Review | Bourjois Bronzing Primer

Even though summer is technically over in a week or so, I can't help but want to stay tan year round. I think the LA weather is spoiling me. No, literally. I feel like a plate of food sitting out in the hot sun. The weather here is insane! I think someone needs to invent a portable AC unit that hooks up to your brain a la Matrix.

I'm constantly on the lookout for both bronzers and contour shades, and I'm happy to say that the Bourjois Bronzing Primer is an excellent multipurpose product. It was on sale on Asos.com for 11.00 US dineros, and I'm guessing it would be hard to find in an American drugstore. According to many UK bloggers it's also on short supply in their high street shops.

The product itself is a mousse like foam that looks like chocolate or dog poop, depending on your spiritual interpretation. It didn't smell like chocolate as others have suggested. I was hesitant to try because I could not get over the cloyingly sweet scent of Too Faced's Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer. The Bourjois primer doesn't smell too strongly at all, but it is sweet. It comes in a little pot that was bigger than I thought. Some may say that this is unhygienic, but unless you've been dipping your fingers into mud prior to makeup application, it shouldn't be an issue. Plus, the pot is big enough to only last a month or two and you won't be letting bacteria fester for ever.

I have some suggestions on usage:

1. Use it as a primer, as the name suggests. If my skin is a little too light for a foundation around NC35, I use it to warm up my complexion without looking orange. I like using my fingers to apply it all over.


2. Use it to bronze! I apply the product with a stippling brush to high points of my face. You have to be sure not to blend too well with this product, as it is very natural and tends to fade out easily if you use too heavy of a hand.


3. Use it as a contour. Because it is a little warm but not orange, it also works as a contour shade. I use a flat foundation brush to lightly contour my nose and cheeks. Because it is a cream product, the results are much more natural looking than a powder!

Overall, it's a very interesting product that's a great dupe alternative to Chanel's Bronze Universal, or as I see it, tub o' pumpkin pie. This little pot of sun doesn't streak or slide on the face and costs much less than some bronzers currently on the market. The only problem is, you may have to resort to Ebay to find it.

So, will you be rocking the bronzer year round or putting it away for high pigmentation blush instead? I don't think the baby doll porcelain skin look can even be done in this part of the state...

Be