What They Say(about BronzeRush) "Bronzerush is a palette that has everything you need to add color and life to your complexion. The gorgeous gold metallic kit includes a velvety smooth powder bronzer with a gel-based translucent blush, for a pop of fresh cheek color. Bronzerush gives you a warm healthy glowing tan, flushed rosy cheeks, and an all-over sun-kissed radiance that cannot be achieved by the average bronzer." (about the Rose Eyes Palette) "You can create a new look for every mood, season, or time of day with this gorgeous rose-themed palette. Set includes a true rose base shade, soft pink shimmer, soft rosy bronze, peachy-gold shimmer, and a deep plum-brown cream liner, plus a double-ended flat liner/eye blender brush."

Melissa's DeLush Downlow:(about BronzeRush) The sight of this palette, upon opening, kind of made me nervous. To me, it looked pretty bold. But on I soldiered, and put the stuff on anyway. The bronzer portion is actually less alarming than I imagined. It appears more orange-y in the compact than it comes off on my skin, but it is rather sparkly and maybe just tawny enough that I'd prefer it for spring or summer, but you may like it just fine, especially for those nights out. The little pot of creme blush to add on top for a bit of a rosy hue is NOT super-bright on your skin. It's actually quite sheer, and I thought rather pretty. If you've got slightly oily skin as I tend to get by around 5 o'clock in the evening if I don't powder or blot, this may not stay on as well as you'd like and you probably would prefer a powder blush for more wearability. Otherwise it's these two are a really nice combo.

(about the Rose Eyes Palette) This I absolutely LOVE. The colors are so perfectly matched for highlighting and deepening of the base color, and the generously-mirrored case is slim and compact. I think these colors would be flattering on practically anyone, whatever your skin tone or hair/eye coloring. The shadows are silky and really do wear fabulously - I didn't notice any creasing during the day. I was a little concerned about the cream liner, because it is such a soft formula. While I did smudge it myself a tiny bit when I applied it for a soft-focus look, the lines absolutely stayed put (surprisingly well) for HOURS. (Click the pic to the right to enlarge.)

Retail Prices: (BronzeRush) - $34.00, (Rose Eyes Palette) - $32.00 (BronzeRush is available at shop.duwop.com and the Palette is available at sephora.com)

DeLush Ratings: (BronzeRush)
(Rose Eyes Palette)

What They Say: (about The Bronzer) "Now, your skin and your senses are under the influence of Tom Ford. The message is nude. A makeup collection that reflects Tom Ford's provocative philosophy. Real gold in the makeup gives it a gilded, glamorous edge. Tom Ford on the collection: 'This collection is very much my philosophy of beauty. I've concentrated only on nude shades for the lips and nails. This is what I always really like...a neutral mouth, beautiful skin and a dramatic, strong eye. One look that works for many skintones.'" (about The Brush) *We don't have an official description at press time.

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: From the excitedly-anticipated Amber Nude II collection, this bronzer is more Fall-appropriate than the Azurée bronzer from this summer. This one is more tan and less tawny, and fairly subtle. The color doesn't turn orange at all as the day wears on and it stays put. Also, the compact is very generously-sized - about 50% wider in diameter than normal compacts.

The brush is incredibly soft and easy-to-handle. It helps to apply the bronzer evenly in just a few swipes. It's gentle on your face and just using it adds some glamour to the process of getting ready.

Retail Prices:
(The Bronzer) $60.00
(The Brush) $35.00
(both available at esteelauder.com)

DeLush Rating:
(The Bronzer)
(The Brush)

What They Say: "Experience the look, the feel, the beauty of Azurée, Summer 2006, from the Tom Ford Estée Lauder Collection. Tom Ford on the Azurée makeup collection: "This is a collection for the woman whose fantasy takes her away to sexy, remote beaches." Smooth on wherever the sun would naturally give you color, in this order:

• Forehead
  
• Cheekbone
  
• Bridge of nose
  
• Sides of nose"

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: Of the powder bronzers I've been trying recently, this is one of the most realistic and non-scary to use. The color is truly a bronze-y tan, with no orange tint at all and only an incredibly subtle hint of shimmer. It also goes on sheer and builds, so you don't have to worry about accidentally putting a big blotch on your face if you don't blow the excess off the brush after you swirl it on the product. The color stays true during the day and doesn't irritate skin. In my opinion this is a truly reliable and user-friendly bronzer, especially for those with fair and medium skin tones.

Retail Price: $50.00 (saksfifthavenue.com and select department stores)

DeLush Rating:

What They Say: "Laura Mercier has added two more best seller's to her famous Beauty Library...Bronzing Books in Bronzed and Gilded. The Bronzed Book includes 2 Pressed Powders, 3 Illuminating Sticks (in pressed form), 2 Stickglosses and 2 Eye Colours."

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: My initial impression of these books is just how well the colors are coordinated. You do get a lot of options with these palettes due to the selection inside. First of all, I used the book in Gilded, as that was more suited to my skin tone.

The Pressed Powders (a light and a darker bronzer in each) are pretty easy to apply without looking heavy, and don't contain the heavy shimmer in some bronzers. My only complaint about them was that even when using a pretty high-quality brush, the powder seemed to leave a lot of residue all over that part of the palette afterward which I had to make sure to blow off.

