Review: [Too Faced] Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

This is the first product from Too Faced that I bought and I had to question myself why it took me that long to discover this brand. Too Faced doesn't only have cute packaging but is also quite popular for the quality of their makeup. I've heard so much about this Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer and finally had the chance to get it.

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Too Faced Bronzers with cocoa powder have 3 version: Milk Chocolate, Chocolate, and Dark Chocolate. This Milk Chocolate version is said to be for light and medium skin tone, but I have to disagree because it might be too light to show up on medium skin tone. I think it is perfect for fair skin and looks very natural on light skin. I also saw people with light skin tone getting the Chocolate version for a more dramatic contour.

All 3 versions of the cocoa bronzers are packaged in a sturdy plastic compact painted in gold which looks very feminine and beautiful!

This particular Milk Chocolate shade is not absolutely cool-toned but not too warm either so I like to use it to contour around my face and the two sides of my nose. It is not orange at all!

It smells like chocolate because of the cocoa powder so depending on your preference, you might or might not like the scent. To me, it smells so yummy that I can't stop myself from sniffing the powder every single time I use it and the sight might look a little weird (imagining the sight of someone sniffing the makeup while applying it, lol).

The powder is incredibly fine and soft. It absolutely gives a very smooth matte finish and blends on skin pretty easily too. I honestly have nothing to say against this bronzer; it is perfect from the packaging to the product! A solid 5-star rating!

Review: [theBalm] Betty-Lou Manizer and Cindy-Lou Manizer

After falling in love with Mary-Lou Manizer which is also my HG (holy grail or absolute favorite) highlighter, I decided to pick up her sisters Betty-Lou Manizer and Cindy-Lou Manizer during theBalm's 50% off flash sale.

Betty-Lou Manizer - The Bronzing Bandit (Wanted)

Betty-Lou Manizer is a "wanted bronzing bandit" who was "last seen with a handsome stranger". Get her and you will get "a gorgeous glow" as the reward. 

Rating kisses (out of 5): 

Betty-Lou Manizer is a gold shimmery bronzer/ highlighter/ eyeshadow. In the review of Mary-Lou Manizer, I said I didn't think I would need this bronzer because I didn't like shimmery bronzer. That is because I thought bronzing and contouring were the same; well, they're not! Recently I've learned that contouring means creating shadows while bronzing is creating sun-kissed color on face, so now I think this girl is great to create a bronzy glow on my summer makeup. Note that because Betty-Lou doesn't have cool tone and is shimmery, she is not a contouring product.

Cindy-Lou Manizer - The Con-tour Artist (Escaped)

Cindy-Lou Manizer is an "escaped con(-tour) artist" who is "convicted of stealing glances". It is warned that she is "extremely bright and a master of disguise".

Rating kisses: 

Cindy-Lou is Mary-Lou and Betty-Lou's little sister since she was introduced last. I don't think she is a must-have but whenever I feel that blushes might be too much for my bold lips, Cindy is very useful for creating a little pinkish glow on my cheeks.


The sisters together:

Even if you're not too crazy about highlighters and only want one, I'd still recommend getting all three sisters since on one hand, they are all multi-purpose products: all three can be highlighters and eyeshadows; on the other hand, they're so different from each other: Betty-Lou and Cindy-Lou are beautiful shimmery blushes, and Betty-Lou is a gorgeous bronzer.

Swatches

Review: [theBalm] Instain Long-Wearing Powder Blushes + Mary-Lou Manizer + Bahama Mama

So today I will review some famous products from theBalm. I've finally completed my theBalm Instain Long-Wearing Powder Blush Collection by adding the last 3 shades - Lace, Swiss Dot and Pinstripe - into the previous shades that I already have (Review: Argyle, Toile and Houndstooth). I also got their highlighter Mary-Lou Manizer and bronzer Bahama Mama. I got these theBalm makeup when HauteLook had a 50% off event on theBalm products and if you've ordered from HouteLook before, you would know I had to wait > 1 month for my order to arrive. However, they are absolutely worth the wait!!!

1. Instain Long-Wearing Powder Blushes

I love all 6 shades, all of them! I like to use Argyle + Lace for Spring, Toile + Swiss Dot for Summer, and Houndstooth + Pinstripe for Fall/Winter. This is just my preference so if you want, you can follow their suggestions. On the outside, the blushes only have either Spring or Fall, so I assume they meant Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. According to this suggestion, Argyle + Houndstooth + Lace are for Spring/Summer and Toile + Swissdot + Pinstripe are for Fall/Winter.

Left to Right: Argyle, Lace, Toile, Swiss Dot, Houndstooth, Pinstripe, Bahama Mama, Mary-Lou Manizer

Rating (out of 5): 

The packaging is just as adorable as usual with the magazine look and the inside patterns as named. Like the other 3, these shades also have a staining effect and are pigmented so you might want to apply with a light hand. These blushes are not the softest powder I've ever used but they are definitely not grainy or chalky. I just wish Swiss Dot was more orange; honestly, I was looking for a true-orange blush, but this shade is still a very beautiful peach. Lace is a bright pink and also the most pigmented one (at least on my skin). Pinstripe is more wearable than I thought - a toned-down purplish pink, pretty!

2. Mary-Lou Manizer and Bahama Mama

If you don't know, theBalm has 3 products in their Manizer collection: Mary-Lou is a champagne highlighter, Betty-Lou is a shimmery bronzer and Cindy-Lou is a shimmery blush. These products are also advertised to be used as eyeshadows because they're pigmented, super soft and the powder is finely milled. My second guess for the Betty-Lou is to be used as a highlighter on darker skin tone because it has a very beautiful golden shimmery shade. I'm not interested in Betty-Lou and Cindy-Lou because I prefer matte blushes and believe contouring powder should be matte. That is the reason I got Bahama Mama which is a very popular bronzer from the brand.

Rating (out of 5): 

The packaging is just plastic so it's light but it's so pretty and I appreciate whoever gave the idea for the Manizers' packaging. They're girls who are charged for some crimes they committed. Mary-Lou is charged for being "too pretty, too popular" and the back of the box even has her fingerprints on it, lol.
This is the smoothest powder highlighter that feels like butter! So, so soft and pigmented! The shimmer is not chalky but so smooth that it blends beautifully on skin, giving skin such a natural glow. I went shopping for 9 hours and was walking around the mall a lot, when I got home it was still there on top of my cheeks! I know it's the best highlighter I've seen.

Rating (out of 5): 

It has the same cute cardboard packaging as the Instain blushes that reminds me of a vacation full of sunshine in a hot Summer. This bronzer is pigmented yet not to the extend that you're afraid there's no way you can control the intensity. That being said, the product is build-able so you can use with a light hand and build up the intensity. Like most of theBalm's powder products (except for the Manizers), the powder is not the softest but it blends very well and my brush can pick up the product easily. What I like the most about it is the shade doesn't make my skin look orange like most of other bronzers. Contouring is creating shadow and shadow should be a little grey, not orange, right? Absolutely my go-to for the time being!