GOSH Cosmetics Giant Sun Powder

$25 at Shoppers Drug Mart

This Giant Sun Powder in 001 comes with 28g (1.0 oz US) of product and costs $25. In comparison to other brands: MAC Mineralize SkinFinishes come with 10g for $34 (CAD), Prestige Cosmetics Bronzing Powders come with 8g for $15 (CAD) and  Sleek MakeUP's Glo Face & Body Highlighters come with 8.2g for $10 (CAD).

This product comes with nearly triple the amount of product of ones similar to it. This makes it a great deal if you're looking for a glowing gold highlighter/bronzer/all-over-glow.

It comes with a large mirror on the inside. The packaging is bare and sleek, but can accumulate scratches very easily as shown in the first picture. 

This is a close-up of the colour of the sun powder. In real life, it leans a bit coppery, giving it an almost rose gold colour.

You can see the hints of copper in this photo of it swatched on my hand. The swatch on the left is a heavier swatch, while the one on the right is blended out. It definitely gives a great glow.

While this is a great multi-purpose product (highlighter, bronzer, eyeshadow) it only comes in one colour. Although this colour can probably work well on many skin tones, I wish they had more of a variety from which to choose.

I would recommend using a dense/stiff brush to apply this product because using a fluffy one will cause it to become flaky/powdery.

For the price, you can't go wrong. If you don't like using/having many products, this will definitely last you a very long time.  

Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Sunbaked Bronzing Powder

Prestige Skin <3 Loving Minerals Sunbaked Mineral Bronzing Powder
Top: 02 Glam Tan
Bottom l-r: 01 Rich Bronze, 03 Pure Shimmer

I bought these from Rexall for about $9 each (on sale).

01 Rich Bronze
(natural lighting)

01 Rich Bronze
(artificial lighting)

02 Glam Tan
(natural lighting)

02 Glam Tan
(artificial lighting)

03 Pure Shimmer
(natural lighting)

03 Pure Shimmer
(artificial lighting)

Swatches l-r: 02 Glam Tan, 01 Rich Bronze, 03 Pure Shimmer

Glam Tan is a golden bronze colour that is very shimmery. If you intend on using this as a bronzer, using it sparingly will give a nice bronzed glow.

If you want something that you can apply a bit darker and isn't as shimmery, there's Rich Bronze. It's mostly matte, but there are shimmery patches which add a bit of shimmer, but not too much.

Pure Shimmer is exactly what it says. This is a great highlighter that has hints of light pink and light gold. 

I was glad that I could purchase these on sale for about $9. Regularly they are closer to $15 each. Check these out at Rexall if you can! I recommend getting them, but if I had to choose one of the bronzers, I'd go with Rich Bronze. Of course, you can always use these as eyeshadows, too! :)

These are available on Amazon if you don't live in Canada or near a Rexall!

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Tarte Blush & Bronze On The Go

I like trying new brands, but I usually start with getting a sampler set featuring some of the brand's most popular items. I've heard great things about Tarte, so I decided to try the Blush & Bronze On The Go set which contains an Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush and an Amazonian Clay Bronzer.

$20 at Sephora (Canada)

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface

*The colour of this blush is more pink and bright in person. See swatches for a more accurate representation of colour*

Dollface, Park Ave Princess

(with flash)

Dollface, Park Ave Princess

(without flash)

I've wanted to try Tarte for a while but I couldn't bring myself to spend $33 and $38 for the full size version of these products. Instead, I spent $20 for these smaller but decently sized versions which will probably last me a long time. The only downside is that I couldn't choose the colours.

The blush applies nice and smoothly and does last quite long. The swatch looks chalky, but when blended, it smoothes out. It's completely matte with no shimmer. The bronzer has a nicer texture. It's smoother and has some glow to it.

The packaging of both is definitely travel-friendly. They're slim and compact with thick casings to prevent shattering of the product when accidentally dropped.

Though these are nice products, I think there are drug store dupes out there that can perform the same way for a much cheaper price.

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NYC Sun 'n' Bronze Bronzing Powder

I saw these at WalMart and couldn't resist. They were about $4.50 each for 12g and I knew they'd be great to use as eyeshadows. They're sold and advertised as bronzers, but as I already have medium-tan skin, I don't use it that often.

Hamptons Radiance, Coney Island Glow, Montauk Bronze, Fire Island Tan

Hamptons Radiance

Hamptons Radiance
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Coney Island Glow

Coney Island Glow
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Fire Island Tan

Fire Island Tan
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Montauk Bronze

Montauk Bronze
First three swatches are the first three rows, last is all the colours combined

Using these as eyeshadows:

If you're into nude/natural eyeshadows, these are perfect. They have the tiniest amount of shimmer, but they're mostly matte. Each bronzer has a great mix of light and dark shades of brown.

My favourite is Coney Island Glow because it has a very light shade, a medium one and a dark one. Hamptons Radiance is the same, except the medium shade is pink, while Fire Island Tan and Montauk Bronze have all medium shades.

Definitely use a primer or base with these so that they won't crease.

