Clinique Almost Bronzer SPF 15 – 01 Light Medium

What Clinique claims: Sheer bronzing duo protects with broad-spectrum SPF 15. Versatile formula lets you customize and build your bronze from sun kissed to suntanned. Provides a natural look all-year round. Long-wearing. Oil free. For all skins.
• Use Almost Bronzer SPF 15 Bronzing Brush to sweep colour all over face and neck.
• Blend shades together to create a natural bronzed look or use each shade separately to highlight cheekbones and other areas of the face.

Cost: Not sure as it was a gift, but going by the USD price, about Rs.1500

This was the other gift that my very sweet cousin got me last year. It comes in two shades, light medium and medium dark. I have light medium.

And here’s the cute little pouch she gave me the gloss and bronzer in. Having a tough time keeping my daughter’s hands off it: she wants it for her own collection.

Ingredients: Sadly I threw away the box and couldn’t find it online either.

Packaging: Comes in a sturdy brown case which clicks shut. Simple and classy. Has a mirror and a compartment for the brush. Easy to carry around.

My take: I’ve never been a blush/bronzer person. I may be wrong, but I already have very defined cheekbones and a strong chin, so I didn’t think there was much contouring I could do, bronzer-wise. And I had never used a blush since my wedding, since I didn’t know how to! But then you don’t want to waste a Clinique product, free that too. So google came to my rescue. I read tons of articles, looked at loads of diagrams and practiced in front of the mirror. I figured out with my kind of face, the best thing was to smile, and then place the colour from beneath my eyes on to the apples of my cheeks. Although a bronzer (or almost a bronzer) for my skintone (neither dark nor fair, but with yellow tones to it) it works perfectly as a blush. For fairer people it would function well as a bronzer. Since it is not very pigmented or doesn’t show up as very pigmented on me, it just gives a nice glow and flush of colour. I use the darker shade in the pan – which is not as brown as it looks, more a warm flesh tone with overtones of rose and a little, subtle golden shimmer. The lighter one has shimmer too, and I use it more to highlight my forehead, elongate my nose, on my brow bone etc. Since other than lip or eye colour I don’t use much make up on a regular basis, I’m more likely to use this for occasions.

Tried swatching it, it just doesn’t show up too well in pics. (Hope you can see some colour in the centre) This is after about 8 swipes! But on my face I put just a swipe or two and it shows up decently.

Pros of Clinique Almost Bronzer SPF 15 – 01

• Nice colour, subtle, a glowing rosy brown with a hint of golden shimmer
• Hasn’t broken me out
• The shimmer isn’t OTT, so you can wear it lightly during day as well for a glow
• Has SPF
• Didn’t oxidize
• No oranginess
• Convenient packaging

Cons of Clinique Almost Bronzer SPF 15 – 01

• Doesn’t last all that long – although the foreign reviews said it did, so it may have something to do with the weather or my skin
• Very light coverage (but I think it is perhaps buildable)
• Not very pigmented – you have to run the brush quite a few times across the pan to get enough of the product
• Emphasised my enlarged pores a teeny bit
• Can’t do much with the light shade – at least I can’t

Would I buy this again: Probably not. It is expensive and the shade is not right for me as a bronzer – I don’t see myself using bronzers generally in the conventional way. As a blush it works better for me but I would rather experiment with blushes from cheaper brands!

Rating: 3 on 5, based on its usefulness to me.

Also Read:
Maybelline Dream Mousse Bronzer
Lakme Gold Dust Shimmer Bronzer
The Body Shop Nomadic Goddess Warm Glow Bronzer
Marks & Spencer Per Una Bronzing Powder
Clinique 3 Step Skin Care System
Clinique Anti-Blemish Spot Treatment
Clinique Foundation
Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector