The Sun Show Bronzer from Kosas, available in Light, Medium and Deep shades, is a new clean bronzer “made with Shea Butter to give you that glow your skin gets in really pretty sunset light. Like a Golden Hour filter you can wear.” This talc and silicone free baked powder formula also contains Meadowfoam Oil to moisturize the skin and provide creamy color payoff. Can it bring my pale skin a fresh from the tropics glow?
Price: $34
Find it HERE
Tested May 2020
Let’s be honest here: if you’ve seen a photo of me, you know the bronzed goddess look is not something I’ll ever really be able to pull off. I’m just too pale. Self-tanner is not my thing (although it definitely looks amazing on Lea, check out her St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse review here), and I am of the variety of super fair skin that refuses to tan, only burn. SPF is part of my daily routine, so any kind of sun-kissed I hope to achieve must come from a makeup product like bronzer. Most of the time, I skip bronzer in favor of just blush for color and highlighter for shine, but this Kosas Sun Show Bronzer really appealed to me, so I picked up the shade Light, described as a neutral, champagne bronze.
A baked powder formula in the most gorgeous sheer green compact (the color reminds me of sea glass, and the package even feels a little like that), I was drawn in because this product claims to be moisturizing, creamy and radiant. There are too many powder bronzers out there that feel (and look) chalky.
I’m happy to report the Kosas bronzer is very radiant and doesn’t have a powdery finish on the skin. It’s lightweight and buildable. I skipped highlighter every time I wore this because I felt like it had me covered in the glow department.
This is a baked formula, so the first few times I used it, there was a lot of dusty kickback in the pan. Don’t worry though, this was only a problem as I got through that outer layer, and after a few uses, I don’t find it dusty any longer. I applied this with a small, densely packed brush and a large, fluffy brush and prefer the effect of the latter.
I give the overall formula a big thumbs up, but here comes the less great news. I think this bronzer, in its lightest shade, is still a little too dark and too red-toned for my skin. It might provide the effect of a “Golden Hour” filter, but it doesn’t blend particularly well on me because the contrast between the warm shade and the color of my skin is too great. It looks fine, but not particularly natural.
I felt like this bronzer also limited the kinds of blush colors I could wear. I applied my usual, light pink blush while wearing this product and did not like the overall look at all. Pink definitely clashed with this bronzer, but a nude or coral toned blush was fine.
I also don’t like this product on the forehead or around the hairline. Although this is normally key placement for bronzer, I think the glowy effect made the creases on the sides of my forehead more noticeable and created a kind of rubbery, metallic finish.
I much prefer this on the cheeks, but do I want a $34 bronzer that I can only use on my cheeks? I will give it some extra credit because it looks really pretty as an eyeshadow, so I suppose its usefulness can be stretched a little further.
It does last a very long time; it was still shining through on my cheeks when I removed it with a makeup wipe at the end of the day. If you have a skin tone that more squarely falls into the light or light-medium range, the Light shade of The Sun Show Bronzer might work out really well (and don’t forget that they offer two deeper shades also). So although I like the luminous finish and think it’s a stellar formula, the shade will keep me from repurchasing.
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