Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer

My mind may be fully engaged with fall scents and makeup lines however my makeup routine is still firmly entrenched in summer.  At the beginning of this summer, I was reorganizing my traincase and randomly found this Clinique bronzer that I had never opened.  I must have gotten it for free with a Clinique gift over the years since I didn't reocgnize the packaging of the palette that it was housed in.  My Lancaster bronzer was getting low so I decided that I should try this one out for the summer and see how it performed.  I have worked with many Clinique powder formulations over the years and have been happy with them so I had high hopes that this bronzer would perform as well the foundations and powders did.

"Lightweight powder bronzer creates a natural-looking, sun-kissed radiance.  Blends, builds easily to your desired level of bronze.  Perfect for on-the-go glow.  Long-wearing.  Oil-free."  This bronzer has more of a matte finish than a shimmer, which I much prefer when using a bronzer.  I hate to use the heavy shimmer powders for everyday use so I am so happy with the slew of matte finish bronzers that have been hitting hte market over the past two or three years. 

I use this like any other powder bronzer; sweep a bit on a big fluffy brush and then use it to highlight the areas of my fave that are naturally touched by the sun.  This formula is one of the lighter ones that I have used and is very easy to apply and blend.  This product goes on very sheer and has to built up in two or more layers to really get the "bronzed" look.  For myself, this is fine since I have fair skin and only self-tanner to get myself a few shades deeper than normal.  A dark bronze wouldn't work for me and therefore if you have medium to deeper skin and really want a deeper tan, this product won't be enough for you.  However, for fair to light-medium skin, this product is very natural looking and enhances the little bit of color that I get with self-tanner.  This bronzer is very soft and has a buttery texture, I love the feel of this product.

This product currently is available in three shades, all of which are best for fair to medium skintones.

- Sunswept - warm bronze with flecks of gold pearl
- Sunblushed - reddened bronze
- Sunkissed - pink bronze

I am using the Sunkissed shade since my skin already has so much pink in it.  It looks much more natural for me to use a bronzer with a pink tone in than to use one that is considered a neutral shade.  After I completely finish my Lancaster bronzer, I will look for more bronzers with pink undertones.  The Sunkissed shade has no pearl to the finish so it looks very natural, Sunblushed is exactly the same.  Sunswept has the pearl in it so I would be more likely to keep a shade like this for the evening.

I will continue using this bronzer until Labor Day and then I will start going into my fall makeup routine.  I am very happy with this bronzer though I really only recommend it for ladies with fair to light-medium skin.  It isn't a deep enough shade to really show up one someone with a deeper skintone.  

photo courtesy of Clinique