Tuesday, January 21, 2014

And Chanel Is the Sun

My bronzer phase during winter last year culminated in the purchase of the luxurious Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base. I bought mine from department store BHV Rivoli in Paris last September for around $55 (or €38.50 if I recall correctly), a little bit less than the retail price of $67 in Australia. It was something I'd contemplated picking up for a considerable length of time, mainly from repeatedly seeing it in action in Pixiwoo videos, though Nic definitely seems more enthusiastic about it than Sam. While I thought about buying a cheaper alternative in the form of the more recently released Bourjois Bronzing Primer, in the end, I decided to go straight for what I really wanted.





Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel is a whopping 30g of product, the same as most standard foundations. I'm confident the possibility of hitting pan in the next 5 years is slim to none. It comes with a plastic cover which provides added protection from contamination or the product drying out, though the lid alone seems to screw on very securely. It has a sweet, slightly tart, fruity scent, similar to the fragrance of Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder but stronger. The main achievement of Soleil Tan de Chanel is the smooth, ultra blendable texture which is almost foolproof to apply and avoids any kind of patchiness or unevenness. I feel the pigmentation is comparable to NARS Laguna in that it's on the softer side which makes it less intimidating and easier to use, but can definitely be built up for a more pronounced effect.

Lisa Eldridge (whom I worship and whose frequency of mentions on this blog now rivals Priceline) has a helpful instructional video on various Chanel bronzing products including Soleil Tan de Chanel. She uses a large kabuki brush, first wiping off most of the product on the back of her hand, and buffs it softly all over her face for a subtle bronzed glow. One of the best uses I've found for this bronzer is using it with a mini Ecotools kabuki brush (from the Bamboo 5 Piece Brush Set) to work the product over foundation that's a smidgen too light for my skin tone (namely Jouer Matte Moisture Tint in Linen). The end result is incredibly natural and undetectable. Not only does it make a foundation previously too pale for me a perfect match, it imparts the complexion with a soft, warm radiance and generally improves the appearance of my skin. I find it also helps to prolong the wear of my foundation as essentially a whole other layer of product on top is sealing it in. It's not greasy, damp or sticky in any way, but dries instantly upon contact with the skin, melding effortlessly into it and leaving a seamless satin finish. I haven't tried it under foundation yet, but I imagine the result would be similar to buffing it over foundation.


l-r: Benefit Hoola, NARS Laguna, Bourjois 14, Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, Stila Shade 01, NYX Taupe

Compared with other bronzers I own, Benefit Hoola is closer to taupe, more dark brown and ashy. NARS Laguna is darker, with more prominent golden shimmer, slightly more brown than orange. Bourjois Délice de Soleil in 14 is considerably darker, more brown, a touch more red-toned as well. Stila Sun SPF 15 Bronzing Powder in Shade 01 is about the same lightness/darkness but more orange. NYX Blush in Taupe is not even in the same colour family, it's ashy brown in comparison. The Chanel most closely resembles a cross between the Stila and NARS. It's fairly light and could almost pass for a darker foundation shade rather than a conventional orange/brown bronzer, with subtle gold shimmer that comes alive in the sun but otherwise isn't all that visible. It might be a little too orange for those seeking a more natural-looking contour, but for a sunkissed warmth to the face it's perfect.

30 comments:

  1. Think this might now be making it's way to my wishlist..

    www.andbeautyorsomething.blogspot.co.uk

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  2. I absolutely adore the Soleil Tan de CHANEL. At first, I was afraid that I would hit pan quickly (since I use it every single day after I purchased it), but like you said, the chances of that is so slim!

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  3. I've heard really amazing things about this product!
    I tought about getting the bourjois version first so I can experience and master the cream version and after that thinking about getting this one. It looks amazing for the winter time, since it's not too dark.

    Thank you very much for your review!
    Take care*

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  4. this is my all-time favorite bronzer and I'm so glad I decided to splurge on it. Such an amazing product and it is such a big container and I have been using it almost daily for 9 months and it looks like I haven't used it at all.

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  5. Sounds like such a luxe product, I have watch ladies buff these over in a 3 shape to help to bronzer the forehead, cheekbone and the jawline. I totally need to try wearing bronzer more as I really don't care much for it right now! It sounds gorg and I really like the color of the stila more actually, a bit lighter!

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  6. This is a product that I used to reach for EVERYDAY but I just haven't had the urge to reach for it lately! I will definitely need to have a little play with it again after reading this post though :)

    Gotta love the packaging too ;)

    x
    Phoebe
    Eat. Live. Love. Repeat.

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  7. I've heard such mixed reviews on this product but the side by side swatches really helped to show which high end bronzer we actually want to pick up!
    Casualllyawkward

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  8. If only I was light enough to try this bronzer.. -_-..
    - E xox

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  9. I tried this bronzer just yesterday at chanel counter but I didn't get it because it was too orange for my complexion. I am pale with no tan at all because I am afraid of the sun.lol
    even the Chanel beauty advisor told me this bronzer was too orange for my complexion and offered me Les beige instead ( which I really liked as bronzer but didn't get it right away because I wanted to wait till the next employee discount hehe ).. I liked the texture and the scent but the application might be too hassle for my liking. I think I still prefer powder bronzer..

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  10. So glad to hear you're loving this bronzer!! It's far too orange for my complexion which I suppose is a blessing in the sense that I don't have to drop that amount of cash but also a curse because this is such a cult product and I'd love to own it. You'll probably still have this when you're 80 and hardly have hit pan though so it's a great investment if the color match works :)

    ♥Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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  11. I love this stuff, borrowed my friend's once and my skin has never looked so nicely glowing. Definitely a purchase I'll be making in the summer...

    Tiny Alis

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  12. Id love to see a post with you wearing this!

    Emily | PENNY RUGBURN 

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  13. There is so much hype around this product and I'm sure that if I was into bronzers, I would own this. I have heard this being compared to the Bourjois cream bronzer as well. Perhaps the "drugstore dupe" might be something I would experiment with first.
    xx
    Celina | The Celution | Bloglovin’

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  14. i really love the softness of it. it looks great.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  15. Always wanted to try this but I'm so lazy with cream based products... it looks gorgeous though!

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  16. I would love to try out the Chanel bronzer!

    Ray | Obey Ray

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  17. I wish summer would hurry up and get here so I can crack this beauty out again.
    The only problem I've had is finding the right brush, so that Ecotools brush is at the top of my list! x

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  18. I adore this... especially for those winter days where my skin looks lacklustre and blahh

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  19. I'm so keen to try this. But I've promised myself that I have to use up my Bourjois Bronzing Primer first xx

    zoeblogsbeauty

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  20. It sounds plain dreamy. I've swatched it at counters and it's amazing but whether I'd get my money's worth out of it is improbable. Maybe if the Bourjois bronzing primer comes round I'll try that instead. The texture is said to be more moussey than cream though. I'm still so bummed about the post losing my Stila Sun bronzer from SNet but I barely touch bronzer these days.

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    Replies
    1. Whhhhhaaat. That sucks! Didn't SNet replace it for you? :(

      I'm sure the Bourjois bronzer will come over here, it's just a matter of time. I wonder what the price point will be, I'm guessing $18.95 or something :p Haha.

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  21. I have always wanted to give this a try but it's just that little bit too orange for my skintone :(

    Jennie xo | sailorjennie.com

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  22. As I am so pale I'm not sure if this would look good on me or not :/ I see Pixioo use it so much and I really want to give it a go but can't spend that much on something I might not like :/

    Katie xx | Katies World

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  23. I read a review on this a while ago which tempted me to try it, but I had heard that it was unavailable now in Myer (not sure of the source of that information though). Its texture looks so soft and mousse-like, and I love the sound of it being very blendable and avoiding uneveness! As nice as the Soleil Tan sounds, I don't think it'll be a product essential to my makeup routine :)

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  24. I have been hearing mixed reviews about this product for so so long. I am currently using a Clinique bronzer that is perfect for winter time so might have to wait till its mid year before purchasing this beauty. I love the soft texture that you described. Hopefully it will work for me.

    MISSY IN THE MIRROR

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  25. Oh thank GOD I feel absolutely no pull toward this! LOL I think that I'll get a Les Beiges powder eventually but layering on a cream bronzer is too much even for me. On the other hand, Laguna looks awfully pretty in that swatch lineup. Decisions, decisions.

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  26. Love how you've swatted it in comparison with other bronzers. Very helpful :)

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  27. It looks so pretty. I still haven't tried anything from Chanel makeup yet.

    Kah-Feh Yen | YSL Rouge Volupté Lipstick Giveaway

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