Fenty Beauty Amber Cream Bronzer Review & Swatches
Amber
Fenty Beauty Amber Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer ($32.00 for 0.22 oz.) is a light taupe with a satin-matte finish with neutral-to-cool undertones. It seemed to have a more true, neutral undertone when blended out enough (along the edges), but the color was a bit grayish. This particular shade was listed as a contour shade, though I’m curious if any cooler-toned folks might try it as a muted bronzer!
Applied with a moderately-dense, angled brush or fingertips, it had more semi-sheer to medium coverage in a single layer and then built up to more opaque coverage with two to three layers. For true, sheer coverage in one layer, I’d recommend a lighter hand (duh) or a stippling brush. The formula has to be spread when applied, so it naturally sheers out, even when applied more heavily, but did still seem a little more pigmented than true “sheer” coverage would be.
The consistency was creamy with moderate slip, but it didn’t feel overly slippery or greasy, which ensured it was easy to work with. The gel-cream feel helped it spread well over bare skin as well as over foundation (without lifting it up or creating patchiness). It dried down but retained a skin-like finish, not quite matte but not shimmery either, and looked a bit luminous despite drying down. This shade lasted nicely for eight and a half hours before fading noticeably.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- elf Fair-Light (P, $9.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Anastasia Fawn (P, ) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (80% similar).
- Milk Makeup Toasted (P, $24.00) is less shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
- MAC Crevasse (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (80% similar).
- Anastasia Shadow (P, ) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (80% similar).
Formula Overview
$32.00/0.22 oz. - $145.45 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be "non-greasy," "sweat-resistant," "easy to blend" cream bronzer (or contour) with "sheer, buildable" coverage that has a "natural-looking" finish. The brand called out two shades specifically as contour shades--Amber and Toffee Tease--though they can certainly be used as applicable to one's skin tone and undertone.
The coverage was semi-sheer to medium in one layer and buildable from there, though a lot of the initial opacity depended on the application. Per the brand, the product can be applied with fingertips (they mention "one tap") or with a brush (they created a denser, angled brush for this formula). What I found was that the formula had a tendency to diffuse and spread over the skin in a way that did sheer out the color in practice, so the blended out swatch was more in line with actual results. I think they were, on average, more semi-sheer to medium, buildable coverage than true, sheer coverage but they can definitely be applied lightly or blended out for true, sheer coverage.
Fingertips, generally, apply the heaviest coverage across formulas and products, which was true here. When applied with fingertips, a swirl through the pan yielded more medium and semi-opaque coverage, while a pat or two of a fingertip into the product was good for getting the first layer in place (with more sheer to semi-sheer coverage) and building up coverage where desired. For brushes, something like a stippling brush yielded sheer to semi-sheer coverage and a denser, angled brush yielded more semi-sheer to medium coverage.
The coverage built up exceptionally well as the product layered without becoming uneven in application or in actual texture. The product applied beautifully over bare skin as well as over foundation (I paired them with Fenty's Pro Filtr, which is popular but also more matte, so made for a good test base) as it did not lift up base products.
The consistency was moderately emollient with good glide--it spread easily across my skin, which made it more fluid and gel-like in that way, and it wasn't tacky or so wet that it was hard to blend evenly or get to "stay" in place where I wanted it to stay (thus enabling me to blend out edges with ease). It dried down within a few minutes, but it retained its more skin-like finish despite not feeling wet to the touch.
The test of blendability is often with deeper shades like Chocolate and Toffee Tease, which are significantly deeper than my skin tone, so any unevenness is much more noticeable, but they applied beautifully. I could see them working on deeper skin tones as they were likely designed for, but for someone who is looking for a darker contour shade and is lighter, they're easy to work with as well.
The formula wore well for eight to nine hours, and it had a continued, gradual fading from there that was a flattering fade (it didn't just slide down and off my face!). I'd agree that it seemed sweat- and water-resistant as it didn't start to migrate, bleed, or turn patchy, though it could certainly be rubbed off with light pressure (fingertip, napkin, etc.), e.g. blot away excess moisture.
