Fenty Beauty Amber Cream Bronzer Review & Swatches

Christine — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 21:00:00 +0000

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

View Swatches View All 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).

View Swatches

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.