Guess whose back… Can you believe I am back again and actually keeping this series alive? I think this is post 3 or 4… I am scared to go look incase it is only post 2 and I was excited over nothing. But today I am back with my favourite Bronzer & Contours – a VERY exciting genre if I do say so myself. I would definitely choose it as one of my favourite make-up categories, right behind highlighter and blusher.
N.Y.C Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer Powder – R35
Starting off with my top pick of all time and it is not available here. Oh my heavens. P E R F E C T I O N.
And you did not read the price incorrectly. The N.Y.C Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer Powder costs $2.43. It is absolutely ridiculously priced. I received it in an international box swaps years ago and I have since ordered it TWICE, only for screw ups to occur. Once I ordered from Amazon and was advised two months later that it is out of stock. And on the second ocassion I had it shipped to Las Vegas where my sister’s boyfriend was visting and it was delivered to the incorrect hotel (THEIR fault, not mine) and he was home safely on SA soil by the time they corrected the error. Trust me, I almost offered to pay for him to change his flight – over a less-than-forty-rand product!
I won’t go too much into detail as you can imagine how perfect it is. Perfect consistency, perfect blending, amazing shade for my skin, etc etc.
Face Contour Palette in 01 from The Body Shop – R275
I cannot seem to find this quad online any-more, but I am 99% sure I saw it on shelf in The Body Shop just the other day. So I am including it here! This Face Palette looks absolutely despicable these days; I have hit pan on two shades and almost hit pan on a third. The contour (bottom left) and bronzer (top left) are the most gorgeous soft and subtle shades for adding dimension to your face. I have very fair skin and I also find the shades to work nicely to build-up with too, meaning you can achieve both a soft or a more defined make-up look with this one palette.
The palette comes with a fairly large and good quality mirror, too. Always a bonus.
Honey Bronzing Powder from The Body Shop – R250
Ahh – the Honey Bronzer from The Body Shop! I coveted this gorgeous thing for ages before finally purchasing it. It was always an OG YouTube recommendation – for years! – and I fell in love with it from the first use. I have now been using it for going on two years and it is still a staple favourite.
The Honey Bronzer is available in 5 shades at the moment and I love that it is an entirely matte finish. The longevity, like the above TBS palette, is of a great quality. The payoff is nice and subtle while still being a fabulously build-able formula. It also comes housed in a great quality compact with a great quality mirror. It is definitely a product that I would not mind chucking into a makeup bag, thanks to it’s hardy outer body.
If I had to recommend just one bronzer on this list, it may just be this one…
Highlight & Contour Wonderstick from NYX – R230
This was actually a product I forgot about and had to come back and edit it into the post. It completely slipped my mind until Simone mentioned she was featuring a NYX product and I was reminded of this Highlight And Contour Wonderstick. This is the only cream contour I have ever used and it sits right up there with the best of the best contour products. SO creamy. SO blendable. Just all around amazing. I did write up a previous post here if you want to take a peek at that.
Aaaand then as usual, some honourable mentions are in order… The NYX Matte Bronzer (R180) is a great option. I unfortunately haven’t posted a full review before, so let me know if you would like to see that. And the Insta-Sculpt quad from Revlon is also a fab fab fab choice. Review on that one here. And lastly, the Face of Australia bronzer is another favourite. It was actually included on the main list but as it is another one unavailable in SA, I decided to replace it with the NYX Wonderstick.
As always, be sure to check out my lovely partner in crime, Simone’s matching blog post. She included mostly higher end products (a woman after my own heart!) and she even included a fave of mine; the Benfit Hoola bronzer. Okay, it is a favourite but it did not even make this list. I TOLD you guys I would struggle with this category! I have also been dying to try bronzer from Clarins – so Simone maaaay have just sold me on this one!
As always, let me know in the comment section if you spot any favourites on this list? Have you been enjoying this new series so far?
Rayne XX
I’ve always wanted to try a cream contour stick, so this NYX one may be the one!! Also that honey bronzer….wow is that pretty to look at!! That’s reason enough to buy it right??? lol