Aaah summer, the sun and its beautiful golden light, palm trees, the beach… For some, it’s all year round (don’t hate me, please! Next month, it will be boiling hot and I won’t be able to stay outside for more than 2 minutes) and for others, it will take a little more effort to pretend that the sun is here everyday.
Let’s pretend it’s summer already with two products from the collection Urban Decay Summer 2016: the Beached Bronzer and the Afterglow Highlighter.
Clearly, the packaging of these two products was designed to be Instagram-friendly, especially the Beached Bronzer (actually, this one really looks like an Instagram picture itself). It’s so cute and summery!
I’m not a fan of contouring, you know it, but I love the bronzer + highlighter combo to compensate for the fact that I rarely go sunbathing (fun fact: here in Dubai, everyone has a vitamin D deficiency because nobody sunbaths voluntarily) ( well, except for the British, the tourists and the newly arrived expats, the unconscious, they don’t know! tongue ).
It’s better and safer with makeup IMO, plus it gives me an excuse to buy more makeup, as if I needed one…
Beached Bronzer Sun-Kissed, presentation:
What the brand says about it:
“There’s nothing sexier than bronzy, glowing skin—sans the sun damage, of course. When you get the look right, it’s SO right. But get it wrong, and you risk looking like you had a run-in with an Oompa-Loompa (not pretty). Nail the golden goddess look every time with Beached Bronzer.
Dust this silky powder on your face or all over your whole bod—and look like you spent a week hanging out on the sunny beaches of Fiji (rather than in a drab, windowless office).
Our finely milled, super-soft formula applies smoothly, doesn’t streak, and creates a radiant glow that won’t quit. Get Beached (not burned); these universally flattering matte shades provide sheer, natural-looking coverage every time.
If you swore off powder bronzers because they always felt dry and applied unevenly, you’ll be blown away by how different Beached Bronzer is.
Finely milling the powder gives it an ultra creamy texture that feels amazing on your skin, while HPP (Highlighter Performing Pigments) Technology provides rich color, long-lasting elements and the perfect level of coverage. And wait until you see how easy it is to use!
One glance at the artwork on our Beached Bronzer compact, and you’ll feel instantly transported to a tropical island. (Picture yourself on the sand gazing up at palm trees, and you’ll get the idea.) We even included a full-size mirror—perfect for applying on the go. “
Beached Bronzer is a matte bronzer which comes in 2 different shades: Sun-Kissed for lighter skin tones and Bronzed for darker skin tones.
The brand talks about a HPP technology (Highlighter Performing Pigments) that can give the skin a very luminous effect without containing any glitter or shimmer. I couldn’t find more information on this technology (apparently exclusive to the Urban Decay brand), but I guess that it’s something like soft-focus pigments which can diffuse the light. This kind of technology is becoming quite common in the makeup industry.
I chose the shade Sun-Kissed as the other seemed a bit too dark for my skin tone.
Beached Bronzer Sun-Kissed, my test and thoughts:
– Color range:
2 colors; it’s a bit short in my opinion… I’m not sure that the darker skin tones can really find something for themselves in this range.
To be honest, the first time I saw the shade Sun-Kissed, I was not sure at all that it would suit me. The color seemed oddly red, almost pink and I usually prefer the beige or honey kind of shades for my bronzers, so I was not convinced at all…
And then I tried it and I really loved the effect on my skin! Sun-Kissed warms the skin without being orange and with a very fresh effect. I really like it!
– Packaging:
This compact is super cute, isn’t it? Welcome to episode 32512654 of “I bought it just for its packaging”! smile
This is a round plastic compact, with palm trees on top and a rose gold metallic effect at the bottom. It contains a mirror which is super handy. As you probably have understood, I like it a lot!
– Texture:
Urban Decay describes a fine and creamy texture, and it’s true, it feels like a new generation powder texture, silky without being too powdery and very easy to apply with a brush.
– Application:
Some bronzers are hybrid products, they can be used both as a bronzer and a contouring product.
Here, it’s not the case: it’s a pure powder bronzer so I applied it on my face in halo with the 3 or E technique (starting at the hair roots, on the outside edges, and onto the temples past the middle of the cheeks, from outside to inside, then down to the jaw bone, and on the sides of the neck).
I use a big fluffy bronzer brush to really diffuse the product on the skin. You don’t really want to sculpt the cheeks here as you would for contouring, but more to warm up the face, like a sun-kissed effect.
My favorite bronzer brush: the Bronzer Brush by Bobbi Brown, and I also like the ZOEVA Luxe Grand Powder n°90 (a little less soft than the Bobbi Brown but it’s also half the price) .
– Pigmentation:
A perfect pigmentation for this type of product: enough to make a difference on the skin and to warm the complexion but not enough to make a blotchy mess impossible to blend on the skin (I’ve been there, done that). It really blends like a dream, it’s such a simple product to use!
– Finish:
It’s a matte luminous finish, not muddy at all.
– Lasting power:
It lasts pretty well on me, around 8 to 10h…
– Value for money:
For me, it’s a good value for money. It retails for $28.
Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter Sin, presentation:
What the brand says about it:
“Recovering from an especially late night? Overindulged in one too many margaritas? With Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter, nobody will ever know. Hide the aftermath of your bad decisions and give your skin a luminous, illuminated look with very little effort.
Afterglow isn’t your average highlighter; we took the time to finely mill the powder until it was just right.
The result: a lightweight (yet luxurious) feel and a super-soft, creamy texture. Afterglow Highlighter goes on sheer and blends easily. Use a little or a lot; our wearable formula always applies beautifully, no matter how much you build it (and never leaves just a powdery dusting of shimmer).
Available in a range of shades suitable for any skin tone, Afterglow creates a glowy, strobed effect that lasts all day (even if you’re crashing at your desk by 3pm). “
The Afterglow Highlighter is a very luminous powder highlighter, almost metallic but without being glittery (I hate glitters in highlighters). It’s available in 3 shades: Sin, Aura et Fireball.
I chose Sin because it’s the most neutral of the 3 and also the more wearable.
Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter Sin, my test and thoughts:
– Color range:
I bought it online. So before seeing it’s true color, I stupidly thought that its color was like the Sin eyeshadow, also by Urban Decay Sin. Sin eyeshadow is one of my favorite Urban Decay colors (probably one of my favorite eyeshadows ever). It’s a stunning light slightly pink Champagne super luminous, which I use very often as an inner corner highlighter.
The Afterglow Highlighter Sin for the face is much less pink and more golden. It’s indeed a very easy color to wear, and will look good on all skin tones, I think. I like it but I kinda regret the pink undertone which is in the eyeshadow, because at the moment, I’m obsessed with pink! (I don’t really know why, maybe because it’s springtime… smile )
The 2 other colors, Aura and Fireball are too colorful for me as highlighters. Aura is very pink with cool undertones, almost lilac and Fireball is a peachy, almost orange shade (it will look gorgeous on black skin, I’m sure though!).
– Packaging:
Nice but nothing exceptional. It’s a square compact in a metallic silver plastic with the logo of the brand on top, which is transparent. I like the fact that you can see the colour inside though, it’s smart! I think I liked the outside packaging more: it’s pink and metallic (this pink obsession is no joke, I told you :P ).
But I must admit that I also like its magnetic closure…
– Texture:
I expected something more creamy given the description made by the brand… Clearly, Urban Decay never tried Becca highlighters or even Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm, which are much more creamy in texture. This one is almost stiff in comparison.
However, the powder of Afterglow Highlighter is very finely milled and it’s not too powdery, which is a plus.
– Application:
It’s very easy to apply with a highlighter brush, like the M501 by Morphe for example. It’s very easy to blend as well and it’s quite buildable: very intense or more subtle depending on how many layers you apply.
– Pigmentation:
Pretty good although I find it less intense than some of the other highlighters I own (such as the Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit or those by Becca for example which are also creamier in texture). The Afterglow Highlighter is quite subtle but still very luminous.
– Finish:
Luminous and metallic without glitter, perfection!
– Lasting power:
The brand says it lasts 8h and on me, it actually lasts 8 to 10 hours if it’s not too humid outside. So it has a good lasting power indeed.
– Value for money:
For me, it’s a good value for money. It retails for $29.
Finally, here are the swatches:
I also wanted to compare with some other bronzers and highlighters in my collection because I thought it might be useful to see the difference between the shades of these products.
As you can see in the photos, the Beached Bronzer is slightly more “red” than the other bronzers in my collection. However, it doesn’t at all transfer orange on my skin, it’s really a very natural bronzer and it has this “fresh” effect I really like.
To be honest, the Afterglow Highlighter by Urban Decay and Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm are really close in color. But the texture and finish are different though: Mary-Lou Manizer is more intense and creamy than Sin.
So it all depends on the effect you want in a highlighter: if you’re looking for something subtle, Sin is perfect because it’s buildable and if you want a more intense effect, Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm is your best friend. wink
And on me:
As usual, you can barely see anything on my photos but I swear I’m wearing a bronzer! (if I don’t, I look sick, see my scary photo in my last post about the NARS tinted moisturizer) And also, I wear a very pink blush on these photos, I assure you it’s not my bronzer which gives me those super pinky cheeks! wink
The rest of my makeup (a lot of new products, I guess it means a lot of reviews to come wink ):
– on my eyes, the Theory palette by Viseart in Cashmere and the mascara Legendary Lashes by Charlotte Tilbury,
– on my cheeks: the Luminous Blush Camellia by Becca,
– on my lips: the Amuse Bouche Sorbet lipstick by Bite Beauty (I told you I would order more of them ;) )
So in summary:
These are two very good makeup products that are very easy to use on a daily basis. I have a slight preference for the bronzer because I really like the color (against all odds!). Although I like it too, I find the highlighter has a less unique shade and you can easily find some dupes in other brands.
The Beached Bronzer is available on the Urban Decay website and also in Sephora. The price is $28.
The Afterglow Powder Highlighter 8-Hour retails for $28 also, and is available on urbandecay.com and sephora.com.
And you, have you tried these two products from the Urban Decay Summer 2016 collection ? Do you like them?
Photo credit: bonnie-garner.com