At the risk of sounding boring while I bang on about bronzers all summer as I meet and fall in love on a daily basis, I’ve decided that rather than cover MAF’s front page in articles about them, I’ll collate some of my favourites and put them all here for easy review!

I’ve already enthused about Clinique’s and Estee Lauder’s bronzers, both of which I’ve been using for a number of yeras, but the following have all passed by the MAF offices, one way or another, over the last few weeks.

Barbara Bort Summer Fever Tanning Earth.

An enormous palette, larger than the palm of my hand, this is not dissimilar to MAC’s mineralise skin finishes. It’s a feverish swirl of coppers, browns, coffees and chocolates with a light swirl of shimmer. Most definitely a product for use on face and body, and it doesn’t rub off on clothes!

Boots No7 Sculpting Bronzer

This years limited edition colour, you’d be forgiven for taking a glance and thinking it too pale to be a bronzer. Please stop and look again, it’s a sculpting bronzer – perfect for etching in some highs and lows to the natural contours of your face.

Urban Decay Baked Bronzer.

Please apply sparingly! Don’t do what I did on first outing of this… I splooshed it on, as I would any other bronzer, but whoops, far too dark! It wasn’t orange, but way too dark, I would have fitted right in with the kids outside my local corner shop. On the upside, with a lighter hand, this gives a gorgeous halo-like glow to your face, a warmth that you can only get after a day catching a few rays. Applied sparingly, its definitely a warming colour that I’d recommend. Just do what I didn’t do, and read the suggested ways of applying that Urban Decay carefully put on the back of the pan…

Lancome Tropiques Minerales

Have you checked this out yet? At first look, it looks like 5 toning shades of blush and bronze, but did you spot those golden dividing lines? Have a look at the picture again. Very clever Lancome! Sneaky way of getting the shimmer-shy to try it out, but I’m fairly certain they’d be converts.

NYC Mineral Bronzer.

Like the Urban Decay baked bronzer, you can tend to overdo the tan, and because its in the barrel-and-brush packaging, there doesn’t seem to be much you can do about this, but if you have a spare brush, dust off the excess until you’re used to how much it dispenses.

Ruby and Millie Cheek Glow

Creamy and dreamy, these are quite sheer bronzers that add more shimmer and shine than colour, but that’s perfect for paler ladies. Who wants an over bronzed face and a pale white body? And despite these being creamy, they last incredibly well, around 12 hours both in and out doors!

Barbara Bort Hypnotic Bronzer

Bronzing balls with modern technology! Bronzer, Highlighter and blush in triangular wedges. Pick out individual colours, or swoosh a brush through them all. Either way is gorgeous!

Smashbox Fusion Softlights

I can’t tell you how many years I’ve been using Smashbox Fusion softlights. 6, maybe 7 years? A bit like Barbara Bort’s above, they are highlighters, blushers and bronzers all in one, but their added bonus is the almost invisible hint of shimmer. Why is that a bonus you ask? Well it adds a 3D element to a face in photographs. Not flat blocks of cheek colour, but a face of depth and warmth that comes off the page.

Rituals Natural Bronzing Powder

As with all of Ritual’s products, this too has gemstones in it. Amethyst in this case. It adds a blurred edge to your face, in a good way of course! Sort of diffusing how your face appears, less angular, softer, yet with a fresh edge to it!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Bronzer.  The staple of every makeup artist’s kit, but something we’re all searching for to get the perfect colour.  I don’t use shimmery bronzers all that often, they can translate quite badly in pictures, leaving the model/client looking greasy and shiny, and just not that great!

I came across the Estee Bronze Goddess Bronzer quite a few years ago, when a bronzer I’d been using was discontinued and my quest for the perfect bronzer was on again.

What makes this one so perfect though, is that its a duo.  A Pale and a Darker shade, together in one very large compact, yes, it’s huge, around the size of your palm!

I love it for contouring and creating ‘fake’ shadow, for hollowing out cheek sockets, for adding depth where needed, and when I’m doing a very natural makeup, for swooshing over eyelids. 

