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KEVYN AUCOIN NEO BRONZER
REVIEW + SWATCHES

22 June 2016 31 comments

barely-there-beauty-kevyn-aucoin-neo-bronzer-capri-review

There have been so many snaps of this beautiful, ombre palette strewn across Instagram and the rest of the internet, and I had to get in on the action and have a closer look! So let's take a peek together at the new Neo Bronzer palettes, including swatches and try ons, from Kevyn Aucoin - eep!




kevyn-aucoin-neo-bronzer-capri-review

The Neo Bronzer by Kevyn Aucoin is an ombre-d face palette containing a highlighter, blush and bronzer that blend into one another as beautifully as his burgundy ombre packaging. Available in 2 shades, Capri is the more cool and pink of the two, and the one I picked up, whilst Sienna is more warm and peachy-coral.

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kevyn-aucoin-neo-bronzer-capri-review-swatches

I think the colour selection on both the palettes are beautifully curated. Both bronzers are warm, with a reddish undertone, but not orangey or muddy - on my NC20-25 skin they mimic the kind of colour you would naturally get from being out in the sun. The blush shade in the Capri palette is what I term as a 'happy pink' - that kind of sweet, enlivening pink flush, similar to the blush shade from the Estee Lauder Summer 2016 palette (review + swatches here) or Hourglass' Luminous Flush. I'd describe the highlight as a peachy-pink-champagne shade, and even though my skin has a beige/yellow undertone, this is supremely flattering as it's not too pink.

The whole POD of this palette is the swirl-together-ombre-bility, meaning you can either use the shades individually or mix shades to get the 'perfect sunkissed glow'. If I'm honest, I'm just not so sure of the mixing - I've never been a fan of shimmery bronzers and I think the blush especially is a little too pigmented and overpowers the bronzer if you mix them - on my cheeks, that technique just ends up looking a little too stark and bordering clown like, although a) I think it would look far prettier on tanned skin and b) it could fully be my jacked up application skills! If you want a luminous blush with a bronzey-tan undertone, I would highly recommend you go for the Dior Healthy Glow Powder in 004 Warm Light instead.

If you've ever tried the formulation of Kevyn Aucoin's powder cheek products, you'll be accustomed to their smooth, silky texture and great blendability, and this palette is no different. The powder is described as finely milled and having a natural looking finish - both of which I can attest to. The pigmentation is good across the board, I'd say the blush is quite strong for me, but it blends out really well, making that less of a problem. The highlighting shade is creamy, smooth, less pigmented than the blush, and looks really nice and natural on the skin, especially if you go in with a light hand. The bronzer has a good level of pigment - it's not foolproof like one of my faves - the Body Shop Honey Bronzer, but it's by no means too strong.

kevyn-aucoin-neo-bronzer-capri-sienna-swatches

kevyn-aucoin-neo-bronzer-capri-barely-there-beauty-try-on-review

kevyn-aucoin-neo-bronzer-capri-barely-there-beauty-review

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My overall impression of the palette is most definitely positive. I think what sets high end powder cheek products apart from a drugstore alternative is the formulation and Kevyn Aucoin certainly doesn't fail me there - and aren't the colours gorgeous? My only gripe is that swirling or sweeping too zealously kicks up powder, so I would definitely recommend tapping into the shades with a tapered brush, like this RT one or the Yachiyo brush (worth the splurge). Let's also give a quick nod to the packaging - it's a reasonable size, a nice, simple shape, little embellishment and you get a full size mirror inside. You get 21g (0.74oz) of product in total which I actually think is quite generous - that's like 4.5 Nars blushes.


The palettes are pretty new in the UK as things stand but you can find them here or here (RRP £46.50) and from Sephora, Barneys, Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus for those in the US.

So, thoughts? I would love to hear what you guys think!




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