Product Review: L’Oreal Glam Bronze Duo Sun Powder

Name: Glam Bronze Duo Sun Powder
Brand: L’Oreal
Size: 9g
Price: €15.00

From L’Oreal’s website:
Blonde, brunette, fair or dark skin: our first bronzing powder to help you achieve a natural-looking tan to suit your natural colouring. Use the lighter shade to highlight the temples and bridge of the nose and the darker shade to apply shadow underneath the cheekbones for a contoured-looking effect.

What I liked:
– natural tan finish
– blends easily
– finely milled
– sheer color payoff
– nice pattern

What I didn’t like:
– too shimmery to contour
– too subtle to highlight
– doesn’t last all day
– the price

Truth be told, I have no idea why I bought L’Oreal Glam Bronze Duo Sun Powder. Maybe because it was summer and I looked like a corpse next to all the very tanned people around me (not that I want to look like an orange like them), maybe because the lightening in the shop made the powder look like it could work well for me or maybe it was just the pretty sun design that got me.

Whatever it was, now I’m stuck with it and the powder has been laying in my drawer for months cos I’m not really sure what to do with it. L’Oreal Glam Bronze Duo Sun Powder is a bronzing powder available in two versions: one for blondes and one for brunettes. I’m not a blonde, but that’s the one I got cos the colors of that duo are paler and so suit me better.

(from left to right: highlighter, bronzer, shades used together)

The duo features a light beige shade to highlight and a light brown shade, which is the bronzer. Both of the shades are slightly shimmer and have a sheer color payoff. The powder is soft to touch, finely-milled and blends easily onto the skin. On the top, there’s the pattern of a sun that looks very pretty but also fades with use.

L’Oreal says the shades can be used together or separately, but they don’t work well on me when used alone. The pale beige shade provides a very subtle glow. So subtle, in fact, that you can barely notice it. If you like your highlighter to provide a very natural effect then this is great, but on me, it looks like I haven’t applied anything at all and I don’t really like that.

As for the bronzer shade, I was hoping to use that to contour, but I find it is too shimmery for that. Just like in the highlighter shade, the shimmers are very subtle so for emergencies it could work, but I just prefer to use a completely matte shade to contour. I think it looks much better that way.

The powder works much better when the two shades are used together. Then, the powder will slightly darken your skin, giving you a subtle and natural-looking tan with a subtle glow. It didn’t make me look orange or some ugly muddy color like most bronzers do and if I were into the bronzed look, then this duo would suit my pale skin beautifully. As it is, I love my fair complexion too much to darken it, so I have no use for this powder. I really should stop buying makeup on impulse!

The staying powder is ok. It doesn’t last all day on me, but I’ve had to do a touch-up only once towards the middle of the day. The packaging instead could use some work. It doesn’t look too bad, but it’s not great either. Under the powder, there’s another layer where a small mirror and a brush are housed. As usual, the brush is totally useless. The bristles are so hard that, if I used it, they would scratch my skin. Ouch!

Summary
Overall, L’Oreal Glam Bronze Duo Sun Powder is just average. The powder is finely milled and easy to blend and, when the shades are used together, they provide a natural-looking tan with a really subtle glow that lasts for hours. Used alone, however, they’re useless.

Rating: 3/5

Disclaimer: the item was purchased by me for both personal and review purposes. The review is based on my own personal and honest experience with the product. For more information, please see my disclaimer.

Looks: Soft Icy Winter

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all having a very nice Wednesday. Today I wanted to show you a look I did a couple of weeks ago (I’ve only just got round to cropping the pix, I’m so lazy, I know!) with colors that reminded me of the winter season.

The look turned out to be slightly colorful and soft. I’m not sure what I think about it. I don’t love it but I don’t hate it either. I think it’s time to start using my beloved bright shades again but in the meantime, here’s the look:

Products used:
– Urban Decay Primer Potion
– Pupa Beauty Bijou Palette (pale pink, dark lilac)
– Barry M Dazzle Dust #15 Aqua
– Sleek Original palette (bright purple + dark blue)
– Clarins Crayon Yeux in Silver Flash
– L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara
– Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

Directions:
– Apply UDPP all over lid as a base.
– Sweep a pale pink shade (I used the one in Pupa Beauty Bijou palette) on the browbone to highlight.
– Apply a dark lilac shade (I used the one in Pupa Beauty Bijou palette) on the inner lid and inner crease of the eye. With MAC 219 pencil brush, I applied some on the inner lower lashline too.
– Apply a aqua shade (I used Barry M Dazzle Dust #15 in Aqua) on the outer lid and crease and blend where it meets with the lilac. With MAC 219 pencil brush, I applied some on the outer lowerlashline too. Blend again where it meets with the lilac.
– Apply a bright purple shade (I used the one in the Sleek Original palette) on the crease just right above the aqua shade and blend well.
– Darken the outer corner with a dark blue shade (I used the one in the Sleek Original palette). Apply some on the very outer corner of the lower lashline too and blend.
– Apply a silver pencil eyeliner (I used Clarins Crayon Yeux in Silver Flesh) on the upper lid.
– Finish off with mascara.

Looks: Smokey Eyes with a Hint of Purple + swaps

Hi everyone!

TGIF! We’ve made it to the end of another week. Have you got any plans for the weekend? I’m not sure what I’m gonna do yet but I’ll try and catch up on some deserved sleep. Sad, isn’t it?