Browse all of our Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer swatches.
Ingredients
Octyldodecanol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Synthetic Wax, Mica, Polyethylene, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Silica Silylate, Nylon-12, Candelilla Cera/Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax/Cire De Candelilla, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Talc, Bht, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
This would make a brilliant cream contour. Subtle, cool, and grayish-toned. Exactly what I look for.
IDK, I have a feeling that this would be far too light on my complexion to make much of an impact. Too grayish, too, and that’s if it even showed up. It appears to be a straight-up contouring cream.
I could see using this to contour (the greyish taupe shade would make it perfect for me for that purpose) but even as a fair, cool toned person, I think as a “bronzer”, this wouldn’t give me that “glowing with good health and fresh air” look that I hope for in the few bronzers I use. Mind you, maybe it’s perfect for the “Quarantined Self-Isolating Can’t Get a Decent Amount of Fresh Air or Exercise” look….maybe this is the look of Spring 2020 (maybe even in to Summer and Fall, though I hope not)
For some reason, your comment made me laugh! “Quarantined Self-Isolating Can’t Get a Decent Amount of Fresh Air or Exercise”…LOL.
LOL!
Definitely feel my resolve weakening. Doing a Big S order #2? Really? I love things on the gray side. Again, wish I could see it IRL, as I might be too ‘medium’ for this to work well. I’d def try it as a bronzer as well as a contour. So great that summer Fenty is doing so well.
That is too bad for me that it is so greyish but has such a good formuula. I’m light medium neutral and it wouldn’t work on me. In another color, I would certainly consider it as I need a cream bronzer.
Illamasqua Hollow is what this immediately reminds me of.
Yes, it DOES!!
I am loving this. I have it in my cart, but just haven’t pulled the trigger on it because contour just isn’t a part of my normal routine and I’m hoping to see you review Drama Class and Crush on Cupid first (also in my cart – although so far these releases have looked great so I’m not sure I really feel the need to wait for reviews on those specific colors).
The weird thing is I totally glossed over your initial post with the swatches of all the contours and bronzers and didn’t realize Fenty even had ones coming out because they normally don’t interest me. Then I saw your review of Toffee Tease and clicked on it because I was curious just how you were going to pull off such a dark color and realized while Toffee Tease wouldn’t work for me, Amber seems just about perfect and the review seems to confirm it.
If you are a bit lighter than me or you are similar to my lightness but prefer subtle contour, it should work. It’s a little gray for my personal taste, since I am warmer, so I actually like the tone of Chocolate or Toffee Tease (which is cooler-toned than Chocolate but not gray) as a contour color more on my skin tone, though!
How close is this to the Match Stix…? I need another contour product like I need another black eyeliner, but the formula on this looks so pretty…
My most recent order from Sephora still hasn’t reached me yet, but I’m sitting here contemplating another one, LOL! I’ll probably just wait until stores reopen, because there are a couple of other shades I want to look at, but the 20% off sure is tempting…
I don’t have the Match Stix, sorry!
Do you think the texture of this could work as a one-and-done cream eyeshadow?
I didn’t try it on my eyes, so I don’t know how well it would hold up!
Interesting. That is significantly gray. It looks like a contour as opposed to a bronzer. I owned ABH Shadow and quite liked it, but stopped using cream products and tossed it. If someone with cooler skintones picks this up, I would be interested to know how it reads on them. The pan itself looks like a bronzer.
So, per the shade description, it is listed as a contour, but the range is called Freestyle Cream Bronzer! I think they should have separated them out OR went with a less niche name!
As someone who sometimes struggles with “cool tones” looking too warm on me, this might work, but I think I’ll stick to the Milani/Hourglass/Too Faced powder bronzers I have that I use to contour my cheeks. I love that all of these products are scoring so well. :o) And thank you for the super fast reviews on them!
I’m in to it. The only cream contour color I currently have is part of a large palette. It’d be nice to have something smaller for travel.
I absolutely love this color. Very much like first contour/bronzer shade that’s worked for me. It’s hard to resist since it’s a harder color to find!