Bronzer Breakdown

From Left:

MAC contour powder in Bone Beige

Physician's Formula Bronzer in Light Bronze

Rimmel Matte Bronze in Sunlit

MAC Mineral Skin Finish in Medium Dark

These are the bronzers currently cycling in my collection. My quick breakdown is as follows:

MAC Bone Beige:

My go to for cheek contour. It's not too muddy brown (hello benefit Hoola) for my pale skin, blends well and applies in layers from soft to dramatic. Biggest hit against the product is that it is a pro MAC product and can only be found at the pro MAC stores.

Physician's Formula Bronzer in Light Bronze:

Since taking these pictures, I've actually removed this from my collection. It was more of a light blush than a bronzer, and didn't give the hollows of my cheeks the depth I needed for the contoured look

Rimmel Bronze in Sunlit:

LOVE this drugstore product. It's a lot of product for just a few dollars and works great to "sun me up" when I feel like getting my bronze on. It pulls a little more to the orange side, rather than brown, but never makes me look like an oompa loompa. I've been using this a lot of bridal clients who want more of a warm glow for their winter weddings.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium Dark:

This one will quickly be discarded from my collection. Upon first application it's the perfect color. Toasty and warm, I just love it. Flash forward three hours to when it's oxidized on my skin and I do look like a fake tan gone wrong.

That said, the MSFs and I don't seem to get along (save the blushes which I LOVE!). I noticed that my medium light face powders turns dark and funky on me too.

From Left: MAC Bone Beige, Physician's Formula Light Bronze,

Rimmel Bronze in Sunlit, MAC MSF in Medium Dark

From Left: MAC Bone Beige, Physician's Formula Light Bronze,

Rimmel Bronze in Sunlit, MAC MSF in Medium Dark

Dupe it Up: MAC Sublime Culture

Top: Rimmel Exaggerate Liner in Addiction $4-5

Bottom: MAC Creamstick liner in Sublime Culture $17.50

Top:Rimmel; Bottom: MAC

While there is no doubt that MAC puts out a good liner in a large variety of shades and textures (creamsticks vs pencils), sometimes the high prices make close my wallet and run the other direction.

The glory of a bad economy right? We are walking away from the high brow and looking for more affordable options. In this case, my friends, we've struck gold.

Enter Rimmel Automatic Liner for 4-dollars and change at your local drugstore...

Rimmel left, MAC right

FIVE DOLLARS? Huzzah to the cheaper alternative.

The Nitty Gritty:

The Rimmel liner is a little bit larger at the point, which can make it slightly more challenging to get the thin, precise, line you may be looking for and the texture is less creamy than it's more expensive cousin. However, the product is more available since you can find it at any drugstore carrying Rimmel products and it's price point more than makes up for it's different texture.

As a color comparison, the two are pretty spot on. If I HAD to nit pick I would say that Sublime Culture is a pinch more peach whereas Addiction pulls a pinch more pink, but the difference is hardly noticeable at glance.

Bottom Line:

Run, don't walk, to replace your more expensive MAC Sublime Culture for it's cheaper relative, Rimmel Exaggerate Liner in Addiction and use the extra cash to buy yourself a coffee, cause "ya done good kid".

Dupe it up: MAC Fresh Salmon

It happens at least once in every large limited edition release, you find something you. just. love.

The following story may sound familiar:

Love at first sight, you wear your new found "holy grail item" for a week straight. Days or weeks pass and you suddenly notice that your use of this beloved item is starting to show. An irrational fear begins to creep, "Omg, what will I do when it runs out?!"

You tell yourself to stop using it so much, limit it to special occasions or maybe put it in a bottom drawer and out of sight. Initially, it taunts you from the bottom drawer, begging for use but, eventually, a new collection comes out and you forget about it entirely. Your newly obsessed "holy grail" becomes old news and is quickly replaced with the next collections "must have" item...until...

One day you're cleaning out your makeup drawer, the one on the bottom that you hardly look at, and you stumble upon it. Its like meeting a new friend all over again, usage increase, and the irrational fear is just around the corner...the cycle repeats.

MACs Fresh Salmon has been like Gollum's ring to me since it was released in the Spring Color Forecast last year. Everytime I use it I am filled with equal parts joy and guilt because I know soon my days of the perfect pinky coral will be ovah.

I was determined to find a dupe, and dupe it I did.

Rimmel Moisture Renew in Coral Shimmer (120) on left, MAC Fresh Salmon (lustre) on right

Coral Shimmer left, Fresh Salmon Right (no flash)

Clearly it's not a perfect dupe, as seen in the photo above. Fresh Salmon, right, has slightly more pink undertones as compared to Coral Shimmer's more, well, coral/peach undertone. But they're sooo close!

Coral Shimmer (left w.flash) has a smidgen more of a shimmer as compared to Fresh Salmon's subtle sheen which often accompanies MAC lustre formula.

Close enough for me. And with the Rimmel Coral Shimmer at an incredible 7-ish dollars, I will gladly swap out one for the other. Fresh Salmon, you are official moved out of the bottom retirement drawer. Huzzah!