As you may or may not no, even though I am now in an internet friendly area, I am still on vacation. Sadly, I could not bring all my makeup with me. In fact, I packed pretty darn light in that area if I do say so myself. The star among the products I brought would most definitely be the Hourglass Illume Cream-to-Powder Bronzer Duo in Sunset. I received both that shade and the other one, Bronze Light, in a twitter giveaway from the company a month or so ago. I have been diligently testing and the Sunset color has made it into my makeup look almost every day.
The Sunset duo contains a bronzer and a rose colored blush, both cream formulas. Both blend very well, in my experience, and dry down to a powder finish. However, it doesn't look powdery at all. I find both colors last very well, even in the heat. I can apply both very naturally with my fingers but prefer to apply the bronzer with a kabuki brush.
I find both the colors to be warm toned. The bronzer has orange tones in it and can result in the famous "Snooki" orange "glow" if applied over zealously. I think very cool toned people should look to another product to avoid coming off orange.
This is highly pigmented. For the blush, I merely tap my finger on the color and blend in to my cheek to achieve a nice glow. For the bronzer, I tap the kabuki brush gently on the surface, buff some off on the back of my hand and apply in the 3 shape.
Here they are blended a bit. Of course I blend more when used on my face.
The second color is Bronze Light. While it finds less use than the Sunset color, I do still love it. I think the highlighter shade is my perfect highlight (I don't really use highlighter that much because I have no problem achieving a glow).
The bronzer in this duo is essentially identical to the bronzer in the other duo.
Unfortunately for the cool toned folks again, this is more for the warmer ones.
The highlighter is a gorgeous gold toned champagne color. It's shimmery but not overly so. It results in a really natural looking glow.
I like to apply it with my finger to my brow bone and cheek bones.
Hourglass claims these duos are wax free and oil free and contain vitamins A and E.
The packaging is pewter colored and shiney. It contains a very large, usable mirror that swivels all the way around.
Overall, if you are a warm toned, cream lover like myself, this is a must have, at least in one color. The price tag is heftier at $40 but it contains a TON of product that will last you ages.
disclaimer: I received this free from the company in a contest but this does not effect my review in any way.
