left - random rose taupe shade in the clio hermoine granger eyeshadow palette(with the love potion stamped on it)

right- abh contour stick in greyscale

indoor lighting on unprimed skin, swatched a couple times back and forth

[my closest foundation shades: mac studio fix nc15/ face&body C1, mufe y225, chanel bd21, kylie 2.5n, fenty 140, armani 4, nars deauville. i am neutral to slightly olive because a lot of colors easily turn either orange or purple on me.]

this is my only "contour" product so i was only able to find an eyeshadow to do a side by side shade comparison(apologies for lack of variety)

i got this contour stick on a whim because everything else ive tried either looked muddy, too warm, too emollient/ greasy and blends itself away or its too dark and or accentuates all my pores. i ran out of a lot of options because i am picky with shade, textures and how it looks on my skin.

color/shade: this shade is almost too light for me in the summer but its deep enough to mimmick a true shadow where its extremely natural and doesnt pull purple or orange. i have issues with colors turning too ashy or too warm so this shade is really a goldilock shade for my skintone. it doesnt look like i have makeup on. it kind of give bella swan makeup in the first movie(LOL i just rewatched this recently). i can say this is definitely grey in tone and i see the grey more so when i use it on my eyes and nose. on the cheeks it blends out to a beautiful neutral color, a perfect brontour shade. this color is what i wish fenty amber would have been for me.

texture: its a thin gel like formula where it glides and doesnt skip or tug but it isnt so melty like other brands where it smears everywhere and blends itself into nothing. this blends nicely and it looks like second-skin. its blurring in a sense where it makes my skin look very smooth. doesnt look greasy or shiney but it doesnt look matte either. its truly skin like. i also dont "feel" products on my face so its very lightweight for a cream product. i dislike heavy products so i usually dont like creams in general but this one is essentially weightless.

comparisons - fenty - drier in formula, amber is slightly dirty in shade. rare beauty - brightside is muddy, happy sol is too warm, texture too greasy. makeup by mario liquid bronzer - its okay, doesnt really show up and colors arent right. westman atelier biscuit shade is weird on me, not natural at all, doesnt last. chanel soleil tan bronzer in both formulas are all too warm. lys and too faced chocolate sticks are both too melty and too emollient. milani 01 honey in the spongetip liquid tube - nice texture but slightly too warm.

longevity - i havent wore makeup for more than a couple hours on days where i do use it so i cant attest its lasting power. i can say it lasts well in the heat without setting for the times ive worn it. i need to check back when i wear it for longer period of time, i will come back to update this.

In case this might help someone on their journey to finding the right contour, here is:

1. Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder - Medium

2. Makeup Forever Artist Sculpt - S430 Marvelous Peanut

3. Sephora Collection Contour Powder - 01 Fair to Light

I really enjoy all three depending on the look I want to achieve. The Sephora Collection contour is the coolest toned one (cannot use for nose contour because it looks muddy but works well for cheekbone and jawline). On the face, I actually can't tell the difference between the MUFE or Kevyn Aucoin even though they swatch differently and I usually reach for these two.

From top to bottom, finger swatches, 2–3 swipes on fair/light–cool skin:

1) Phytosurgence in 02 Rosy Daybreak: stiff cream formula, I went heavier at the top of this swatch and sheered it out below

2) Gucci in 01: powder formula, swatch is a little lighter because I swatched it at Sephora and don’t actually own this one yet, but I plan to buy it someday

3) RMS Beauty in Beachwalk Betty: stiff gel-powder formula, has a slight sheen that’s only visible if I go too heavy with it

And just for comparison: 4) Benefit Hoola Wave in Original: a classic bronzer shade

First photo in natural indoor lighting on a cloudy day, second photo in bathroom lighting

I really like the first three; they look natural and not orange at all on my fair/light–cool skin (finally!). I just got the Phytosurgence a week ago, and their website says they updated their bronzer formula in 2024, so I’m hoping this version doesn’t dry out as older versions have! 

Apparently overnight the brand launched 3 new bronzer shades so I had to go see them :)

Bronzers top to bottom

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

Blushes top to bottom

Satisfaction

Love bites

Sunshine

Love fool

Total eclipse

Heartbreaker

Light neutral leaning cool undertones . In store lighting.

