Sweep This On for a Serotonin Boost
By now, most of us know that the effects of beauty products are more than skin deep. They don’t just make us look better; they can make us feel better too. Thus, my new It Cosmetics bronzer makes me feel like summer’s around the corner—and, like sunsets at 10 p.m., a full glass of Whispering Angel rosé, and days where I wear a bathing suit all day, this releases happy chemicals in my brain.
The official name of the bronzer is Confidence In Your Glow. It's the newest addition to It Cosmetics’s best-selling Confidence in a Cream collection, and the powder does include some of the same skincare ingredients found in the original Cream, such as skin-plumping hyaluronic acid, moisture-retaining ceramides, free-radical-fighting antioxidants and skin-brightening vitamin C. The bronzer is also laced with colloidal oatmeal to soothe sensitized skin, it makes pores look smaller, lines less apparent, skin more radiant–and it smells like a mimosa. Now you’re seeing why I’m so happy about it.
Each Confidence In Your Glow compact contains a bronzer, a blush and a slim highlighting strip. There are three "shades," though to me, the blushes are the only discernible difference. There is Instant Nude Glow (a brownish blush), Instant Warm Glow (a peachy blush), and Instant Natural Glow (a pinkish blush). I think choosing from the trio of shades is akin to deciding which cashmere sweater is most flattering: grey, navy or camel. They’re all neutral—and they all look good on everyone. Thus, you really cannot make a bad choice, though, for the record, I went with Instant Nude Glow.
So how do you put on a bronzer-blush-highlighter hybrid? My application is pretty inexact (sorry, makeup artists). I just sweep my brush over the whole palette, then dust over my forehead, cheeks and jawline (for more specific bronzer application tips, read this). And it works fine. Actually, better than fine. I do, however, strongly urge you to use a large, fluffy brush—or It Cosmetics’ One-Sweep Wonder Brush #705—to ensure even distribution. If your brush bristles are too firm or tightly packed, they’ll deposit a big splotch of color wherever they first hit your face.
If you try Confidence In Your Glow, I'd love to know which shade you pick, why—and what you think. I'd also like to hear which beauty products release happy chemicals in your brain. Email me at genevieve@mediumblonde.com or leave a message in the Comments section, below.
