My Favorite Bronzer, Contour + Highlighter Makeup Products (Review & Swatches) ♡


Hey guys! Today I am going to share with you my favorite bronzer, contour and highlighter makeup products, as you can see from the title of this blog post obviously. I love using bronzer during the summer to give my skin a nice healthy glow. I also love the contour and highlighting trend that's going around. I don't think of it as changing the shape of your face, but more as enhancing your natural face shape. 

You're probably wondering why there is a picture of foundations and eyeshadows when this is a post all about bronzer, contour and highlighter. Keep reading to learn more about how I use things like eyeshadows and foundations for bronzing, highlighting and contouring!

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I picked up the Covergirl Nudes TruNaked Palette a few months ago during an Ulta shopping trip (read full review here). I think the eyeshadows in this palette are absolutely beautiful. They are extremely easy to blend and are super pigmented. I noticed that the shades not only work as eyeshadow, but also as highlighter!

There are a combination of matte and shimmery shades in this palette. I use the shades buff and champagne in this palette for highlighting. These shades are shimmery and give a beautiful glow to the skin. I use the shade mink sometimes for bronzing my face, but it could also be used as a highlight if you have a darker skin tone.

Buff and champagne are both cooler tone shades in my opinion and mink is a more warmer tone shade. I mostly use champagne for highlighter. I just like to dust it on the tops of my cheekbones with a small little eyeshadow brush. If you have any light colored eyeshadows, you can make always try using them as highlighters! That way you'll get more use out of them and won't have to carry around and buy more products than necessary.


I bought this contour palette from Marshalls a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. First of all, the packaging is just the best thing I've ever seen. It comes in a gold tin case and the words are in a matte black. I've looked on the Profusion website for this palette, but they don't seem to sell this particular one anymore. I did find a similar one on Ebay. I got this palette in the shade medium and it came with a small mini contour brush inside. 

This palette not only comes with shades for contouring, but also has powders for highlighting and bronzing as well- the perfect trifecta! The powders are very blendable and easy to work with. This palette really makes contouring and highlighting easier and faster!

I usually use the shade highlighter and vanilla for highlighting because they give the perfect glow. The shades nude and caramel are good for bronzing your face or for contouring. I usually use caramel for contouring my cheeks because it's just a hair darker than my skin color, so it looks very natural. When I want to make my contour more intense, I'll go in with the shade expresso very lightly. I definitely recommend this palette to basically anyone!!!



I recently picked up the sample size of the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer at Ulta. I also just did a review on this product that you can read here. One of the main reasons I love this bronzer is because of the smell. It smells just like chocolate, but it's not an overbearing scent. It's very subtle and sweet. 

The shade I have is medium/deep which is just a little bit darker than my skin tone. Since this is a matte bronzer, it's great for contouring and sculpting out your cheekbones. 

Here is a swatch of it on my arm. This is definitely a pricier bronzer and if you want to spend a lot of a nice, expensive bronzer than go for it! I think that there are many drugstore matte bronzers out there that will do just the trick- however bear in mind that they won't smell as good. 


This is one of my all time favorite makeup products, because I think it is so versatile and can be used in many different ways. The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks are handmade in Italy have 5 shades in them. 

You can use the shades in this compact as eyeshadow, highlighter or bronzer! I like to use an eyeshadow brush and sweep it into these shades individually as eyeshadow. When I use this compact as highlighter I like to run my brush through the top two shades and pat the brush on the tops of my cheekbones where natural light usually hits. When I want to bronze my face, I use the bottom 4 colors and apply them on my cheeks and around the high points of my face. 

Here are swatches of the colors in this palette, starting from the top color and working down to the bottom color. This is my go to compact when I want to look really glowy and bronzed up for the summer. 


I have this bronzer in the shade 739 Ticket to Brazil. I also did a review of this product here. This is a great drugstore bronzer that is extremely inexpensive. This isn't my favorite bronzer, but I like to use it when I want a more natural look that isn't quite as shimmery and glowy.

This bronzer looks pretty matte at first, but as you can see by the swatch below it is actually shimmery. I don't reach for this product very often, just because when I do decide to wear bronzer I like to go all out. This product is very pretty though and can also be used as eyeshadow.

Here's the swatch of the bronzer! It looks very gold and shimmery in this picture, however when applying it to the face it doesn't look this vibrant.

Elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

I heard pretty good reviews about this contouring blush and bronzing powder duo online so I picked it up awhile back in the shade antigua. I did a review about it here. The packaging of this product reminds me of the Nars packaging, because they are both matte black. This product is very affordable and easy to use. I don't use the blush in this duo because it is way too pink for me and I'd probably end up looking like a clown. I used to use the bronzer a lot before I had other bronzers, but I don't find myself reaching for it quite as much now. 

As you can see, these powders are extremely pigmented- like crazy pigmented! Pigmented to the point where you have to be careful about how much you apply on your brush. They do blend easily though, which is great. The brown shade can be used for bronzing or contouring. It has the smallest amount of shimmer too it, but it's barely noticeable. This shade is a bit too dark for me so when I use it, I use a slight hand blend a lot to make it look more natural.


This product reminds me of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick that I have, but way more affordable. One of the downsides of this product is that it cracks and breaks easily... as you can obviously see. It's the main reason why I never use this product anymore. The top twists off and powder always spills out everywhere... it can get pretty messy. I have this illuminating powder in the shade 348 starlight bronze.

Here's a swatch of these powders. They aren't quite as pigmented as the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick but they are still beautiful colors. I would swirl all these colors together to make a nice shimmery bronzer. You could also use this product as a highlighter if you focused on the tops of your cheekbones.


I have the shade 04 in the Body Shop BB Cream, which matches my skin perfectly in the Summer when I have a nice tan. However, during Fall/Winter/Spring my skin is much lighter so this BB cream doesn't match my skin anymore. It was annoying that I could only use this product when I was tan, but then I discovered strobing. It's basically contouring and highlighting with liquids. I apply this BB cream on the hollows of my cheeks where I would normally apply contour powder. I find that using liquid products will make the contour and highlight last longer! 

I have the Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation in the shade 203 True Beige. If you want to read my full review of this product than click here. This product is the exact opposite of the BB cream. It matches my skin great during Fall/Winter/Spring. It's too light during the Summer though, so this works great as a highlighter. It works differently than a powder highlighter does. Instead of adding a shimmery glow, it brightens and lifts your undereye area. 

Here is a swatch of the foundation and the BB cream. It's hard to see the BB cream because it matches my skin pretty well right now. I definitely recommend to use foundations that are too light or dark for you for strobing! That way you can get more use out of the product!

I hope you all enjoyed this post! What are you favorite bronzer, contour or highlighter products?

Thea ♡ 

Animal Cruelty Free Face Mask Review ♡


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Hey guys! I used this facial mask the other day wanted to do a review of it. It's the Andalou Naturals Instant Hydration Soothing Facial Mask in the scent Roses. I also have a facial moisturizer from this brand and really like it! I've been trying to test out animal cruelty free brands lately and discovered this one! Andalou Naturals doesn't test their products on animals and also does not use genetically modified organisms in their products. 

I first washed my face using my morning burst facial cleanser so that I had a fresh, clean face. Then I peel off the facial sheet mask, line it up with my face and apply it directly to my face. I left it on for 20 minutes and then peeled it off. There was still a lot of product on my face but I didn't wipe it off. Instead I let it sink into my face so my skin could absorb more of the product. 

I loved this mask because it smelled great and made my skin look flawless after! My face was glowing and looked extremely healthy. My skin was smooth and felt rejuvenated. I definitely recommend this mask to anyone who needs a little skin boost. 

Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine :)

Cosmetic Animal Testing Awareness Project ♡

Hey everyone! I am doing a research project on the awareness of animal testing on cosmetics. I am a sophomore in high school, and I'm in the the IB program at my school. Instead of a senior exit project, we have a sophomore personal project, where we research and explore a topic that we are interested in knowing more about. I picked cosmetic animal testing, because I'm really interested in makeup, but I don't really know much about the experimental process of makeup in regards to animals. I would love it if you would answer my survey for the project that I am doing! Thanks ♡ 



Product Review: Wet n Wild Coverall Coverstick Concealer & Color Icon Bronzer ♡

I bought the Wet n Wild Coverall Coverstick Concealer and the Color Icon Bronzer from CVS Pharmacy about a week ago. Wet n Wild is one of the few animal cruelty free makeup brands sold at drugstores. Their products are very affordable, so I wanted to test a few things out. I bought the bronzer for $4.39, and I got the concealer stick for $2.27. Below are my thoughts and opinions of these products! I hope you enjoy and find this useful! ♡


Bronzer-




I bought this bronzer in the shade 739 Ticket to Brazil. It works great for giving my skin some extra color, however I would need to buy a darker shade to contour my face. The bronzer is matte, so it doesn't have much shimmer in it. I also like using this product as eyeshadow, because I think it looks very natural and nice. It is a big product so it should last me a long time, and it's also very cheap- only $4.39. Another good thing about this bronzer is that it has a SPF of 15, so it will give you a little protection from the sun. The downside of this product is that it only comes in 3 shades, but they're pretty universal. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a cheap drugstore bronzer that is animal friendly. This product will add warmth to your face, and you can contour with it if it's a little darker than your skin tone.

Concealer-



I bought this concealer in the shade medium at the drugstore for only $2.27. I'm not a huge fan of this product, mainly because it's not very creamy so it doesn't glide onto the skin smoothly. It's hard to get a lot of product on the skin, because it's so dense. It also only has 3 shades. I do think this product covers up small little blemishes or outbreaks on my face, but I would only use it on a small part of my face. It looks a little cakey, and I wouldn't recommend it for dry skin, just because I found it hard to apply. I had to press very hard on my face to get more product to come off, but for only $2.27, I think the concealer is great for covering up a pimple or blemish here and there. 

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own :)

Animal Cruelty Free Drugstore Makeup ♡

Now that I've started researching animal cruelty free makeup products, I've noticed that they are more expensive than other makeup products. There also aren't many drugstores brands that sell animal cruelty free makeup, so usually you have to buy from expensive brands. I have found a few makeup brands that are from the drugstore (so they're less expensive!), and I have listed some below. I wish there were more big drugstore makeup companies that were animal cruelty free, but sadly there isn't a large variety. I hope you enjoy and find this post useful when you are shopping for new makeup products at the drugstore! ♡



Concealer- NYX HD Concealer
Powder Contour Bronzer- Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer
Eyelash Curler- NYX Eyelash Curler
Gel Eyeliner- NYX Eyeliner Smudge
Eyeshadow Palette- Sonia Kashuk Eye Couture
Eyebrow Pencil- NYX Microbrow Pencil
Makeup Brushes- Sonia Kashuk Brush Set

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and pictures are mine :)



Animal Cruelty Free High End Makeup ♡

Here is a list of high end makeup that is animal cruelty free, which means these companies don't test on animals. You can buy most of these makeup products at Sephora or Ulta Beauty. I'm going to post an animal cruelty free drugstore makeup list later! It's very hard to find brands that are very good quality, but also well regarded, that are animal cruelty free. Most big beauty brands still test their products on animals, or their parent company tests on animals, in order to sell in foreign markets. I hope this helps if you're looking for high end makeup products that don't test on animals! ♡


Powder Contour Bronzer- NARS Bronzing Powder
Brushes- Sigma Travel Kit
Eyelash Curler- NARS Eyelash Curler
Eyeshadow Palette- Too Faced Natural Eyes Neutral

Thanks for reading! 

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own :)

Happy Valentine's Day! ♡

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day and got to spend time with their friends, families and loved ones! ♡


I'm really excited to read Pride and Prejudice! I am reading Sense and Sensibility right now, and I'm really enjoying it! I am also looking forward to to trying out this Andalou Naturals facial moisturizer. I've been needing a new moisturizer, and this one is animal cruelty free and vegan! I think I am going to start only wearing and using beauty and makeup products that are animal cruelty free. I looked up a list of what makeup brands still test on animals, and it was surprising to see how many big makeup companies still do.
  

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: All thoughts, opinions and photos are mine.

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