The pressed Illuminating Sticks were something I've never tried but was really impressed with. The texture is hard to describe...not glossy like a lip gloss or even the consistency of a lipstick...more like that of a gel eyeliner. And laid on top of the bronzer, this gave a lovely glow. I used the more pink shade on my cheeks, and laid the more gold shade on top of the eye shadow and it gave some highlight to the center of my lid and browbones.

I wasn't overly-impressed with the Stickglosses; I felt they could have stayed on longer. But the color choices were nice, and if I had laid them on thicker with a brush over liner they may have fared better.

Finally, the Eye Shadow is something I really liked. Great combo of colors and smooth application with nice staying power. Very wearable.

Overall, I think if you're already a fan of Laura Mercier products and are looking for some new summer colors, one of these two palettes may give you the basics for your look. However, as a new client I wouldn't run out to buy one without at least testing some of the product in a store first.

Retail Price: $45 (lauramercier.com or sephora.com - UK and other international readers, help us out by letting us know in the comments if you know where other readers can purchase this internationally)

DeLush Rating:

What They Say: "Bella's make-me-over finishing powder leaves the skin looking radiant and refreshed. Gently infused with lavender oil and natural sunscreen, this mineral powder hides imperfections and fine lines for a youthful glow that's as easy as a brush stroke away. Available as a setting powder, bronzer, pink shimmer and gold shimmer."

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: I tested the setting powder, bronzer, and pink shimmer versions of Bella's powders. First of all, there's one thing that applies to all three: it's kind of hard to control how much powder gets on the puff and how evenly. Now, I didn't find this a problem with the setting powder or the pink shimmer so much as the bronzer, which is dark enough that you definitely don't want to get any on your face in a big splotch. Unfortunately, that's what happens pretty easily with the way this dispenser and puff work, so I had to be EXTREMELY careful when applying it and then be careful again when trying to smooth it out without going over areas again and making them even darker.

The setting powder, because it is of course lighter, is much easier to work with. I would say if you are very fair this won't work for you, because of the tint. Used sparingly though, this creates a nice, even look with lasting freshness for medium-fair to medium skin tones. As far as I can tell it only comes in one shade.

The pink shimmer powder (also when applied sparingly) is a fabulous highlighter. Added to the upper cheekbones, brows and temples and you've got a subtle glow. If you're more fair, use the pink. If you've got tan or darker skin, use the gold.

Retail Price: $25.00 (bellabeauty.net)

DeLush Rating:
Bronzer
Setting Powder
Pink Shimmer Highlighter

What They Say: "We know… it’s so hard to attain the sun-burnished glow of the girl who summers on the East Hampton-Palm Beach-St. Bart’s circuit. This luxe bronze comes pretty close: just add pearls and a sweater set for instant uptown chic."

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: First of all, use an incredibly light touch when applying this bronzer. I can't emphasize that enough. Use a good-quality, large soft brush to apply just above cheekbones, temples, bridge of the nose...where the sun would naturally hit your face. If you get it right, you WILL look like you just came back from vacation. This hits a perfect balance between bronzed and tan without being orange (but like I said, if you apply this too heavily at first you won't look natural at all) and lasts all day. Makes a fabulous body bronzer as well (you can apply a bit more liberally on arms, chest, legs, etc.).

USER TIP: Make sure you BLOW OFF the excess from the brush before putting it on your face. This will help ensure you don't go overboard.

Retail Price: $28.00 (tartecosmetics.com)

DeLush Rating:

What They Say: "A silky-smooth powder adds a healthy, sun-kissed glow to any complexion -- instantly gives your skin the look of a natural tan. Bobbi suggests using Bronzing Powder year round to get that healthy glow. Choose the shade that works best for your skin tone. Natural is ideal for light complexions with pink undertones."

Jen's Experience: I tried Bobbi Brown's bronzing powder (say that three times fast!) at their make-up counter during my big makeover. It was the middle of summer, yet I was still as pale as a ghost. The color really helped me to look alive and, thus, I felt that I must have it.

I think I would have better results with blending it and making it look as natural on my own if I actually shelled out the $30 for the bronzing brush, but since I was already spending a fortune, I decided I would make it work with my motley brush menagerie. (Actually, I was thinking I would go to Target and get a cheaper Sonia Kashuk brush but never followed through.) After literally months of practice, I have gotten reasonably good results with an old blush brush, but seriously, this isn't for beginners.

Even with a blush brush, using the bronzer as a blush produces great results -- a nice natural looking blush for work or play. I still believe I like my Cargo bronzer best because it's just so easy to blend, but this is certainly something in my usual routine.

Retail Price: $30.00 (Bobbi Brown)

Rating:

If you read the last issue of Allure, you probably saw that one of the next trends to watch is the use of bronzer to give some life to your pale winter complexion.  This is an great way to brighten your whole face, and quick too! 

From Sephora: "These iridescent powders let you extend the life of your tan for an illuminating look you can maintain year-round. Available in three shades, Light, Medium, and Dark, they add just the right amount of shimmer to beat the cold-weather blues. "

Jen's DeLush Downlow:  This bronzer is subtle; it's not too dark and not too shimmery, both things you want to avoid in a bronzer in the winter time, especially for every day use.  It's very easy to apply, and goes on smoothly with little need to blend.

Tips: It doesn't get any simpler than this.  Use a blush brush to apply lightly on the cheeks, forehead and chin.  You're not looking to cover every inch, just enough of a swipe to give you a warm, healthy glow.  Bonus!  This bronzer makes a great blush for when you are looking for something subtle.

Rating:

Reviewed By: Jen