Gucci Medium (03) Soleil Bronzing Powder Review & Swatches
Medium (03)
Gucci Beauty Medium (03) Soleil Bronzing Powder ($62.00 for 0.42 oz.) is a brighter, medium brown with strong, warm undertones (that leaned more yellow-orange) paired with fine, golden pearl woven through a satin finish. It had excellent pigmentation in a single layer, though the brand described the formula as buildable coverage, so you’ll need to use a lighter hand to achieve that type of application if desired.
For reference, this shade is warmer and lighter than Light (02) despite the name. The texture was silky-smooth, soft, and had some glide to it, where it was almost velvety but lacked the density that I’d normally associate with a truly velvety feel. There was a smidgen of powderiness in the pan when used with a larger, bronzer brush. The product applied well to bare skin and blended out with ease along the edges, and as I blended the powder out, it had a subtle sheen. It wore well for eight and a half hours before fading visibly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Tom Ford Beauty Gold Dust (P, $70.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Delphic (LE, $34.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Makeup by Mario Medium (P, $28.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Tarte Carat (PiP, ) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Clinique Sunkissed Pop (LE, ) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Gold Dust (P, $68.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- NABLA Cosmetics Dune (P, $26.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Hourglass Natural Bronze Light (LE, $52.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Hourglass Golden Bronze Light (P, $52.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Too Faced Sweet Peach Bronzer (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$62.00/0.42 oz. - $147.62 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to have a "creamy" texture that is "buildable and feels comfortable all day" that "blends effortlessly" with a "healthy-looking glow." They disclosed that it is a scented powder--it has a floral scent to my nose, noticeable enough when the compact is open and for a couple of hours after initial application.
There are five shades in the range, though the first two shades are rosier, while the next three are warmer/more golden; while they may seem like they go in order from light to dark, 02 is darker than 03 (the rest are in order). The texture was very soft, finely-milled, and silky to the touch with a bit of a glide to it, without being overly dense nor too powdery in the pan. This resulted in an easy product to apply as the powder went on evenly and diffused well along the edges with minimal effort.
I wouldn't describe the pigmentation was buildable, though. I think you can use a lighter hand and pick up less product for a more buildable application of color, but the product itself was more semi-opaque to opaque in pigmentation. They seemed to have very, very fine pearl through most of the shades (one had more noticeable micro-sparkle, which gave them a more semi-matte to satin finish when applied and blended out on the skin. The formula lasted eight to nine hours on me before showing signs of wear.
Browse all of our Gucci Beauty Soleil Bronzing Powder swatches.
Ingredients
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, C30-45 Alkyl Dimethicone, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Sorbitan Isostearate, C20-24 Alkyl Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum/Fragrance, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, C20-24 Olefin, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Alumina, Limonene, Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Linalool, Glycerin, Zinc Stearate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Geraniol, Citral, Mica, Citric Acid, Tin Oxide, [May Contain/Peut Contenir/+/-:Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide(CI 77891)].
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.
Yeah, it would definitely seem like Gucci got their Light and Medium switched up! I like this shade. But not $62 “like”. No, I would need to be absolutely in love with it for that price, and it would need to have flawlessly impeccable quality, too.
I don’t think they have mixed them up. It is somewhat unlikely… Instead I think they have chosen to go a little bit of a different route which actually makes this a bit more inclusive than many other ranges of bronzers who simply go from light to dark. I believe that they instead are trying to focus on the undertones of the bronzers and by trying to make the quality of the bronzer “buildable” which is one of their claims, (albeit Christine points out that to perhaps be an area where it will take some skill of the painter too to be able to achieve that…;) ). Because when you look closer on the five shades except for the number 1 shade and the number 5 shade that are obviously the lightest and the darkest shade the three shades in the middle represent more different undertones than difference in darkness… Number 2 is the most neutral in the range, number 3 is the warmest yellow/orange and number 4 has a much more red undertone. That means you can instead of choosing by skin colour you can choose by undertone and instead regulate the darkness by using a light or a more heavy hand when applying…
To me that seems like at least a bit new way of thinking which probably is more likely than the brand Gucci making a whopsydaisy when they launch a whole new range of bronzers. And also a welcome change for many reasons… I for one have often had a hard time finding the right bronzer for my skin tone since I am usually in the middle between two shades. So if the formula is good I think it might be great. And if it hits maybe others will follow suit?
No kidding – when you can get a WnW dupe with the same A- rating for under $5, seems sort of daft to waste all that money on this one just to have the Gucci cachet! Even the Too Faced Chocolate Gold one that got a HIGHER rating, is still less than half the price of this Gucci one. I wonder if, in light of the Pandemic and the huge numbers of people suffering through job loss, economic hardships and a real wake up call about what’s truly important, even people who can afford “luxury” brands will be rethinking their priorities. I know I’d rather buy a good $30 bronzer and give the difference to a charity that supports front line workers….sorry to sound preachy but more and more, seeing the prices of things like this or those Tom Ford palettes, I find that my greedy makeup fingers are remaining dormant and I’m shaking my head a bit more….
I find the scent in this bronzer to be both overwhelming and unnecessary. I like the colors; however, the contrast between 02/03 as stand alone shades, let alone undertone, is perplexing.