Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Make-Up Base Review

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universel Bronzing Make-Up Base - £31.00 here

Since watching lots of beauty gurus on YouTube and reading lots of beauty blogs, I have heard so much about this product. I've had this for about a year now and I purchased it when it had a lot of hype around it, mainly to see what the fuss was all about!

Originally, when I got the Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, I didn't really get on with it. This is a very tricky product to make work for you and despite the name, I don't think it is a 'Universal' bronzer. This product is a creamy-mousse like bronzer that it supposed to suit all skin types and can be used as a base or a bronzer.

I purchased this in Duty Free when I was flying out to Turkey with my boyfriend last year. Really excited, I gave it a go in the hotel room on the first day and while it looked nice, I was unsure. I think I used my Elf Powder Brush which I absolutely love for foundation (it gives such a flawless finish), but for this bronzer it was just too big and didn't pick up enough product due to it's flat top. I then proceeded to get VERY tanned and tried this bronzer to realise that it was in fact the same colour as my skin! *doh* This bronzer is not universal - LOL. So the Chanel was tucked away in my make-up box and left until my tan faded. When I decided to try it again, I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush from the core collection, and the rest is history!

Like I said, the Elf brush didn't work because it was so big and it had a completely flat top, the Real Techniques one is smaller, and has a slightly round top, perfect for swirling and buffing product onto it and buffing it into the skin to get a dewy bronzed contour.

As the name also suggests, you can use this as a base before you apply your foundation to give you a bit more of a bronzed look, or simply add some colour to your face. Depending on your skin tone, you can be lighter or heavier handed when using it this way, and the finish on me is subtle but really nice. 

Me wearing the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel as a bronzer to contour my cheekbones, but not as a base.

In my opinion, the third photo represents the bronzer the most accurate - very glowy and with quite orange undertones as opposed to red undertones which I usually look for in a bronzer. As you can see, on me the colour looks so natural, and although the shade of this bronzer is slightly on the orange side, it fares well on my skintone. I think if you are very fair, you would have to be so careful when applying this and be sure to use a light hand as it could look like you have been tangoed - not a good look!

Being mixed race, I do have quite dark facial hair around the perimeter of my face and I have to be careful when applying make-up as it can sometimes interfere with the hair. This bronzer blends like a dream and doesn't accentuate my hair which keeps it looking natural. 

Swatched on my hand in natural lighting (no flash)

The bronzer itself is semi-matte but it has a lovely glow to it that looks really lovely in person (the pictures don't do it justice). It also has very very subtle shimmers and sparkles in it, that don't transfer onto the skin but help light to reflect off of your skin to make you look luminous and healthy.

Does this bronzer have any bad points? Yes. I always get fluff and hairs in this bronzer as it is a cream product and I use it with a brush. After a good few uses it starts to look like it's growing lifeforms *yuck* so I always try and keep it clean by scraping the top layer away or pulling out any fluff with tweezers. The formula is just sticky so it is inevitable that fluff and hairs will get stuck which doesn't bother me too much. Also, like I said before, if your skin colour is the same as this bronzer then it will do nothing. If you are very fair skinned, it may look very orange on you if you apply it to heavily, so be careful. 

Apart from those points, I love this bronzer and have been using it loads recently with my buffing brush , which is the best brush I've found to use it with as it buffs the product so that it looks natural. The product itself, although quite pricey is very versatile as you can use it as a base, for cheekbones, temples, arms, legs....anywhere really. The consistency is slightly sticky so it really stays on your skin all day, it's very blendable which means it looks natural and never cakey or dry. 

I really recommend the Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, and you can pick it up at any Chanel counter!

Have you tried this bronzer?

P.S If you wanted to know, heres the rest of the make-up I'm wearing in this post:

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Primer

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in 190 True Beige

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronze Universel

MAC Eyebrows Pencil in Lingering

Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Eyeliner in Black (Upper lashline)

Sleek Eyeshadow in Noir from the iDivine 'Au Naturel' palette (Upper lashline)

MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy (Lower lashline) 

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in Extreme Black

Jouer Tinted Lip Conditioner in Cosmo