Let's get cheeky...

I think you can all guess now that I like to look like I've been basking in the sun all day.  Unfortunately, I rarely give my skin the chance to get any color more than my natural tone (wear your SPF!).  Luckily for me, there are products out there that allow me to achieve this look without sacrificing the health of my skin!  Let me introduce you to a few of them:
Edward Bess Compact Rouge in After Sunset:
The name explains it all.  Imagine you're on vacation in a tropical location.  You've been basking in the sun all day, relaxing and taking in the views.  The sun is starting to go down, so you head back to your hotel room to clean up and get ready for a night out on the town.  As you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, you notice that you've gained that golden glow.  You barely need any makeup, just a touch of mascara and some lip gloss and you're out the door, ready to take the town on after sunset.  Edward Bess Compact Rouge in After Sunset perfectly achieves this look.

                                             (Edward Bess Compact Rouge in After Sunset)


As I played with the products while I waited for Edward to do my makeup, I completely glanced over this color.  I thought it was far too rich and deep for my skin color.   But when Edward applied it onto my cheeks, I was convinced otherwise!  The dark color in the palette blends out perfectly into a golden brown shade with the slightest hint of pink running through it.

    (Edward Bess Compact Rouge in After Sunset- top swatch is unblended, bottom swatch is blended)

The texture of this product is absolutely brilliant.  I find it best applied with my finger tips, then blended out perfectly with the Laura Mercier blending brush.  What's especially nice about this product that when it is applied to the face, it continues to look like a cream, giving you a nice and healthy glow.  I haven't gotten the chance to check out how well this product lasts throughout a long day, but from what I've seen, it's at least worth it to pick it up for a night out.

Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Bronzing Veil in Tropical Nights:
Hi, my name is Roula and I'm a highlighting addict.  I love to graze the tops of my cheek bones with highlighter to catch that perfect dose of light.  While I am a HUGE fan of Jemma Kidd's Dewy Glow Radiance Creme in
Rose Gold, I find Kevyn Aucoin's Celestial Bronzing Veil in Tropical Nights to be a nice alternative.  What's particularly nice about this product is that it graduates from a light shade to a darker shade. The lightest shade is an icy-golden color with peach shimmer running through it, making it perfect for use as a highlighter.  The second shade is a slightly deeper golden color with still a hint of peach running through it.  The darkest color is an even deeper golden with what I would describe as simply brown running through it.

                                    (Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Bronzing Veil in Tropical Nights)
While I find the darkest shade to be a bit too dark for my skin, it does produce a nice golden shade when blended with the other colors.  When put on with the lightest touch, this bronzer adds the perfect amount of color to your face, giving you a golden and youthful glow- a glow, might a add, that goes swimmingly with the Edward Bess Compact Rouge in After Sunset.

                                   (Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Brozing Veil in Tropical Nights
Top to bottom: darkest to lightest shade, the bottom shade being a swatch of all three colors blended together)

While I don't mind powder products, I found myself wishing that this was a creme bronzer, just to add that tiniest extra bit of a glow.  Either way, this product achieves that golden tropical glow that I'm constantly lusting after.