Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base Review, Photos, Swatches
Original
Chanel Original Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base ($50.00 for 1.00 oz.) is a medium, golden brown with warm, yellow undertones and a barely-there golden pearl. It’s a lighter bronzer, which would make it more suitable for fair to light-medium complexions but is likely to get lost on medium and deeper skin tones–I wish it was available in more shades.
The formula is described as a “light cream-gel bronzer” that gives a “sun-bathed look” that can be worn on its own or “over or under” foundation. The consistency was denser, not at all spongy, and smooth like a gel but thinner like a cream product. Initially, there was a touch of dewiness as the product dried down, but within a minute or so, the product dried down and had a more satin-to-matte finish–not quite matte but not luminous or glossy at all. It was easy to buff along the edges of the face for an all-over warmth or applied more heavily to the cheeks. It had good pigmentation, which was buildable to true-to-pan coverage or easily sheered out for barely-there warmth. I felt like it had a more visible effect over foundation or over bare skin, and it worked well in either instance. Unless one wears a very, very sheer coverage foundation, it was largely lost when worn underneath a foundation.
Top Dupes
- MAC Radiant Medium Golden (P, $35.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- Givenchy Ambre Saison (P, $52.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Golden Rinse (LE, $35.50) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Laura Mercier Bronze (02) (P, $40.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Fenty Beauty Butta Biscuit (P, $32.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Bon Voyage (P, $8.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Makeup by Mario Light Medium (P, $28.00) is less shimmery, cooler, less glossy (90% similar).
- ColourPop Skinny Dip (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- REFY Sand (P, $26.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Sun Tan (LE, ) is warmer (95% similar).
I’ve always put off buying this because, despite its fairly excellent reviews on MUA and pretty much all over the internet, it always seems so “orange” to my eye. Christine, have you (or anyone else here) tried using this as a base all over your face or as an all over bronzer? I’m curious to see it used that way, rather than as a contour or as a warmer toned blush – I wonder how it looks used all over to give a hit of colour and warmth. I’d really like to see how it works used in that fashion.
You can use it as a base but you have to use a pretty sheer coverage foundation (or none) or else it would cover it all up! I used it along the edges of the forehead/face, down the nose, on cheeks, and along the jawline over foundation without any issues.
I’ve used it all over my face and it is highly recommended that way.
It is a must to have.
Great Review!
I am NC42 but yellowish-olive. I sometimes wear this as a base all over instead of a bronzer. You are correct it is lost as a bronzer on darker skin, but a Chanel MUA once applied this on me before a sheer foundation and it gave my complexion such depth and tonality. I am very yellowish-olive, I guess one could say neutral leaning cool.
In my younger days when my skin was great I could wear this alone with some powder on top….Oh those were the days. This is a fab product though; it looks good on the eyes as a base too! It smooths the lid colour of darker skin and gives depth to lighter skin whilst prepping for eyeshadow.
By the way, have you heard anything about the new Les Beiges Powder with Shimmer? I am awaiting your review before I purchase a few shades. I also can’t wait for the new Chanel cushion foundation!
Sorry, I haven’t tried that!
It is good to hear that it would work well as a base for NC42 skin, though!
I love this stuff. It’s beautiful, and the scent to me is divine. I did switch to the Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer, which is an exact dupe. I could not tell the difference at all, except there is no lovely scent. But here’s the thing….
In the long run, the Chanel product is a better bang for the buck. I went through the Kashuk in just a few months, but at 18 months the Chanel product is still going strong. Kashuk is a good intro to see if you like the product and use it. If so, I’d switch to the Chanel.
I’ll have to check out the Sonia Kashuk one sometime, even if the Chanel lasts longer in terms of usages!
Not for me — a little too orange-y for my tone, and I don’t really use bronzers all that much anyway. But I have to say what a fun eye look!
Thanks, AB!
I did not like it : too orange for my skintone (nw20) and made my skin look oily after a few hours of wear. Too sad !
I could definitely see it being too warm on your skin tone, Monika!
Hi Christine,
What brush(es) would you recommend using for this foundation?
I would use something like MAC’s 187!
I like the concept, but I can pull this off with one of the GA fluid sheers. This reminds me to pull #11 ’cause it’s really nice in the summer as a cheek base.
I haven’t used a Fluid Sheer in awhile – thank you for the reminder 😉
Looks too yellow for me but I like the low key gleam.
Probably too warm!
This is HIGHLY raved about on Youtube. Not surprised at the A rating!
It is!
I’m left feeling very disappointed in Chanel only putting out one shade of this. On me, it could give me a very slight extra bit of warmth, possibly one shade darker (?), but likely not much else.
Reader Kristina mentioned on her NC42 skin that it worked really well as an all-over base!
Thank you for the review. How did you apply this? Did you use a brush just like with a pressed bronzer?
I used a synthetic stippling brush!
I saw this recently at Nordstrom. Always wanted to try it out, shadewise, I felt it was very similar to the Estee lauder X Victoriabeckham bronzer in Saffron Sun. I could be wrong, but Saffron Sun seems a bit more pigmented to me, I am between NC25 and 30, it shows up on me better than the Chanel one.
Saffron Sun will go a longer way if you want to use it more heavily, IMO!
Lol I think you are right Christine! I probably won’t buy the Chanel one and will keep your tip about Saffron Sun in mind. Thanks!
I love this. It is a huge jar of product and I use a dense face brush to buff it in after foundation along my cheekbones and hairline or all over depending on the day. It is effortless and, on my skin, not too orange. I am fair (Northern European decent) and usually the second lightest color in most foundation brands and have neutral undertones. I will buy it again when this one runs out but that is not going to happen for a long time and I wear this almost every day. If I had to pick one bronzer this would be it – totally worth the money.
Thank you for the tips on how you use it, Katy! 🙂
I am so curious about this and have been tempted to buy it but with the domino effect of health problems that started with the spider bite last year ( totally healed ) continued with the whole getting in a car accident without being in a car, just in my own yard minding my business, and now a rare heart arrhythmia coupled with the after effects of too many brain injuries from being a daredevil maniac in my younger years and the kind of person who let me reiterate…was in a car accident, without being in a car..Or on a road..Or sidewalk …has led me to not being able to reliably return things if they don’t work for me. Do you think I could pull this off? I’m not the orange shade I appear in this picture, my foundation oxidized that color, F U ybf foundation!! I’m the lightest shade in almost everything and my undertone is neutral even though I have a ruddy Irish complexion that will get red splotches if you even breath near it, was that enough info? What do you think?
There are a few readers here who said they were fair and use this – I think it’s very forgiving so I could see it working on fair skin even if it seems warmer.
If you live near a Target, you might be able to try Sonia Kashuk’s version – I have not but a few readers here also mentioned it being very similar (but you get less product or you use it up faster than Chanel) – still, cheaper outlay initially!
I’m surprised you didn’t dupe it to the Sonia Kashuk cream bronzers, I have always heard they are a close dupe.
Sorry, I haven’t tried that!
Hi, Christine–
Do you remember what you are wearing on your lips in the picture? Love the color, coverage, and shine, and although I’ve been ‘tricked’ into buying glosses and lipsticks in the past because they looked gorgeous on you (you can wear almost any color; I have to stick to MLBB shades!), this looks like it would work on me.
Thanks!
I don’t 🙁 I had gone back about six months of pink lipsticks that I had reviewed and could not figure it out!
Well, thanks, anyway! Sometimes I can figure it out by comparing oodles of similar photos, but every now and then I hit a wall and have to ask. Tends to be when you couldn’t figure it out, either, because you’re so reliable about including all the information you do know!
Anyway, too bad, because it sure looks pretty on you, too!
It’s been driving me nuts, and now that I’m home, it was at least able to search my disk drive for files by date.
I think it’s this – Chanel Beige Rose – http://www.temptalia.com/product/chanel-le-rouge-crayon-de-couleur/beige-rose/
Looks identical to me! Darn, I would’ve found it if I’d just gone back further (in time); I thought because the review came out now I should be sticking to things like the MAC Fruity Whatever collection and the Pretty Vulgar shots, but this must’ve been much longer ago.
You seem to be like me–unanswered questions nag at you until you finally solve them, huh? 😉
Anyway, thanks very much for getting the result. I don’t think you’ve ever NOT replied to a question, and I hope you know you’re rare that way. I don’t visit many other blogs anymore except for swatches (to compare to yours or items you haven’t done), but I see tons of unanswered questions on most of them. No matter how many people write to you, you get back to us, and quickly! That’s got to contribute to why longtime readers all feel so “protective” of you and defend your reliability and expertise to any newcomer to your site!
Not bad I guess it really does live up to the hype!
It did!
I love Charlotte Tilbury’s Sun Tan. I worry the Chanel bronzer would look too yellow on me. I tried Chanel’s Les Beiges Healthy Glow bronzers and the lighter formulas had a yellow undertone that was noticable on my skintone versus the Deep Medium shade that has some red in it. Glad Chanel’s bronzer graded well just the same!!
It’s amazing how important undertones can be!
Hi Christina!
Can you please share how did you apply this product?
I explained in the 2nd paragraph where I applied and used it!