So far she's done ok but when one lives is a society that still somehow glorifies tanning, it can be hard to resist peer pressure. I know I've lived through it. When I was 15, all my friends where tanned by May. During our lunch breaks we would meet in the park next to our school and sit in the sun. After a while, I started to sit in the shade. The sun made me sick! Too hot, it made me feel woozy.
In order to make her feel more like her friends I bought her a bronzer. Originally I thought or getting her Rimmel Natural Bronzer since it's one I really liked using but the packaging is so horrible I figured she deserved better since this was going to be her first item of makeup. She'll be 14 next month and hasn't started to wear any yet. Last week I offered to buy her a mascara but she wasn't interested. She's clearly not a girly girl.
I set my choice on Clarins Bronzing Duo Mineral Powder Compact in 01, the palest shade. Now this states SPF 15 but please do not rely solely on this for UV protection. Do use a proper SPF moisturizer or sunscreen, especially is you plan to spend a lot of time outdoor.
First the compact looks very good and it comes with a nice velvet pouch to protect it. Clarins usually opts for a gold finish but for the bronzer it's a nice dark chocolate color, like the pouch. The way the powder is presented and pressed, beautiful, with the Clarins name embossed on it.
Two shades, a light matte and a darker one with light gold shimmer. Depending on the brush one uses the effects can vary. The lighter shade can be used all over with the darker for accents or you can simply mix the two all over. For a first bronzer it's quite simply perfect!
The quality, excellent! Swatching it with my fingers it almost felt buttery. Using a soft powder brush there's practically no fall out so no loss of powder. For my daughter's complexion, again, perfect! As you can see on the pictures, no orange!
To go along with the Bronzer I purchased the Ecotools Large Powder brush. Again, for her, perfect. It's soft, picks up the right amount of powder and it's easy for her to use. Since the bronzer goes for $39.00, I didn't want to spend too much for a brush. This powder brush, which by the way is surprisingly nice, is around $10.00 and Ecotools are sold in most major drugstores.
How does she use it?
In the morning after applying her SPF moisturizer she uses the brush for a quick light dusting of loose powder. She uses Laura Mercier the one I recently purchased. I've discovered that on her the white cast is not as pronounced. She is lighter than me. She applies some all over to take care of the shine left on by the moisturizer and then proceeds with the bronzer. She goes all over with a bit for the neck and then goes again for the cheek area and temples. The effect is quite natural and when she comes back from school it's still on. We don't know yet how it will perform on hot days but so far so good. Maybe by then she won't bother with it much.
Would I recommend Clarins Bronzing Duo Mineral Powder Compact? Yes!
Beautiful presentation, beautiful product, the quality is excellent! Even at that price, the powder is so compact that you clearly get your money's worth. Plus the fact that it comes with a little protective pouch means that it will look good for as long as you have it.
Clarins Bronzing Duo Mineral Powder Compact sells for $39.00
and is available at The Bay as well as most major drugstores.
What was my daughter's reaction when I gave her these? "Oh thanks mom!"
Spoiled I tell you, just spoiled!
That's fine, she's a good kid and she deserves it. :)
