I've come a long way since first getting into makeup three years ago, who woulda thought that me of all people would buy an entire palette dedicated to bronzers?!? I used to think that they were used to make you look more "tan", but I've since learned that bronzer can add so much dimension, warmth and LIFE to the face! I can't go a day without it now! Though, a whole palette of 'em still seems pretty excessive hey? Keep reading to find out my thoughts on the Too Faced The Little Black Book of Bronzers...
First off, I'll briefly mention the packaging. It's nothing particularly special, your standard thin, yet sturdy cardboard palette that can get a little bit dinted and scuffed if you're not careful! It's about A5 size, so not huge - you could definitely easily travel with it. They've illustrated it to look like a book with "pages" on the edge and a book-like spine which I think is pretty dang adorable (in true Too Faced fashion). The inside also has a cute comic strip illustration to demonstrate various occasions you could wear each bronzer to. I would've preferred a massive mirror though!
The palette itself contains eight of Too Faced's bronzers, and I'm pretty sure this is just about their whole range! For reference, each pan contains 2.5g of product, so that's 17.5g for $65 compared to $44 for 8g (the full size of a single bronzer). Works out cost efficient! I think it's a great product to try all the different shades at a good price and in smaller sizes because, really, I never finish whole products!
I'll just do a blanket review of the formula of these bronzers; they're AWESOME. They are super pigmented (but not too pigmented), slightly creamy/soft and super blendable. They're easily built up or sheered out, and just really a pleasure to work with. They also have amazing staying power! Usually bronzer/blush is the first to fade on me, but these last SO well on long days! I honestly can't see any cons in the formula - plus, the Chocolate Soleils smell like chocolateeeeee which is obvs a major bonus. The one bronzer that is slightly different is Endless Summer, it's slightly sheerer but still lovely, and definitely buildable.
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| L-R: Milk Chocolate Soleil, Chocolate Soleil, Dark Chocolate Soleil, Endless Summer |
Milk Chocolate Soleil is the palest, matte bronzer Too Faced offers. As you can tell, it's only a couple shades darker than my skintone so I haven't gotten very much use out of it. I will say though, this will work for the palest of the pale! It very much has a yellow/beige undertone, no orange at all. It won't look muddy, but it's also not too cool so it won't look dirty! Definitely one for fair gals to check out.
Chocolate Soleil is the CULT bronzer from Too Faced! I was super excited to use this one. I initially thought I would use this as a bronzer and Dark Chocolate as a contour, but it's actually the other way round! As you can see, Chocolate is a lot cooler in tone compared to Dark Chocolate, making it an excellent contour shade. It's still got some warmth so it works well to both bronze and contour.
Dark Chocolate Soleil is the one I've been getting most use out of. It's not that much darker than Chocolate but because it's much warmer, it's better suited to those with medium to deep, warm toned skins. I've been using this mainly as my everyday bronzer and slightly under the cheekbones to add dimension and warmth. If I can be bothered, I'll go in with Chocolate for a bit more definition!
I haven't been getting a tonne of use out of Endless Summer either, just because I prefer the other two! This is sort of a mix between Chocolate and Dark Chocolate though, It's pretty neutral in tone and has a slight golden shimmer/sheen which isn't too obvious. Like I said, this one is slightly sheerer!
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| L-R: Snow Bunny, Pink Leopard, Beach Bunny, Sun Bunny |
Snow Bunny is definitely an unexpected favourite of mine! I wasn't expecting much, but this is actually SUCH a gorgeous highlighter! The shimmer/shine is so soft and luminous, it looks so lovely on the cheekbones. It works both as a subtle, natural highlight, or can be built up for more intensity. You can also customise the colour somewhat as it has different shade strips, but I just tend to mix them all together and it gives a soft, rosy-champagne shade.
Pink Leopard is definitely the blush-y shade out of the palette with the most pink. The leopard design is too cute too! Again, I tend to mix all the shades together to produce a mauvey-pink with an almost taupe undertone? It's slightly cooler so I thought it would be ashy on me, which it can be if I apply too much! When applied lightly, it gives a unique blush/highlight shade and a bit of dimension to my face.
Beach Bunny is also highly customisable. The shades combined make such a pretty coppery-bronze, akin to blush shades like NYX Terra Cotta. I love these sorts of colours for a blush/bronzer/highlighter in one to add so much warmth to the skin!
Sun Bunny is VERY similar to Beach Bunny. In this particular swatch I've done, it's coming up darker but it really depends on how much of each colour you pick up in the individual pan (that makes sense right, since you can really customise what colour you get!). They give pretty much the exact same effect though, so you don't need both!
This palette has pretty much ALL of my bronzing needs fulfilled - and more! In a pinch, I can use this palette to bronze, contour, blush, highlight and even as eyeshadow! Though this contains a lot of bronzer, it's an amazing addition to my collection and I get regular use from the majority of shades in here! Unfortunately this isn't on the Mecca website anymore (it was limited edition), but you may still be able to find it instore. And, of course, if you see any shades you like, you can pick it up in full size!
Have you tried any of Too Faced's famous bronzers?
