I like how I start doing bronzer reviews AFTER summer ends. But then again, maybe it makes sense since everyone will start getting a lot paler. I don't self-tan. Or rather, I don't self-tan my face. There's this L'Oreal self-tanning lotion and Oh. My. God. It has this VERY noticeable multicolored shimmer to it and I look like a Twilight vampire that rolled around in Cheetos. After that tanning fail, I just don't use self-tanners. I get pretty bloody pale in winter, but I tan quite a lot if I'm actually in sun. I used to be obsessed w/ tanning. I'd go to the beach just to lay around. But lately I've been pretty ambivalent about tanning - if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, well...I don't look like I was slaving in a rice paddy all day, ya know?This particular bronzer is anywhere from 3-5 dollars at any drugstore in which Rimmel is sold. If you live near a Meijer, it's currently 30% off until Saturday! If you don't, check your Halloween makeup displays at whichever grocery/super store is nearest to you - Rimmel has a Halloween makeup display, w/ mascara (do not get the mascara; if it's the same as the one near me, it's the Glam'Eyes Day2Night mascara and that stuff is not good), liner, two different (permanent) eyeshadow quads, and a couple of nail polishes...but also a dollar off coupon. Hopefully this isn't some kind of Michigan only thing!
This bronzer comes in three different shades. I opted not to get the third one because it looked very light and shimmery. I usually don't use bronzers w/ a lot of shimmer because I typically just contour my face. I own quite a lot of bronzers because I wear bronzer almost every single day and I have a cheek product obsession. That being said, I do own a lot of shimmery bronzers but I don't get as much use out of them. As far as the Rimmel bronzers are concerned, one is VERY shimmery and the other is matte on the face but does have a bit of shimmer in the actual product. I really like the matte looking one; it's not my absolute favorite (that goes to the Milani bronzer) but I do really like it.
According to Rimmel:
Natural bronzer with minerals. Gives face a sunkissed glow. Dermatologically tested. Natural looking bronzing powder for a healthy tanned look all year long. Get a warm glow all over. This light, natural looking bronzing powder gives you the perfect sunless tan you want... any time of the year. Hello Sunshine!"
These bronzers have pretty good pigmentation. Two out of the three have a pretty high level of sparkle to them. I have "022 Sun Bronze" and "027 Sun Dance". The first one is a bit darker and appears matte on the face, even though it appears to have a very fine shimmer to it. I have a medium level of coloring and this bronzer shows up but doesn't look garish or orange. I typically use it to contour. The second one is a bit lighter and has a sparkle to it. It also looks a bit more golden than the other one. The shimmer doesn't look CRAZY on the face and it does a good job of warming up my complexion. I use "027 Sun Dance" over my whole face when I use it.
These blend nicely and the powder goes on smoothly. I actually like these bronzers better than my N.Y.C. "Sunny" bronzer, which I used to love, because the pigmentation is much better and they blend easier. They have a slight perfume-y smell, but it's not like anyone is going to sit around and stick their nose in this stuff, so it's not an issue. These probably won't be that great if you have darker skin tones, but fair to medium should be fine. I only have one major irritation and that is w/ the packaging.
It doesn't snap closed or anything. There is a "locking mechanism" on the compact but it's very ineffective, to be honest. I haven't had any major problems and that little plastic thing does an okay job but I'd be wary of carrying this around in a purse because it's pretty easy for the lid to just fall off. I would prefer if it was in an actual compact, like the Sunshimmer bronzers have. Also it doesn't come w/ a mirror. This isn't a super huge deal...it's just nice.
"022 Sun Bronze" on the left, "027 Sun Dance" on the right.
"022 Sun Bronze" on the left, "027 Sun Dance" on the right.
"022 Sun Bronze"
"027 Sun Dance"
"022 Sun Bronze" on the left, "027 Sun Dance" on the right.
And, finally, some totally ineffective photos of my face, wearing both of these bronzers, haha. But what you can tell is that it doesn't look crazy on me, nor does it look orange. And that I need to remember to take my photos during the day, so I can stop using flash and ending up completely washed out.
I definitely think these are worth checking out. They aren't going to be for those w/ darker skin (Rimmel doesn't have a good color selection in the way of deep tones in general, sadly.) but they are readily available (I've seen these in Meijer, Walmart, Target, CVS, Rite-Aid, Ulta, and Walgreens, to name a few) and they are pretty inexpensive. I think Meijer normally sells them for around $3.79 or so, but I had dollar off coupons and Rimmel often goes on sale.
