Go For The Bronze — New Benefit Cosmetics Dew The Hoola Soft Matte Liquid Bronzer For Face & Hoola Bronzing & Contouring Brush
Summer is in full swing and, while in a perfect universe, I’d be typing this by the pool, my feet dipped in the water and a frozen Margarita within my reach, the truth is there hasn’t been much time for fun in the sun just yet. Between deadlines, blog posts, mom duty, and an epic cross-country move, my summer has been one giant to-do list. Not that I’m alone! I’m sure plenty of you have been dreaming of beach trips, summer hula parties, backyard cookouts, and dips in the pool while cooped up in the office. And while we may have to work extra hard so we can play hard in the coming weeks, we don’t have to put that much effort into pulling off a bronzed goddess look — even if it is faker than a $4 bill! The key, of course, is makeup — specifically, a bronzer that’s not too shimmery or too flat, that blends well and won’t cake up or clump, and which will practically melt onto the skin. My current obsession: the Benefit Cosmetics Dew the Hoola Soft-Matte Liquid Bronzer For Face ($28 at Sephora stores and Sephora.com, Ulta stores and Ulta.com, and BenefitCosmetics.com).
The liquid bronzer is packed inside a bronze tube with etchings meant to give it a bark-like appearance, recreating the look of a palm tree trunk, which is itself clever, playful, and alluring. But it’s the liquid bronzer itself that will have you doing the hoola! Once you remove the top lid and press down on the pump, you’ll dispense a liquid but slightly creamy droplet of product that’s so richly pigmented, it may just remind you of foundation. When this happens, do not panic! Allow me to illustrate how the product looked when I first dispensed it:
Looks like I bought a liquid foundation that’s about seven shades too dark, right? Now, let’s see what happens once I spread the color a bit. Take a look:
Oh snap! Even crazier! Is this a “mission abort” situation?
Well, let’s see what happens when we blend the product further:
Wait, that’s kind of nice! Let’s see another pic:
Much better! See, in the end, the result is actually rather soft and demure, giving your face a warm, caramel bronze tint. That said, because it’s so richly pigmented, I’d advise using this product extremely sparingly. I found one drop is plenty to give my whole face a sun-kissed appearance.
Now, you can apply the bronzer atop your foundation or tinted moisturizer, focusing on the areas you want to accentuate (perhaps your cheeks or the hollows under your cheeks if you’re looking to contour your face) or you can even add a drop to your foundation, then blend the products and sweep the mixture onto your face for an all-over tan.
Whether you’re focusing on specific features or vying for an all-over bronzed tone, you’ll love applying the product with the new Benefit Hoola Bronzing & Contouring Brush ($24 at Sephora stores and Sephora.com, Ulta stores and Ulta.com, and BenefitCosmetics.com) which, like the liquid bronzer, features a metallic handle reminiscent of a palm tree. The brush’s handle, however has more of a golden tone and the palm tree motif is all the more clear given the horizontal ridges that divide each section of the cylindrical tube. The dome-shaped brush head, meanwhile, is made of soft, plush, two-toned bristles that are a brownish-black along the base and an aqua shade along the top.
Here’s a shot of both products together:
Adorable!
Now, I love, love, love the brush but let me be clear: this is not the ideal brush for contouring. If you intend to use the liquid bronzer to contour your face, start by packing the color into the desired areas precisely using an angled and dense brush with relatively stiff bristles or a flat-head brush. Once you’ve applied the bronzer below the cheekbones, along the jawline, and so forth, only then should you reach for the Hoola brush to help you blend that color and get rid of any noticeable contour lines. Because the bristles are so soft and pliable, then, it’s not necessarily the ideal tool to use throughout the contouring process but it is quite useful when blending and diffusing.
I personally prefer to use the brush and liquid bronzer for more of an all-over glow — or, at least, to give my cheeks a bit more of a sun-soaked feel. Also, as a side note, the brush is a really great complement to the traditional Hoola Bronzing Powder.
Check out some pics in which I’m wearing the Dew the Hoola bronzer:
Totally natural, right? The fact that it’s a liquid bronzer is also really important since, when it’s really hot outside, liquid and cream-based makeup tends to stay put much more effectively than any powder-based product. If you’re in 100-plus-degree weather (which I am!) and you know some sweating is inevitable, a liquid bronzer is a much smarter alternative to a powder variety. And again, this one blends nicely and the matte finish isn’t flat (some bronzers can end up making you look like you’ve got dirt on you face or have a strange bruise) but it also isn’t too shimmery (which reads as juvenile and negates the natural effect you’re hoping to achieve).
Besides, the packaging alone will have you feeling like slipping on a lei necklace and doing a little shimmy!
