Bronzing Compact Powder

Essence Bronzing Compact Powder in Bronzing Queen is a fairly light bronzer with a little bit of shimmer. Essence makes a short, simple claim about this bronzer; "silky smooth powder for a shimmery and tanned finish". Easy enough. I purchased this bronzer at Ulta for $2.99 for 9g (.31oz), which is a really good value. Essence is a German drugstore brand, therefore they do not test on animals (I believe animal testing for cosmetic purposes in the EU). This bronzer was made in Poland. Essence can be found in most European drugstores, Ulta and Fred Meyers in America, Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, and most recently Priceline and Target in Australia. Packaging isn't anything special, it's actually pretty cheap. Just a clear plastic compact that opens and shuts easily and firmly. The front of the compact features the name of the product in gold, the lettering is starting to rub off. I'd rather that not happen, but I've had this bronzer for several months now, so I'll accept it. The back of the compact has a grey label affixed to it with a good amount of info on it including a product description in a couple languages, some company info and a full ingredient list. This label seems to attract other makeup, it has mysterious eyeliner smudges on it and the like. My only actual complaint about Essence's Bronzing Compact packaging is that the pan isn't glued in the compact securely, it's not loose and falling out, but it does shift around during use. Essence calls this bronzing powder silky smooth and while I agree that it's silky and soft and nicely milled, I wouldn't exactly call it smooth. It's actually quite powdery. The softest touch with a bronzing brush can kick up quite a lot of excess powder. Boo potential for wasted product. Aside from powdery issues, this bronzer is nice. It has a good texture and has the right amount of pigmentation for a bronzer. By the way, this bronzer has little butterflies and dots on it, some of them raised and other indented. They disappear after a few uses, mine are just about gone, but then again I'm close to hitting pan. It's a cute touch to an otherwise boringly packaged bronzer. Bronzing Queen is on the lighter end of the bronzer spectrum. A light but buildable warm, soft tan with moderately noticeable shimmer. It's fairly subtle on my very light, cool skin, and might actually function better as a highlighter for tanner people. The glitter actually appears sparkly as opposed to a sheen, so those who prefer matte bronzers should steer clear of Bronzing Queen (Essence does make a matte version). The glitter isn't crazy though, it just adds a playful bit of sparkle. Clearly you shouldn't use this bronzer for contouring, but it's nice for a hint of tan with an even slighter hint of sparkle. I apply Essence's Bronzing Compact with my beloved Avon Glow Bronzing Brush, using a combination of buffing and sweeping motion, which can make it quite subtle. You should also know that this powder is scented. Essence's Bronzing Compact smells fairly strong of a perfumey, sunscreen scent. It isn't noticeable after application, but it's quite strong as soon as you open the compact. I actually kinda like it, but it may be a turn off for some. Overally Essence's Bronzing Compact Powder in Bronzing Queen is ok. Not that great, but it definitely gets the job done. Packaging is cheap, the texture is nice but powdery. The color is good for pale girls like me, but it has the potential to be a really pretty highlighter. It's not the most useful bronzer because of the shimmer, so I don't recommend it unless that's what you're looking for. I probably won't repurchase this bronzer, but it is good value for the price. Not bad, just not for me.

I got both matte and shimmering Bronzer from essence.As usual, i never expect about these cos their price r so cheap and i just think they r maybe not a good bronzer, but i thought wrong cos the product gives the natural looking. I always use them as a blush when i just wanna get a bit tanned and natural look. The only one thing that i dont like from this product is that the texture is quite a bit powdery. but over all... brilliant!