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?

theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer

You may remember that I was one of the oh-so-lucky people who spotted a huge stock of theBalm goodies at my local TjMaxx last year, at insanely discounted prices. The gorgeous Betty-Lou Manizer was only one of the many theBalm products I hauled at that time but haven't had the chance to write a proper review on it especially since I was idle for nearly 7 months. I recently developed an unhealthy obsession over it and decided that it deserves it's own little post :)

Gecen sene TjMaxx'te (bilmeyenleriniz icin hemen aciklayayim, istediginiz/istemediginiz bircok markanin ucuzluga ugramis urunlerini bulabileceginiz, icinde cogunlukla kiyamet kopan, savas alani vari bir magaza) tesadufen gezinirken kocaman bir raf dolusu theBalm urunu gorup nasil bir cilginlik yaptigimi hatirliyor olabilirsiniz. Betty-Lou Manizer o cilginligin sadece kucuk bir parcasiydi tabii ki. O zaman hemen review yazmaya vakit bulamamistim ama son zamanlarda sagliksiz bir ask yasadigim Betty-Lou Manizer icin artik bir review gerekliydi!

theBalm markets Betty-Lou Manizer as an all-in-one bronzer, shimmer and eyeshadow. I would describe the color as a subtly shimmery bronze with a golden sheen. Shimmer in this bronzer isn't clearly visible to the eye as it's very finely milled. In other words, you can generously use it all over the face and not look like a disco ball. Just like all the other theBalm powder products, the texture is velvety soft and the color pay-off is a-maz-ing! 

theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer icin 3u 1 arada, bronzlastirici, aydinlatici ve far demis. Rengi bana gore hafif altin isiltili bronz. Oldukca ince ogutulmus oldugu icin yuze uygulandiktan sonra bu isilti cok dikkatli bakmadiginiz surece gozle kolayca gorulemeyecek kadar az. Yani disko topuna donmek zorunda kalmadan, gonul rahatligiyla bronzlastirici gibi uygulayabilirsiniz. Onceden theBalm pudra urunlerini denediyseniz, yapi ayni yumusaklikta ve pigmentasyon her zamanki gibi yine cok basarili.

As always it's a huge plus that the medium-sized compact comes with its own mirror. I am a firm believer in mirrors, all compacts should come with one! In this compact, there is 8.5g/0.3oz of Betty- Lou Manizer and it retails for $24 at thebalm.com. Because I bought mine from TjMaxx, I paid only $12.99 for it. *cha-ching* It's available on both Sephora.com and thebalm.com.

Her zaman oldugu gibi kompaktin icinde aynasi olmasi benim icin buyuk bir arti. Agirligi 8.5 g olan Betty-Lou Manizer thebalm.com'da $24, Turkiye'de iseniz Gratis'ten 40TL'ye temin edebilirsiniz. (Oh be sonunda Turkiye'de de satilan bir urun hakkinda yazdim!!!)

Applied on cheekbones right above bronzer/contouring / Bronzer/kontorun hemen ust kismina uygulanmis hali...

When it comes to the way I utilize this gem of a product, I love using it as an highlighter or bronzer. "Shimmer" can throw people off but I don't find it over powering at all especially considering you don't normally pack highlight/bronzer as you would an eyeshadow. If used as an eyeshadow, you can adjust the intensity as it is a buildable product. I think those with warmer/olive complexions will love this product the most. It may show up a little too orange on lighter skin tones.

Ben Betty-Lou'yu aydinlatici ya da bronzlastirici olarak kullanmayi tercih ediyorum. Isilti kelimesi sizi yaniltmasin, kesinlikle abartili bir isiltisi yok. Zaten bronzer ya da aydinlaticiyi far uygulamasinda oldugu gibi kat kat surmedigimiz icin abartili olmasi pek soz konusu degil. Far olarak kullanimida gayet kolay, yogunluk rahatca ayarlanabiliyor. Sahsen Betty-Lou'nun bugday/sicak tenle daha uyumlu olacagini dusunuyorum. Acik tende hafif turuncuya kacabilecegini dolayisiyla dogal durmayacagini dusunuyorum.


Have your tried theBalm? What are your favorite products?
theBalm'i denediniz mi? Favori urunleriniz neler?

theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

Next up in my theBalm series is the Bahama Mama bronzer. I didn't need another bronzer but again the $9.99 price tag was too good of a deal to walk away from. I would literally have nightmares about it had I left TjMaxx without this product that day.

I usually end up loving my impulse purchases so much afterwards. Bahama Mama is yet another one of those products. I didn't need a bronzer because I thought I was satisfied with the other 3 I already own. Right when you think you found the bronzer, you find another one. It's a vicious cycle. I used to be in love with Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (which I still do like) until Bahama Mama came along.

The matte and rich brown color of Bahama Mama makes it the perfect contour shade for my skin tone. It's not one of those deceiving bronzers that look brown in the pan and orange when applied. I find Bahama Mama to be quite pigmented and easily buildable to desired intensity. The texture is soft, kind of comparable to Benefit Hoola. Color transfers beautifully on the skin and it's a breeze to blend. It gives my face a nice warmth and does a wonderful job defining cheekbones. I find it to last all day without the need of touch  ups.

I just couldn't conclude my post without comparison swatches of Bahama Mama and 3 other popular bronzers.

L-R: Bahama Mama, Benefit Hoola, elf Bronzer, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

Bahama Mama is the darkest of the 4 and closest to elf's bronzer and blush duo's bronzer side. It's much darker than Benefit Hoola and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, which I was head over heels in love with previously. And Hoola even more previously. (Read my Chocolate Soleil review here if interested) Since discovering Bahama Mama, Chocolate Soleil got placed on the back burner. In other words, Bahama Mama > Chocolate Soleil > Hoola. I feel like Bahama Mama makes a great contour color for me which is the main reason I use bronzers anyway. Don't get me wrong, these are all great bronzers and I was insanely attached to each at one point. I just happen to love my newest bronzer a little more at the moment.

Bahama Mama retails for $19 at Sephora and theBalm's website. As I've been suggesting, make sure to check your TjMaxx if you're interested in trying theBalm products. You may find them there for much cheaper prices.

Wishing you all a wonderful week! ♥

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

During a makeup chat on Twitter, the lovely Holly at ellamarie84.blogspot.com has mentioned that Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil is her favorite bronzer ever! I have not even heard of this product until she told me about it and I thought eh it's probably just another bronzer. That was until I saw her next tweet saying it smells just like chocolate! I don't know about you but chocolate is definitely one of my many weaknesses in this life! So I knew this chocolate bronzer was eventually going to be mine!

Just like all Too Faced products, this bronzer also comes in cute packaging. The light pink box and the Hershey kiss-looking chocolate picture right on top are just adorable! The bronzer weighs .35oz/10g and retails for $28.

Yes, it's true. This bronzer really does contain cocoa and smells just like a good ol' bar of chocolate! I give it a whiff every now and then yummm...

The texture of the bronzer is velvety smooth. This is a matte bronzer and I'd describe the color as a light chocolate brown. It doesn't look muddy or orange on skin at all. I like its rich yet natural finish on my face. I've been using bronzers for just contouring these days and I think Chocolate Soleil does a fantastic job contouring as it's matte. If your nose is sensitive to smells don't worry because the chocolate scent isn't overwhelming and once applied the scent goes away.

Not like you can tell, but I am wearing my Chocolate Soleil bronzer in above photo :D

L- Chocolate Soleil R- Benefit Hoola

I thought I'd do a comparison of Chocolate Soleil to the famous Benefit Hoola as I know a lot of people own it. When I first opened Chocolate Soleil, I immediately thought wow this looks a lot like Hoola! As you can see from my swatches they are quite similar. Hoola looks just a tad more lighter and has an orange tint to it. Chocolate Soleil is a bit more pigmented. Hoola also retails for $28 but weighs .40oz/11.0g and comes in a cardboard box while Chocolate Soleil is in a compact with a mirror.

This sort of turned into a Chocolate Soleil vs. Hoola post so I'll finish it off by announcing the winner.

*drum roll*

Chocolate Soleil!!! Why? Because for $28 I get an actual compact of a beautiful, matte bronzer that leaves my face looking like it was naturally tanned. Its darker tone makes a difference on my face and helps me look more tanned than Hoola. I can actually take it along with me and use its mirror for touch ups during the day. It does seem to last longer than Hoola throughout the day. Lastly it smells like chocolate and I love that. It's like having a chocolate without all the calories! :D Hoola isn't a bad bronzer by any means but it shows up lighter on my complexion when compared to how Chocolate Soleil wears. It doesn't have as long of a staying power as Chocolate Soleil. I don't like the box packaging, I cannot take it with me because it is bulky and it doesn't have a mirror.

Have you tried Chocolate Soleil? What is your favorite powder bronzer?

e.l.f. Studio Golden Bronzer

Hey everyone! 

I'm alive! I've been spending every single one of my minutes with my sister hence the inactivity on my blog. She returned to Turkey on Wednesday and shortly after that I got a ridicilous cold. Today I have finally found some strength to get up from the bed and be a productive person/blogger! :) Hello new followers! 

If you're make-up obsessed and happen to be at Target, you know you cannot leave that store without checking out aisle with elf products! I don't own many elf products but I hear a lot of good things about them. I have been happily using their liquid concealer/highlighter duo as well as the blush/bronzer duo. But I was in the mood for trying a new e.l.f. product and that's when this bronzer caught my eye. 

Just for the record I did not need a new bronzer. I am currently going back and forth between, Benefit Hoola, e.l.f. bronzer/blush duo, Sephora blush me twice's bronzer side etc. But the $3 price tag of this bronzer just will not let you go, believe me! It's so affordable that you automatically think "Ah it's only 3 bucks, who will that hurt??" Good technique there e.l.f.! :)

Golden Brozner consists of four gorgeous shades. Top left is copper, top right is light peach, bottom left is off white/champagne, bottom right is taupe. They are all shimmery and quite pigmented. I love that they are not too powdery and they have almost no fall-out during application.

L- Natural Light R-Flash

P.S.: This product currently holds the "most difficult product to take photos of"! Wow, I cannot even believe how many photos I took of it before deciding on these two.

I do like this product but it just doesn't work as a bronzer on my skin tone. I would categorize it more as a highlighter than anything else. My sister also purchased this "bronzer", she's NC20 in MAC/Desert Beige in Estee Lauder Double Wear and she loves using it as a bronzer. So if you're anything like her and are looking for a bronzer, then you're in luck! :) It does give me a healthy, subtle glow and I gotta love it for that! I think it's a good drugstore product, especially for those of us who don't want to spend a fortune on a highlighter/bronzer. It just wasn't what I was expecting it to be, a bronzer.

What do you think about Golden Bronzer?

 Here is a collage of some of the photos from our trip, we did spend a day in Toronto hence the photo of CN Tower. (I know a day in any city isn't enough, will definitely return! :))
I ♥ Canada, I wish I could be visiting as often as I used to back when I lived in Seattle!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend! ♥

E.l.f. Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

Hey lovelies!

I know for many of you, Elf has been there for a long time. For me, however, it's pretty new. My Target recently started carrying this brand so I just had the pleasure to try it out few months ago. You may think, but there is their website. I confess, I am a cheapo when it comes to shipping costs, that's all I'll tell you :p Here is one of my most recent finds from Elf...

Both the packaging and the colors are somewhat similar to the NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo. (which I no longer have :/ )

Comparison to the Orgasm/Laguna Duo..

