CHANEL: Soleil Tan de CHANEL Bronzing Makeup Base (swatches & review)

For the longest time, I stupidly resisted bronzers; blame the images of my youth, where women sported unflattering splotches of orange across their face and thought themselves “believably” bronzed – SO not a good look. Then a couple of years ago, something happened: I fell in love with the packaging of a cream bronzer – not even the product itself, mind you – and since that time, not only have I never looked back, but my collection now borders on obsession. About that same time, I began hearing such raves about ‘Soleil Tan de CHANEL’, that I finally had to see for myself what the fuss was all about. Holy Hot Tanned Tamale … this has got to be “the one to rule them all” … !

‘Soleil Tan de CHANEL Bronzing Makeup Base’ is an incredibly flattering bronzer that comes in a velvety smooth crème-gel formula, that literally seems to glide effortlessly on application, to melt seamlessly into your skin. This is a truly universal shade indeed – appearing neither too orange, red, or yellow, but a perfect amalgamation of hues that will suit practically every skin tone across the spectrum.

The plastic jar, which happens to be semi-transparent on the bottom, holds a generous amount of product (30 g/1 oz) and even if you were to apply it daily, it should still last quite a long time. Upon opening the jar, you’re presented with what looks like a swirled & whipped milk chocolate mousse, but upon application, you immediately notice its softly sleek texture and its delicate vanilla-rose scent, which quickly dissipates upon using. I’m not really a fan of shimmery type bronzers, and the matte versions I’ve seen have a tendency to look rather flat and one-dimensional; ‘Soleil Tan de CHANEL’, does not have any noticeable shimmer to it, although it manages to impart a gorgeously subtle glow nonetheless.

I was told that a foundation brush is best for application, but after playing with this product, I’ve noticed great results with several other tools: a cosmetic sponge, a paddle-style foundation brush, a stippling brush, a densely compact blush-style brush, as well as my fingers. The texture lends itself well to be laid down across the skin as the merest whisper, or easily built up for more coverage and impact. I love using this as a contouring medium as well, since the texture feels so light and when worn under a more translucent foundation/tinted moisturizer, you would not believe the healthy flush of colour it gives the skin – simply gorgeous!

the CHANEL black & gold box – always gives me a little thrill!

the closed container with the CHANEL embossed logo

contents visible through the underside

protective inner seal

full ingredients list on back of box

Soleil Tan de CHANEL

in natural light

with flash

closeup, natural light

closeup, with flash

Soleil Tan de CHANEL

The following swatches are on unprimed skin: left – applied heavily, right – blended out.

in sunlight

indoors

with flash

Final thoughts: Picking up ‘Soleil Tan de CHANEL’ ranks as one of my better investments, not only for how much product you actually receive, but more for its stellar quality. On those days when I’m not up to heavy makeup, a few simple well-blended swipes of this bronzer, some mascara and a quick shot of gloss, are all that I need to get by and still look well-put together. The best part, is that this product is part of CHANEL’s permanent lineup and definitely not in any danger of being pulled from the shelves anytime soon – I really dislike seeing the words “limited edition”, especially when an item turns out to be THIS amazing. At CDN $51.00/US $48.00, I would have to say that this is a relative bargain as far as a CHANEL beauty product is concerned – now that the weather has warmed up, it pretty much guarantees that I’ll be turning to this beauty staple again and again!