Anyway, here’s a look I did a few days ago. Yes, it’s another smokey eyes look. This time I wanted a dark look with a hint of color so I’ve used some purple on the crease and I’m quite pleased with how the look turned out. Here’s the pix:

Products used:
– Urban Decay Primer Potion
– Sleek Curious eyeshadow palette (white and black)
– Kiko eyeshadow in Vinaccia Scuro (purple)
– Fior di Magnolia Light Blue Set eyeshadow quad (dark grey)
– Pupa black pencil liner
– L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara
– Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara

Directions:
– Apply UDPP all over lid as base.
– Sweep a white shade (I used the one in the Sleek Curious palette) on the browbone to highlight.
– Using a crease brush (I used Smashbox Crease Brush #10), apply a purple shade (I used Kiko eyeshadow in Vinaccia Scuro) on the crease and blend out any harsh lines. Using MAC 219 pencil brush, apply some on the inner lower lashline too.
– Appy a dark grey shade (I used the one in Fior di Magnolia Light Blue Set eyeshadow quad) on the lid. With MAC 219 brush, apply some on the outer lower lashline too and blend where it meets with the purple.
– Apply a black shade (I used the one in Sleek eyeshadow) on the outer V.
– Apply the white shade you previously used on the tear duct. This will open up the eyes a bit.
– Apply a very thin line of pencil liner on the lid. Line your waterline too.
– Finish off with mascara.

On another note, I wanted to show you what I got in the mail recently. Don’t you just love receiving packages from friends filled with beauty goodies? The first one is a package from the lovely Dao of My Makeup Blog. We decided to do a swap and I finally got her parcel at the end of last year (I know this is long overdue, but better late than never right?). Here’s what she sent me:

I’ve received a E.L.F. Candy Shop Lipgloss, L’Oreal Hip Metallic Shadow Duo, Loew-Cornell 7450 Chisel Blender brush (I’ve wanted a good eyeliner brush for ages and this works so well!), two Milani eyeshadows and blush, two NYC Metro Quartet Quads and a Pencil & Pout, Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips (this is perfect to do a smokey eye!) and the Studio Tools Dual-Finish Brush. She was very generous and I’m in love with everything she sent me. Thanks a lot hun!

At the beginning of the year I’ve received a parcel from another one of my sweet blogging friends, Hanna. It’s the second swap we did and this time I got the Beautilicious brush Set (aren’t the pink brushes super pretty? And they are so soft too!), the Maybelline Volum Express Cat Eyes Mascara and Nivea Velvet Rose lip balm. Thanks a lot Hanna and I hope you’ll package will arrive soon!

Looks: Gold + Green

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you had fun celebrating the New Year last night. What did you get up to?

I thought I’d start the year by posting a simple look I did a couple of days ago using yellow, gold and green. I know the eyeliner looks weird in the first pix but that’s because the photo was taken at a weird angle. It looked fine in real life!

But overall, I like how the look came out. The colors complement one another very well and it was nice to go back to wearing bright makeup after all the smokey and neutral looks I did recently. Here’s the pix:

Products used:
– Urban Decay Primer Potion
– Sleek Curious palette (yellow and green)
– Bottega Verde My Box Palette (gold)
– Sleek Original palette (copper and light pink)
– Prestige Eyeliner pencil in Kiwi
– Pupa pencil liner
– L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara

Directions:
– Apply UDPP all over lid as a base.
– Sweep a yellow shade (I used the one in Sleek Curious palette) on the inner part of the lid. Using MAC 219 pencil brush, apply some on the inner lower lashline too.
– Apply a gold shade (I used the one in Bottega Verde My Box palette) on the outer lid and crease. Blend.
– Apply a copper shade (I used the one in Sleek Original palette) on the outer corner and blend well.
– Sweep a nude pink shade (I used the one in Sleek Original palette) on the browbone to highlight.
– Using MAC 219 pencil brush, sweep a green shade (I used the darker one in the Sleek Curious palette) on the outer lower lashline and blend where it meets the yellow shade you previously applied.
– Line your upper lid with a black pencil liner (I used Pupa’s) and your waterline with a green eyeliner (I used Prestige Eyeliner pencil in Kiwi).
– Finish off with mascara.

Looks: Autumn Eyes

Happy holidays everybody!

I hope you all have a wonderful time with your loved ones and, to those, who celebrate it, have a very Merry Christmas!

Today, I just wanna share a quick look with you all. The weather here is freezing, so I’m laying in the warmth of my bed for as long as possible in the mornings which means not much time to get ready or to think about colorful or creative color combos. Boo.

So, I’ve been wearing simple, quick and kinda natural looks lately and although I like them, I can’t wait to get back to my usual brighter looks. But without further ado, here’s a look I did last week, hope you like it.

Products used:
– Urban Decay Primer Potion
– Sleek Original palette (copper and pale yellow)
– Sleek Chaos palette (matte orange)
– Get in line palette (pale beige, dark brown and black)
– Sleek Curious palette (white)
– Pupa black pencil eyeliner
– L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara
– Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

Directions:
– Apply UDPP all over lid as a base.
– Sweep a copper shade (I used the one in Sleek Original palette) on the lid and bring it up slightly on the crease.
– With a crease brush (I used Smashbox Crease Brush #10) apply a matte orange shade (I used the one in Sleek Chaos palette) on the crease.
– Apply a dark brown shade (I used the one in the Get in Line palette) on the outer crease to darken it and blend to soften any harsh lines.
– Apply just a tiny amount of black eyeshadow (I used the one in the Get in Line palette) on the very outer crease to darken it even more and blend well.
– Sweep a white shade (I used the one in Sleek Curious palette) on the browbone to highlight.
– Apply a pale beige shade (I used the one in the Get in Line palette) on the inner corner of the eye.
– With MAC 219 pencil brush, sweep a pale yellow shade (I used the one in Sleek Original palette) on the lower lashline and tearduct.
– Line your upper lid with a black pencil eyeliner.
– Finish off with mascara.