- Elf packaging is a bit cheaper as it is plastic, NARS packaging is more sleek and has that rubbery feel 

- Elf blush is a more pink-er/red-er, more pigmented and a bit more powdery and chalkier than Orgasm

- Orgasm is more on the peachy-pink side, more sheer and seems to be more shimmery than Elf

- Laguna is a slightly lighter and sheerer than the elf bronzer

- Elf duo; $3 and NARS duo; $39

Both pictures are of the elf duo, just taken in different lighting. 

I know that a lot of people think "NARS obviously makes their products with better ingredients" hence the more expensive products. I don't think that's the case at all. Ingredients for the NARS duo include just about the same ones in the Elf duo. NARS ingredients also include parabens and Elf ones surprisingly don't. Keep in mind when purchasing high end products, we are paying for the name as well!

Back to the Elf duo...I think this is a great product at a very reasonable price. It does exactly what it says and the quality of both the blush and bronzer is just amazing. They are both very pigmented and last all day on my face. One thing I am not too crazy about is that the blush is a bit too powdery for my liking. When I dip my brush in the blush pan, the blush gets so powdery it lands all over the place in and out of the compact. However, it's not that big of a deal since the product really delivers. I am definitely a devoted bronzer user so I need my contouring color and blush to show up over my bronzer and they both do a great job and show up beautifully layered over my bronzer. I personally don't like to use the bronzer color as a bronzer but for contouring purposes. Application and blending are a breeze and both colors while pigmented can be built up. This is definitely a product I'll repurchase and I recommend it to anyone who has been wanting somewhat similar colors to NARS Orgasm/Laguna but don't want to shell out a fortune for it. Though the colors are not exact dupes of each other, I think this is a great alternative.

Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder

The other day I went to check my mail like I do daily and what do I see? A catalog from Ulta, with a certificate on it yesssssss! I thought it was one of those $3.50 off a $10 purchase but nope it was the certificate that you receive every few months and you get to pick a free product based on how much you spent in the past few months. They change the award products quite frequently so I didn't know what I was going to pick until I looked up Level 5 (yeah I hit level 5, uh oh blame it on the holidays, shall we?!) and the corresponding products. They had some salon services, which I didn't need/want and a few other things which didn't attract me. But then I saw this Too Faced Bronzer in the list and decided to get it and I did. This is only one of the very few products I own by Too Faced. I used the Lash Injection mascara which I absolutely hated (I know there are a lot of fans of it out there) so sort of steered away from Too Faced altogether. I am happy to say that I love this bronzer. Could it be the Leopard-ness? Possibly.

Here is what I think about...

Packaging: Do I even need to say anything?? It's so cute, just look at it. But besides being cute, it's also sophisticated. It has this little pink fabric loop on the front that you pull to open. You open it and ta da you see yourself because it has a mirror and under it it says " You look absolutely purrrfect!" What a confidence booster!

Product: Has a leopard pattern with bronze, pink and brown colors. It's pigmented and comes off as champagne-y color as you can see on my hand. It is quite shimmery so if you're one of those people who don't like shimmer on their face, then this product may not be for you. I say give it a try at Ulta or Sephora before purchasing it. I tried it on my face (forgot to take a picture, but promise I will do a look using it!) and touched up on my forehead, nose and chin, you know where sun would hit naturally and it gave my face a healthy flush and looked very pretty Obviously you can adjust the amount that goes on your face so you don't look like a disco ball :)

Note: I got this for free since I used an award certificate. Current retail price is $28.00.

I think this could be a great everyday bronzer and perfect for summer. My everyday bronzer (Physician's Formula Solar Power SPF20 Bronzer, see it in picture above compared to Too Faced one) is matte and sometimes it's nice to have a little shimmer, I think I will alternate between them. This bronzer seriously reminds me of All That Glitters e/s by MAC and I will probably end up using it as an eyeshadow too (It'll be a good dupe for it, almost) I love products that can be used more than one way!

Have you guys used this bronzer? What do you think about it?