Tom Ford Blush Guilt Illuminating Cheek Color ($58.00 for 1.0 oz.) is described as a “natural, radiant glow.” It’s a warm-toned, pink bronze with a glowing, illuminating sheen. Of the two shades for summer, this is the most dupable, as it doesn’t add a lot of color, just sheen. It’s not as warm-toned as the other illuminator, Fire Lust, which has a liquid consistency, and the form of this one makes it easier to apply in specific spots, rather than mixed with foundation or moisturizer.
Bronzed Amber ($58.00 for 1.0 oz.) is described as a “natural, bronzed glow.” It imparts a warm, bronzy sheen and barely-there shimmer to wherever it is applied. It only adds very slight warmth to my medium complexion, so I think it wouldn’t be too strong on pale complexions and then on deeper skin tones, it will be more of a gleam than added color.
The Illuminating Cheek Color is a solid, creamy stick of color designed to illuminate the skin. These reminded me of NARS’ The Multiples, though the texture of this formula is creamier, less waxy, and glides on better. It also seems to be more flattering against my skin (in terms of texture), because it blends out more readily and easily. I would guess that Orgasm would be somewhat similar to Blush Guilt (I think Orgasm might be a bit pinker), while Bronzed Amber would be somewhat similar to Palm Beach (you can see some really old group swatches of The Multiples here). I think these are sheerer, and designed to be that way given they’re illuminators, compared to some of the Multiple shades available (think more in the style of Copacabana).
The texture is emollient without being too slippery or slick, so it blends and spreads easily across the skin, while not becoming oily looking throughout the day. Blush Guilt seemed to last (I was judging how glowy the area looked) for seven hours well but was mostly faded after nine hours. Bronzed Amber wore slightly better and was visible well into the eighth hour but was half-gone by nine hours. I think Bronzed Amber is more versatile, as it can add some color/definition (it’s not too warm-toned and not an orange-toned bronzer) as well as a sheen.
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I think Bronzed Amber is more versatile, as it can add some color/definition (it's not too warm-toned and not an orange-toned bronzer) as well as a sheen.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
5/5
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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As I mentioned in my review for MAC’s Refined Golden, there were some serious texture issues (oddities?) with the regular bronzing powders in this collection. A few readers chimed in and said they had similar issues with past limited edition releases of the normally-permanent shades. That, of course, worries me, because I was originally chalking it up to being one-off, because the permanent versions have a normal, powder-like texture. The texture of Soft Sand almost felt like plastic–almost like a very stiff cream bronzer that didn’t give much payoff at all. I took a paper tough and just went to town getting the first few layers off, and that seemed to help quite a bit. I was able to get it to pick up on my brush after that and had it show up well on my skin. It lasted just under eight hours well without fading. I had issues with the texture of last year’s Soft Sand, too; there were very similar issues but this felt even worse and even harder to get to work.
I had issues with the texture of last year's Soft Sand, too; there were very similar issues but this felt even worse and even harder to get to work.
Product
5/10
Pigmentation
4/10
Texture
3/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $25.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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I had a very odd experience with this shade (as well as the other one, which I’ll be reviewing soon), which was it was nearly impossible to get color payoff out of it. It felt like plastic almost, not a powder; I almost thought it was a cream. I have, actually, once received a powder compact that was filled with a plastic “powder” pan instead of a real powder pan. I thought maybe it was twice lucky… No, it was a powder–I scraped at it with a metal spatula to dislodge enough product to swatch. It felt almost creamy but there was next to no color payoff. But lo and behold, after rubbing off a few layers with a paper towel, it seemed to be more like a powder. I was able to get it to show up on my cheeks. It lasted seven and a half hours on me, and then it was slightly faded after eight hours.
With all of that said, my version is a press sample, and though it was in regular retail packaging (so it wasn’t an early batch or a small-run of products, which just means it should be what you get), I’m so baffled by it, I’m not really sure. This is part of the permanent range, though, and I have had this shade previously without the odd texture issues. My rating is based on this being a one-off, odd occurrence (and rating based on the texture of my older compact) but recommend checking it out for yourself or buying the permanent version (cheaper and available in a black compact). I’m still finding it a very, very bizarre event.
My rating is based on this being a one-off, odd occurrence (and rating based on the texture of my older compact) but recommend checking it out for yourself or buying the permanent version (cheaper and available in a black compact).
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
trong>MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $25.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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Sun Dipped is just as fantastic as Nude on Board, which is always a good sign, because consistency is really an underrated characteristic. It has the same creamy, buttery, silky-smooth texture that elevates this product from good to great. The pigmentation is buildable, as described, and can be applied sheerly, semi-sheerly, or more moderately. This particular shade almost has a shadowy tint to it, so it might work as a contour for some (though I hesitate to mention that, because it is shimmery and contour powders tend to be more matte, but as this blends out, the shimmer turns into a very subtle sheen so it looks rather natural). When I wore Sun Dipped yesterday, it wore well for a full nine hours and only had slight fading after ten hours.
The texture is phenomenal; so soft and silky but never powdery. It sits well on the skin and looks natural. Plus, it wears well!
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $30.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. the Pro Longwear Bronzing Powders, and I’m so happy to see their return this year. The first thing you’ll notice is how utterly silky-smooth the texture is. It’s buttery, creamy, lightweight, and extremely finely-milled. It’s so soft, but it’s not powdery. Nude on Board blends out effortlessly, and it sits well on the skin without emphasizing pores. It’s supposed to give “sheer-low transparent coverage,” plus long-wear and with a natural finish.
Just to double-check the awesomeness that is the Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder formula, I re-tested wear, and I didn’t have any noticeable fading until the tenth hour. The color payoff is buildable, and it’s a subtle bronzer but it can be layered to more intense payoff, if desired.
I would recommend Nude on Board for those who prefer warmer bronzers (particularly those with naturally warm undertones).
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $30.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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Dior Pink Glow (001) Nude Tan Paradise Duo ($56.00 for 0.33 oz.) is a split-pan powder that features a bronzer and blush, and each of those is split as well into a lighter and darker section. It comes with a small, domed brush (like a buffer brush) as well.
Pink Glow Bronzer is a light-medium, peach-orange with a mostly matte finish. It had good color payoff, was buildable, and the texture was incredibly soft and silky, so it was a cinch to apply and blend the bronzer on the skin. This shade wore well for eight full hours and was just starting to fade after nine. Guerlain Terra Ora is shimmery and browner. Too Faced Bronzed & Poreless is browner. Illamasqua Disobey is darker, browner, less orange. MAC Optical is less orange.
Pink Glow Blush is a subtly warm-toned, pink-coral with a subtle, satin finish. It had decent color payoff, but it wasn’t buildable to totally true-to-pan color (slightly shy of, so not terribly sheer but not opaque as it could be). It lasted eight hours well but had noticeable fading after nine hours of wear. NARS Boys Don’t Cry is bolder, brighter, and more orange. Guerlain Pink Punk is similar–perhaps a touch pinker that won’t be detectable if the two are applied and blended out. Burberry Blossom is a bit brighter. MAC Supercontinental is lighter. MAC Fleet Fast is darker. Tom Ford Flush is brighter. Tarte Blissful is somewhat brighter.
I don’t think owning both this and Dior Coral Glow is necessary. The bronzers differ the most between the two, while the blushes are more similar than not–the Coral Glow Blush is warmer and less pink (more orange) but on, it’s hard to differentiate between the two. Coral Glow’s Bronzer is yellower and darker, but applied, again, the differences can get lost if they aren’t applied heavily. The difference is going to be most visible on very fair skin and on cooler complexions, but light-medium and darker complexions will likely see less of those differences in practice.
If you prefer pinker corals, you may prefer this over Coral Glow. I think the two are similar enough that having both isn't necessary (and more of an indulgence--a nice-to-have), since they look rather similar once applied!
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