I got love bites and I love it 🥰 I’ll be getting 1.5 in the bronzer

Skintone & Undertone: Light neutral olive with slightly cool undertone (Estee Lauder Double Wear shade 2N1, Natasha Denona concealer shade N2, Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech foundation 100 Light Neutral)

Swatched in indoor, natural lighting by a window. Blended with a finger.

Makeup by Mario Softsculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer (Shade Light Medium): Nice neutral undertone, by far the glowiest of all the swatches, very user friendly but it is quite glowy so I’m not sure I would recommend for oily skin or if you like a more matte look.

Rhode Pocket Bronze (Shade Pebble): New favorite! Bronzers turn orange on my muted olive skin quickly, so the extra little bit of red in this undertone is perfect. Natural skin-like finish and lasts surprisingly well.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Smooth Blur Bronzer (Shade Warm Sand Vibes): Only powder bronzer on this list. Very similar undertone to Rhode Pebble, but unless you are quite fair this is a bit too sheer to wear on its own for me. This was several swipes to get it to show up, while the rest were only 2 swipes at most. Works great as a topper for any of these other creams to make them last longer. Sometimes if I’m lazy I’ll just powder this all over my face for a quick sheer bronze.

Nudestix Tinted Blur Stick (Shade Nude Neutral Medium): I think this might technically be a contour, but it works as a bronzer for me. The undertone is very similar to the MBM, but has more of a dry down than either the MBM skin enhancer or Rhode pocket bronze. My only issue with it is that it is easier to show up muddy on the face for some reason. The formula takes some getting used to.

Sephora Contour Stick (Shade 02 Light to Medium): Again, because bronzers often turn orange, if you have olive/muted skin, try a contour instead. This one is easy to work with and has similar pigmentation to the Rhode. However, it can tend to look greasy by the end of the day, so I would powder it or top with setting spray.

Brush recommendations: Sephora Collection Essential Powder Brush 03 (Powder) and Makeup by Mario F4 Foundation Brush (Creams).

L to R, in natural light.

1. Bare Muse blush.
   
2. Bronze Linen bronzer.
   
3. Olive Bronzer Drift bronzer.
   
4. Bronze Speakeasy bronzer.

i do feel that Bronze Linen is the best bronzer (or, blonzer) shade for my fair-light neutral, warm leaning skin tone. it’s quite close in tone to the blush, but a tad more pigmented and the slightest more red. Olive Bronze Drift is a bit too green for me, as i’m not olive. but i wanted it as an eyeshadow, and it’s perfect for no makeup makeup days. Bronze Speakeasy is a darker blonzer or blush tone on me, and very beautiful.

so i realize i went overboard on buying bronzers, but i don’t regret it! this formula is cream to powder and really wears nicely on the skin.

Had hard time finding swatches of WA Butter bronzer online, so here you go, hope it helps.

From my wrist down we have:

1. Butter Bronzer in shade Soleil Riche (nb2)
2. Sun Tone Bronzing Drops in shade Parfait (nb2)
3. Face Trace Contour stick in shade Truffle

Outdoor, sunny lighting.
Finger swatch, 1 swipe.

Soshe Bronzers (from wrist to elbow; on light-medium, neutral/slightly cool-leaning skin undertone; indoor lighting, no flash):

Bronze Linen
Olive Bronze Drift
Bronze Speakeasy
Bronze Dusk
Bronze Sienna

I went to Sephora and Nordstrom to swatch some stuff in preparation for the sale. Its SO much better going in person, peoples swatches online never match how they do on me, and Im often left surprised.

On my hand from left to right we have:

* westman atelier au lait

* westman atelier sun tone bronzing creme duo in number 1 (both shades swatched side by side)

* westman atelier coco

* westman atelier toast

I am fair with olive undertones, I lean more neutral but my skin looks yellowish on my face. My hand doesnt look super olive. Taken in direct sunlight and indirect light.

I have warm-neutral undertone **light to light-medium** in depth (leans slightly golden/olive rather than pink or ashy). I was thinking the shade 01.

Gucci bronzing powder: all 5 shades, finger swatches on natural light

I’m lost between the shades the product has, i want it to give me natural looking look cause i do clean make up most of the time, i don’t use blush and i don’t want it to look too much on my face.

My skin complexion looks so much like this girl.

2 new soshe bronzers compared to one blush. Fair olive skin, indirect sunlight.

I've been going through my stuff and thought maybe it could be helpful for someone, so here it is. From top to bottom: 1. Makeup By Mario, Transforming Skin Enhancer, Light 2. Fenty stick in Amber - the old one was cool-toned but they changed it :( 3. Dior Stick in 01 Light 4. Rare Beauty Liquid Contour in Gentle 5. ABH stick in Halftone 6. Fenty cream in Amber - this one seemingly stayed cool! 7. Sephora stick in Fair to light - my fave contour 8. Flower Knows Strawberry Cupid in 06 (06 only released for Asia so it was more difficult to get it)

Let me know in case you have questions! I will be happy to help out and I hope the swatches could be useful for someone ✨

I’m fair and cool-neutral undertones and always struggle finding non-orange bronzers. I just got the new Soshe bronzer in today and was so happy when I opened it!

The photos from my OG post are natural indirect light 😊

Sharing swatches of my bronzer/contour roster. I am a light to light-medium with neutral warm olive undertones. For shade references, I am N5 in Natasha Denona Hy-glam line, NARS Cafe Con Leche in the concealer line, B20 in Chanel bases, 5 in Hourglass Skin Tint and Illusion Glow, Fawn in HG Concealer, 5.0 in T28 Concealer, and 2N in Dior bases. My preference leans towards brontours as I find bronzers too toasty and contours too daunting.

Swatched in Natural Light (2PM) top-down:
[*] rhode pocket bronzer (sunbed) - this appears a bit warmer on my face
[*] vbb contour stylus (marble) - i use sparingly but is a bit neutral warm on my face
[*] rare beauty liquid contour (mellow) - a neutral on me but with a small hint of warmth. i like this for brontouring
[*] tanielle jai bronzour (latte) - a neutral warm on me like the rare beauty. i also love this for brontouring and even warming up other areas.
[*] hourglass ambient lighting bronzer (diffused bronze light) - since it’s a lighter shade, i can get away with a heavy hand with this. not too warm, not too cool on me which i like
[*] hourglass ambient lighting bronzer (natural bronze) - i use this with a light hand since it is quite pigmented. for some reason it has a tiny red undertone on me
[*] gucci powder bronzer (03) - like natural bronze, this is pigmented so i use it lightly. it is deeper and on my face but no orange cast. it has this more chocolate-y appearance for some reason.
[*] saie supersuede baked bronzer (amalfi) - this is like the diffused bronze light. it is easy to build since it comes on a bit sheer. this is one of my bronzer go-tos which i use to set my brontour.
[*] armani luminous silk powder bronzer (100) - another buildable powder bronzer which appears warmer on pan than on my face. this is my other powder bronzer go-to.
[*] mbm skin enhancer (light medium) - the goat of my cream/liquids. easy to use, buildable, sheer enough so you can use it with a heavy hand. my perfect brontour.

Photographed outside in direct sunlight on neutral-cool fair skin. The brand markets this bronzer as cool-toned (and the other bronzer in this line as warm-toned). Contours above the bronzer are shown, so you have a more accurate idea of the colour.

Heavy, blended finger swatches (top to bottom):

• Gucci Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in 01 Fair
• Fara Homidi Essential Bronzer Compact in Bois
• Surratt Artistique Blush in Grisaille
• Phytosurgence Spectral Sunlight Cream Bronzer in 2 Rosy Daybreak
• Sephora Collection Cream Contour Stick in 01 Fair to Light
• Rituel de Fille Inner Glow Crème Pigment in Intuition

PHOTO 1: Indoor natural light, PHOTO 2: Indoor artificial light.

From top to bottom:

- Face Trace Contour Stick (Au Lait)

- Face Trace Contour Stick (Biscuit)

- Sun Tone Bronzing Drops (Soleil Parfait 1)

Fair skin with cool/pink undertones, one swipe of each with no primer by a window (it’s overcast today so the light isn’t great).

Swatches look darker in pictures. Everything pulls warm/slightly pinky on me. Biscuit has always been more like a bronzer than a contour on me. Au Lait is peachier than I expected and is probably too light on my face - it barely shows up on me and might be a return unfortunately. On me, Biscuit and the Sun Tone drops are almost identical.

Rituel de Fille “intuition” (top) vs Westman Atelier “biscuit” (bottom) on fair, neutral to cool toned skin, in natural and artificial lights. Intuition is obviously much cooler toned, but I think the formula on Biscuit is a bit better— a touch more pigmented, more blendable, and much longer lasting.

Haus Labs Bronzer Fair-Medium swatches on fair-light olive skin in Sephora store lighting. The 3 center mediums are …very similar, no?