For me, this has been a staple in my kit for such a long time, that it’s a no-brainer to just keep rebuying it over and over again, and I really hope that Estee keeps it as part of their core line and doesn’t discontinue it!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Clinique are famed for their classic suit-all colours.  Their easy manner, and gentle classic colours mean that I always send clients who are cosmetically challenged to the Clinique Counter!  You can’t go wrong there, with a great range of lip products, eye shadows and the most incredible range of foundations in every colour for every skintype, everyone can be catered for.

Having got my hands on one of their brand new Almost Bronzers, I was eager to try it.

I’m not a fan of shimmery bronzers, I like either totally matte, or a mere hint of shimmer, enough to lift the face, and this one is just perfect.  Matte but with 2 shades, and very light in colour, you can really really build up a natural look with this.  You can sculpt in cheekbones that are otherwise invisible, with a bit of time and concentration, you can change the shape of a nose/brow/jawline far more subtly than with more traditional contouring products.

And for anyone who just wants to lift a fading tan, or to add oopmh to a growing one, this will do the trick, and without the added shimmer, you can really dare to bare with it for the no-makeup makeup look…!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

In love with ‘Love Blush’ by Helen E Cosmetics

Helen E Cosmetics was founded by makeup artist Helen Elowe in 1999 and has been steadily growing since. 

I tried out the ‘Love Blush’ over a few days recently and have been really impressed with this product.  At £12.99 for 12g, it’s reasonably priced and you get a lot for your money.  Nicely packaged in a silver compact which feels expensive, the Love Blush is designed to “recreate the glow from that first flush of love”.  It’s a mid tone plummy pink which suits skin tones from the very pale to dark olive and has a satin finish which feels nice on the skin. 

The pan itself is quite large and there is a lot of product there.  Applied with a large blusher brush, it goes on like silk on the skin and feels lovely.   

Helen E cosmetics are available from www.Helen-e.com, some Debenhams department stores and from independent retailers.

Skin Smoother by Helen E

Helen E’s signature product is the skin smoother which was the first product Helen Elowe developed after becoming frustrated with the huge choice of cosmetics on the market and it’s designed as a ‘one colour suits all’ to cut out those expensive foundation mistakes.  It’s nicely packaged in a silver compact and feels creamy to the touch. 

I’ve always been a bit wary of one colour suits all products because although I’m by no means Caspar the Ghost pale, they always seem to make me look orange, so it was with some trepidation that I tried this out.  I was nicely surprised to find that it didn’t look orange at all and did really seem to blend in with my skin tone. 

The only thing I wasn’t too keen on is the coverage.  I think this would be more suited to those that like the feel of a tinted moisturiser on their skin or that like a light coverage.   

It’s a good product to have for those ‘no makeup’ days or when you want something on your skin but don’t want to have to go through the whole foundation routine.  You can apply this quickly with a sponge or your fingers and you’re good to go.  It’s also something handy to have at the office to reapply through the day.  It now comes in an oil free version too.

Rochelle O’Brien

www.rochelleobrien.com

I have mixed feelings about this product. I love the packaging but I do find the fact that it’s so chunky a bit of a problem – especially because I have thin lips and when I apply this it tends to go all over the lips and everywhere else and I’m constantly having to wipe around my mouth! 

However, I do love the texture and look of the balm. It has a subtle pink shimmer (Minty Fat Balm)that actually looks a bit like lip gloss and a nice minty flavour that feels quite refreshing. It does leave the lips feeling hydrated. 

I did have a bit of a problem trying to wind it up and the lip balm ended up cracking – I’m not sure if this is what usually happens or if I just happened to get a faulty one. 

Reading up online it says that you can actually apply this to your cheeks as a blush – I may give this a try as I love the shimmer pink colour!

Janine Swan

www.superdrug.com

This is going to be a difficult review to do.  Not because the product is bad, but because it does so many different things that I’m going to find it hard to remember to add it all in!

At first glance, the packaging is sleek and smart – shiny black with the red metallic signature ‘Lola’ logo on the front.

When you open it up, there are 2 face products in their own metal pans (not merged together like others!), that have been beautifully embossed with a Mandela style design.

However, this isn’t about how beautiful the product is to look at, it’s about how beautiful it can make you feel.

