayni zamanda allik olarak kullanilabilir (ben sahsen allik olarak cok seviyorum)

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (10g/.35oz - $29)

Matte, smells like chocolate (!!!), long-lasting, buildable

Mat, cikolata kokulu, kaliciligi uzun, istenilen yogunluk icin rahatlikla kat kat surulebilir

theBalm Bahama Mama (7.08g/.25oz - $19)
Matte, smooth, has a mirror, light enough to take along, easily blends

Mat, yumusak, aynali, yaninizda tasimak icin ideal hafiflikte, dagitimi kolay

L-R: Soleil Tan de Chanel, Benefit Hoola, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, theBalm Bahama Mama, elf Duo

What are your favorite bronzers?

Sizin favori bronzlastiricilariniz neler?

Bits & Pieces

Just sharing with you guys bits and pieces of goods I collected in the last few weeks.

First up, we have this Sonia Kashuk eye make-up remover...I have been using my H2O & olive oil mixture as my eye makeup remover for a long time. Since I have just run out of my mixture, I thought I would try an actual product just for the sake of trying something new. I have no clue how it will perform as this is my first time using a non-makeup Sonia Kashuk product. (I do love her eye shadows though!) Hopefully it'll be a great alternative to that of Neutrogena because I simply despise the oily residue it leaves on my eyes.

I had been wanting to get a Clarisonic cleansing system for a long time! I just recently caved and picked it up. I haven't been using it long enough to tell you how I am liking it so far but I will do a separate and more detailed review on it when the time comes.

 I was in dire need of new brushes for bronzer and MSF application. I was previously using a really old (in fact so old using it to this day should be illegal!) The Body Shop brush for applying my MSF and a not-so-old-but-not-that-great-and-now-a-little-too-scratchy-for-my-face Avon brush for bronzer. Simply put, these new brushes were a total need and not a want at all. Besides my little elf concealer brush, this will be my first time using a "real" elf brush.

The complexion brush feels soooo soft, I love it! I feel like this is just made better than the bronzing brush (perhaps because it's from the "Studio" line?) and it will not shed, or at least not as much as the bronzing one. Bronzing brush is soft too but not as much the complexion brush and right now I feel like it'll shed so much that it won't have any hairs left. We'll see!

I actually vowed that I will be staying away from Bella Bamba because...I mean another pink blush, really?! But I just couldn't help it. It's just very pretty and girly, smells like flowers and/or candy, I love the new and improved box with its little mirror inside.

Nothing big here, just my 123958th container of my favorite facial scrub. After I run out of my last tube, I always say to myself that I want to try a new scrub and I just always find myself going back for more of this green tea scrub, I don't know what it is! It seems to work for me, I love the smell, the feeling on my face afterward.

Rose D'oro is only one of the 9 colors in Milani's baked blush/bronzer range. It's gorgeous and looks like it will be perfect for achieving a sun-kissed look.

Topless and Barefoot is part of Essie's new Spring collection called "A French Affair". I had just received my quarterly Ulta certificate and chose to get a free nail polish with it. I was originally planning to get a nail polish from OPI's Texas collection but absolutely nothing grabbed my attention, at all! So I decided to go with Topless & Barefoot. It's a pastel nude in creme finish.

 Since receiving a Bath & Body Works mailer the other day, I had been dying to try out their new scent Carried Away. Finally yesterday I had the chance to check it out! I tested it on my hand and walked around int the store a good 15 minutes sniffing...everything! The scent was still there, going pretty strong. I decided to buy it because I just loved its sweet, flirty, summery scent. I came home an hour later, washed hands with soap, the scent still lingered on. On my skin, its staying power is just amazing. Quick glance on the back of the tube; ... "a whimsical blend of lush raspberries, white jasmine and whipped vanilla inspired by the way love sweeps you off your feet". Oh yeah, it's definitely comparable to love tee heee!

 I just ran out of my beloved Neutrogena hand cream and when I saw these on a shelf at my local Walgreens I knew I had to try it! I love EOS lip balms so I thought I'll probably and hopefully love their hand creams as well. First impression...it smells delish (if you like the cucumber scent that is), very moisturizing, creamy texture.

What have you all been hauling lately? Did you buy any of these products?

Need to Conceal

I used to never really use concealers until I started blogging. I thought what for, I'm young, I don't have dark circles etc. Turns out you don't have to fall into either category to use concealers or at least this is what I believe. Using them can immediately make tired eyes look more awake and just make skin smoother over all when foundation alone is not enough. After I started blogging, I became such a devoted concealer-er that I even use different concealers for different areas on my face! Here are some of my favorites that I can never be without :)

   Benefit Erase Paste (No 2 Medium)

This is my oldest concealer which I thought was awesome until I discovered MAC's Studio Fix Concealer which I will get to in a second. I used to use Erase Paste for pretty much everything from brightening up my under eye area to cover up blemishes to my nose area. However after a while, I began seeing it settle in the fine lines I have on under my eyes even after setting with powder, which didn't look too pretty. I then started using it on blemishes but it wasn't such a great color match. There are only 3 shades of the Erase Paste and this was the closest to my skin color. I use Erase Paste down the sides of my nose because of all the 3 I have, it does the best job concealing there. I have realized MAC Studio Finish concealer makes my pores near my nose appear larger so I resort to Erase Paste which only conceals :)

    e.l.f. Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter (Glow/Light)

I bought this elf concealer on a whim at Target before having tried any elf product, ever! Pretty bold purchase from a brand you've never used before huh? The fact that it was more liquid than I thought it would be kind of scared me in the beginning. Later I realized I just needed two little dots to have full coverage, so little goes a loooooong way! Don't be fooled by it's $3 price tag because it's just as amazing as high-end concealers if not better! In this case,we can apply the 'it's not the quantity, it's the quality' theory! It is perfect for my under eye concealing needs though I don't have that much to conceal. It really smooths out the fine lines without settling in them and creates such a flawless look. The concealer side alone does a good job brightening this area. However I also like to dab a bit of the highlighter side for optimum results. I did pick this concealer up in a shade lighter (Glow/Light) than my skin tone to achieve an obviously lighter look under my eyes. Therefore I can't really use it on other areas on my face because it would be just too light.

    MAC Studio Finish Concealer (NW 30)

MAC has done it again! I'm sure I'm one of the last people to use this concealer and I can't believe I have not tried it sooner. While at my local MAC one day, I had a make-up artist apply some on my face just to see what it's all about. She applied it right under my eyes and it was all good but after coming home I saw my under eye lines looking worse than they did before having this concealer applied. It has unfortunately creased! I knew it just wasn't going to work in this area. So now I use it on my skin discolorations, pimples and anything I want to conceal on the rest of my face. If the zit isn't a huge one, this concealer will make it almost invisible. If it's a huge one above the surface, obviously there is nothing that can be done about that, good luck to me! As I have mentioned above, it also does make my pores on the sides of my nose appear larger than they are, so it's a no-no for sides of my nose!

Hard to believe I'm using all these different shades of concealers!

For Erase Paste and MAC concealers I use my little elf brush you can see in the top photo. For elf concealer I just use my ring finger to blend it in.

I'm happy with all of my concealers! They all seem to do a fantastic job in their own little ways. I have yet to find a concealer that combines all three of them and does everything, does it even exist? I did try the Amazing concealer to see if it lived up to all the hype, and for me it didn't!

Do you use a concealer? If so, what's your favorite one?