Burberry Sheer Summer Glow

There are several gorgeous limited edition face/bronzing products for summer 2012. I decided not to go crazy with them this year and only get the most unique one I could find, which meant Burberry Sheer Summer Glow. As of today, I've had my Burberry compact for nearly two weeks and have worn it every single day in several ways. It's unlike any other face product I have, combining some features of a bronzer, highlighter, blush, and a finishing powder, and doing all that while maintaining a natural finish.

First, a warning: I'm somewhere between NC30 and NC35, though neither are a true match. If you're darker than that or your skin tone is richer and more yellow (I'm a neutral green), Burberry Sheer Summer Glow might not show up or do much of anything for you. The swatches above, made with an extra wide sponge applicator, are heavier than an actual application should be.

Burberry Sheer Summer Glow includes four shades, all ultra finely milled with an almost gossamer-like finish (again, when you apply with an appropriate brush). I numbered the shades clockwise: 1. medium intensity bronze, 2. peachy pink champagne highlighter, 3. ivory highlighter, 4. light tan. You have several options for blending and combining some or all, depending on the desired effect.

A large kabuki face brush, such as Burberry's own face brush (which I don't have), preferably of natural hair, is good for swirling over the four Summer Glow shades and applying for an allover sheer glow that gives the mildest, most subtle tan (think of it as an absolute opposite of the Jersey Shore/Tan Mom look). Other effects can be achieved by only using one or two shades on specific areas. Here's what I do: 1+2 mixed together as a neutral blush (and small medium dense blush brush will do). 1+4 as a bronzer, where you'd normally apply for a sun-kissed look. Then there's all the other stuff you can do by using Hakuhodo 210, 212, and S114: I used shade no. 4 for contouring (you can't detect any shimmer), 2+3 for highlighting, 2+4 either under or over a blush. No matter how I use Burberry Sheer Summer Glow, the effect is of an almost no-makeup look, with just lovely enhancements.

Bottom Line: drop dead gorgeous, if you got the right coloring.

Several other bloggers have already swatched and reviewed this product. Their skin tones are vastly different than mine, so it's worth your time to see how Burberry Sheer Summer Glow looks and performs on  The Beauty Look Book,  Messy Wands, and Cafe Makeup.

Burberry Sheer Summer Glow ($50) is available at Nordstrom and can also be pre-ordered from Saks.