MAC Bronzing Powder Review

I think this product would be good, but I got colour matched so wrong. The give me sun, is basically the same shade as my own skin, so there is barely any difference, it just looks like I've packed on the powder in the areas I tried to bronze.

I bought Refined Golden in the Wash & Dry collection so the packaging is absolutely gorgeous; none of this boring standard black for me hehe but the jokes on me really because I had no idea it was part of the permanent range grrrrr!

I bought it from MAC US via Shipito and was horrified when I opened up the compact to reveal a shimmery bronzer. I kid you not, I was kicking myself. Who in their right mind wants a shimmery bronzer!? But fear not; the shimmer does not appear on me at all. I’m not even sure how that works but I’ve checked my face so many times in different lighting and the only shimmer I see is my overdone highlight (oh yes it’s all about NASA seeing me from the moon).

When I first used the product I had to swirl my brush around abit because I didn’t notice any product ‘moving’ from the pan let alone making it on my brush. I’ve had products like that before where you kind of need to give them a bit of a kick but eventually I got the colour and powder going. What fascinates me is that when I pick up the product it doesn’t seem to disturb or dent the powder in the pan; it’s as if I barely touched it. The pigmentation is great; it’s quite dark on me which is surprising because it looks lighter in the pan it makes me wonder how they came up with the name “Refined Golden” – it’s more of a dark tan with very litte sign of any “golden” moments.

I use an angled kabuki or slanted angle brush to blend out the bronzer and this has to be one of the easiest powders to blend WITHOUT losing the colour payoff altogether. I’m still left with a nice matte finish and as mentioned earlier no shimmer on me (thank goodness)! The product lasts me throughout the day and I don’t notice any fading until 7 hours later. I personally wouldn’t recommend this for anyone lighter than MAC NC42 just because it’s quite a dark bronzer unless you don’t mind use it very lightly. I’m quite stoked with this bronzer and even more so knowing it’s part of the permanent range.

As with most MAC products, the quality is great, this is no exception. My draw card was the fact there is a Matte version, sans shimmer! As an oily faced girl this has been a godsend. Highly recommend!

I liked this bronzer, but I do prefer a matte finish so this one had just a little too much sparkle for me. In saying that, this bronzer works great with my green undertones and looks very natural.

There's nothing like a touch of bronzer to add a bit of pep to summer skin.

I used MAC's bronzer throughout the summer and have to say that it did give my skin a lovely healthy glow and a subtle boost.

The only thing I was a bit unsure about is that it seemed to "catch" a little on application - I'm not sure if that was because of the moisturiser I was using but that was the only minor draw back I found in an otherwise lovely product.

I have this bronzer in matte and I love it! Such sleek black packaging thats easy to carry with me. Very light and closes securely. It has awesome pigmentation but doesnt come off as a brown line when you try to apply it, (still remember to tap off the excess!) easy to blend and build on. Very natural look even for someone as pale as me! Little bit pricey but not much product is needed- will last a long time and I think its worth the money!

Such a great bronzer and a really nice colour definitely recommend! I use my fluffy brush to apply this all over my face it gives me a great colour. It is also good at contouring.

I have 'matte bronze'. Would definitely recommend this matte bronzer for any pale girls just starting out with bronzing. It's hard to overdo but has just the right amount of pigment so it doesn't take forever to build up.

I can't comment on whether or not there are better drug store bronzers available. I just find that this is a pretty flattering tone and does exactly what it should do.

I recently switched from the shimmery bronzer to the matte bronzer, it is really easy to build up on the cheeks and other areas for contouring. I don't usually apply much because I am quite pale. Nice colour, good addition to every day make up for an extra touch. Probably a little pricey, as I know there are some good dupes out there.