The principle is simple.  Blush your cheeks with one side, highlight with the other.  But its more than that.  Because these are a different type of face product.  They are both home to hidden inner glow particles.  You know, the ones that make you look like you’re radiating with inner beauty.  They are also so finely milled that your face almost takes on an airbrushed, soft-focus to it.  I did have to double check that it wasn’t my new bedroom lighting, and have taken this out and about with me on various jobs, and yes, it does have inbuilt soft-focus.

But it doesn’t stop there.  If you’re prone to getting a shine on later in the day, this does help to keep it at bay a little longer.  I would advise, with all makeup application, using primers appropriate for your skin, but if you’re a blush-and-go kind of girl, then this will keep oil spots away for a little longer.

And finally.  Does it last?  Definitely!  For me, in my particular makeup discipline, longevity is key, and on a personal level, its essential for my own face.  This is now a staple kit favourite, I’d recommend it for anyone really.  Anyone who wants to make sure their makeup lasts on their face, anyone who professionally needs to be able to guarantee that their makeup application will last, but also to the makeup artist who wants to create a ‘wow’ with their makeup technique.

Definitely one for everyone’s makeup bag.

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Its a good day when you can find a blusher in so many shades that looks great for a very reasonable price.

When I was given one of BeautyUK’s 5 colour blushers, I put it in my ‘to test’ pile and didn’t get around to it for a few months.  No reason other than time constraints and not getting a chance to send it to one of the other MAF testers.

I really wish that I’d started trialling this earlier because I absolutely love it.

Its one of the every-popular 5 bar blushers, where you can pick out individual shades for highlighting, contouring and blushing, or just swoosh a big old brush through the lot and blush-on that way.

Okay, so it doesn’t have the longest lifespan on the face, it’s not one for all-day wear, but it is great for an instant pop of colour that’s very blendable, and works very well for professional makeup shoots.

Give it a try, its only £2.99 at Superdrug, not going to break the bank, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how good this is!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Benefit Coralista

I’ve used this blusher for about 3 weeks now and I love it!! It looks very bright in the box but its suprisingly sheer. Its gives a lovely sheen to the cheeks and a pop of colour which I would imagine would suit all skin tones.

It is very similar to Nars orgasm but less glittery than this. For me I have to apply a few layers of Coralista as with the nars orgasm.

Hayley Mitchell

I don’t do face shimmer.  I don’t like how it looks, I don’t like that it makes you look shiny and greasy.  I can’t bear a false deer-in-the-headlights look.

I’d heard about Benefit’s ‘One Hot Minute’ a few times before I tried it, and kept reading that it was a healthy glow.  When I opened up the pot my heart sank, “great” I thought, “another shimmery face glow for 18 -21 year olds only”

I think I’ll have to eat my words.  It does look shimmery and shiny, but when you apply it, it doesn’t look how you’d expect it at all!  It just gives a healthy glow, that ‘I’ve been for a run on the beach, aren’t I healthy’ glow, the one we all want, but most of us never have.

What makes it great though is that the busy Mum or the woman who wants her extra 20 minutes in bed can also look great, a quick swoosh of this, some mascara and lipgloss and you’re good to go!

Yes, there is the potential to overload and look greasy, but as I’m the cautious type, a light dusting goes a long way, and just makes you look good.

Over the decollete you can load up more, in fact, you really ought to otherwise the risk of looking as though you’re having a hot flush is there.

I like how this is so versatile, it looks particularly stunning dusted onto the tops of shoulders, making them look bronzed with a healthy shine.

One Hot Minute?  Absolutely, ready in One Hot Minute!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Barry M, recognised for their bright, vibrant and fun colours are not letting us down with their brand new blushers.

What sets them apart from other ‘self-select’ makeup brands is that their products actually deliver results.  Okay, so there might be a little too much with the scent on their lipglosses, but you don’t get that with their blushers or other powder products.

What you do get is a smell, but it’s a lightly perfumed smell, not a chemical smell, which is actually rather nice.

The colour payoff though is great.  You can actually get too much colou, but the blend is very easy.  Buff it in and buff it away, and layer a little more.  They aren’t an all-day office product, these are very much fun and fashionable and very now.

The colours are so very bright, it might be a little off putting  – I’m not sure how well the bright orange will go down, I’ve yet to test that, but the 2 pinks and 2 reds with the terracotta are all wearable shades, just have a play.  For £4.50, you can’t go wrong!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com