Using these as bronzers:

Fire Island Tan, while dark-looking in the pan, actually applies a lot lighter and when blended all together, will disappear on medium-tan skin tones. It would be good to use if you have light-medium skin. If you're darker, Montauk Bronze shows up dark when all the colours are blended together.

If you're lighter in skin tone, Coney Island Glow and Hamptons Radiance may work best as they contain lighter colours. The pink shows up in Hamptons Radiance when all the colours blend, while Coney Island Glow mixes into a light golden-bronze colour.

 You can definitely build these bronzing powders to be darker, or use a small amount if you want just a touch of bronze.

More Products from NYC Available on Amazon:

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Lancaster Sunlight Palette in Sunny

Lancaster is a brand which I have recently discovered at Shoppers Drug Mart. Their products are mainly focused on skin and sun care, but they also have a few products that are classified as 'sunless beauty'.

This palette is meant to give you a glowing tan without the aid of artificial tanners or the sun.

From their website:

"Recreate an instant gorgeous summer glow with our classic Matt & Shine bronzing powders ... Your secret to sunless beauty all year round our fabulous self tans and sun makeup range mimic the sun, any day of the year, to guarantee a gorgeous, luminous result every time."

$35 at Shoppers Drug Mart

Swatches without flash (clockwise from the top with the middle colour last)

Swatches with flash (clockwise from the top with the middle colour last)

 Although pricey, this is a unique products in that the colours are very pigmented and have no fall out. The five shades are a mix of gold, bronze and champagne that can boost the colour of almost any skin tone. They seem as if they are a mix between a regular pressed eyeshadow/powder and baked one. It has a smooth finish and is not shimmery in that you can see very fine pieces of shimmer, but it's more of a satin/metallic mix- almost the finish of a baked eyeshadow/powder, but without the fallout. It is very blendable and a little goes a long way.

This palette can be used on the eyes, lips and cheeks. I've used it on my eyes over a primer and it lasts quite a long time. What I noticed about this product is that a brush will pick up a small amount of product, but it's so concentrated that it's all you need. Therefore, when you apply it on your eyes, you end up applying a thin layer that is less likely to crease.

As for using it on the face, it is recommended that all the colours be mixed together by swirling your brush in the palette. Applying this will give a subtle glow that is not obviously noticeable, but will provide some radiance. It can be built up to be more intense.

The packaging is made of metal and is easy to open, but won't easily open in your bag. It is lightweight and contains a mirror.

If you're interested in this product, I recommend saving your Optimum Points (redeeming 22,000 points will give you $30) or purchasing this product during an event that will give you many points in return.

There is another palette available called "Natural" which is pictured below:

[credit]

This product is worth it if you are looking for a high-quality bronzer that is not matte, but has glow to it. It is also worth it if you're looking for eyeshadows with similar properties.

Pigmentation: 5/5

Packaging: 5/5

Staying Power: 5/5 (on the eyes)

Price: $35

Availability: Shoppers Drug Mart

Repurchase: Yes

Dupes: A matte dupe of this could be GOSH's Trio Eyeshadow in TR2 Smoky. The texture is similar, but the finish is not. 

Available on Amazon:

Maybelline Dream Mousse Bronzers and Blushes

I heard somewhere that these were being discontinued. I haven't noticed them disappearing in the stores, but these were/are on sale at Superstore (Canada) for $3.94 each! I was really only interested in the brown shades because I wanted to see if they could be used as eyeshadow bases.

These are actually amazing as eyeshadow bases. I first apply a primer and then a small amount of Dream Mousse and then layer an eyeshadow on top. It makes the eyeshadow stay on all day and remain crease-free. I find that using bases helps make the eyeshadow stick to your eyelid better as primers can often dry really quickly and lose their adhesiveness.

Left to right: 10 Glistening Sun, 20 Sun Glow, 60 Coffee Cake

Glistening Sun (with flash)

Glistening Sun (without flash)

Sunglow (with flash)

Sun Glow (without flash)

Coffee Cake (without flash)

Coffee Cake (with flash)

Two swatches of each; one apply thickly and one blended onto the skin.
Glistening Sun, Sun Glow, Coffee Cake
(with flash)

Two swatches of each; one apply thickly and one blended onto the skin.
Glistening Sun, Sun Glow, Coffee Cake
(without flash)

The texture of these are halfway between a cream and a mousse. I don't think they're meant to be very pigmented because as they are meant to be used as bronzers and blushes, they want them to blend very easily and just give a hint of colour.

They are packaged in glass containers similar to MAC Paint Pots and Maybelline Color Tattoos, but the lids are a bit larger than they need to be. This makes them a bit bulky, but they have a nice weight to them.

I imagine these are similar in texture to the Dream Mousse Shadows, but I don't believe they were ever released in Canada. I really hope they aren't discontinuing this line because is has great products! That, and I'm hoping they end up releasing the Shadows here.

As for using these as bronzers, I can't comment as I don't like using cream bronzers/blushes this time of year. However, I feel as if they would give a nice glow to anywhere you apply it.

Pigmentation: 2/5 (which is appropriate considering their intended use)

Packaging: 5/5

Staying Power: 5/5 (when used as a base under other eyeshadows)

Price: $9 CAD 

Availability: WalMart, Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart

Repurchase: Yes

Dupes: