It wasn’t so long ago that Marc Jacobs was ruling over Sephora with his giant O!mega Bronze Coconut Perfect Tan bronzing powder. The huge white slim-line compact, with equally huge mirror, was a favourite across social media and Youtube, and I love it for the ease of which you can swirl a big powder brush in and generously bronze your face and neck. And then there’s the fact that the compact just felt nice in the hand and like a treat to use – so much of what cosmetics are about is that ritual of touch, indulgence and moment of self.
Soon after there was another oversized, white compact on thousands of (Sephora) wishlists: Tom Ford Beauty’s Glow Bronzer, and I picked up the shade 02 Terra.
Let’s get the simple fact out there first. You do not need this giant, oversized bronzer. There is a normal, human-size version available for sale as well. It’s also perfectly packaged in a beautiful domed white compact, bordered with gold edging and a perfectly adequate mirror. But somewhere between ‘need’ and ‘wanting’ I ended up with the giant version in my hands. Yes, it’s a beautiful thing to have sitting on your dressing table and if it happens that this is the perfect shade of bronzer for your skin tone, then perhaps the larger size is warranted. For me, in hindsight, the smaller offering would have been just fine.
To the powder itself, this minky-brown bronzer is a good tone for my fair skin, and it doesn’t show too warm (read orange) on my face. I’m still becoming acquainted with the texture of the powder itself, which is soft but not quite as effortless as say, the Marc Jacobs or a classic Hourglass bronzer. I do end up with quite a bit of product kick-up in the pan if I go in with a medium-firm brush, while a softer brush doesn’t quite collect enough product to truly bronze my skin. Despite this being named a Glow Bronzer, it’s worth noting I don’t see any visible shimmer or sparkle and if this does give radiance it is in the most subtle of ways. Hourglass luminosity, this is not.
I have an uncomfortable inkling at the back of my mind – somewhere I’m not willing to delve given the cost of this giant product – that this isn’t my dream bronzer and perhaps won’t be the one I reach for day to day. Do I love using it? Yes. Do I love looking at it and opening it and does the large mirror please me? Yes, yes, and yes. Do I wish I’d just thought with my head, rather than the makeup-addicted heart, and purchased the small version instead? Just quietly, yes.
Find Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs at Sephora