Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder Review

I've wanted to wear a bronzer for awhile, but I'm African American with a golden brown complexion so most bronzers on the market already match my natural skin tone. I wanted to find a bronzer that would give me a deeply bronzed look so that my skin could look the way it does when I actually have a tan.

While browsing on www.sephora.com I saw the Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder by Too Faced. It was a bit darker than my skin so I thought I'd finally get the dark tan look I wanted so I ordered a compact for $27.50.

Too Faced claims that with the Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder "getting tanned and glammed has never been more delicious!" because they've combined "natural, deep, rich, seductive and skin soothing effects of real cocoa powder with their signature Too Faced bronzing pigments to create this delectable deep tan in a compact."

The Chocolate Soleil comes in a dark chocolate & pink medium sized round compact. The Too Faced bronzing powder smells exactly like real cocoa, and it looks like pressed cocoa powder. It's definitely a matte dull brown there's no golden sparkles in it or anything.

When I buffed the Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder on my cheeks, temples, forehead and chin with a blush brush, the color went on too heavy and looked a little muddy. So I used a kabuki brush and the powder went on lightly and evenly.

I was a little disappointed to find that the color wasn't exactly what I expected. Since the Too Faced bronzer was a couple of shades darker than my skin I thought I would notice a big difference when I put it on, but it was actually very subtle.

The first layer basically matched my skin which is exactly what I didn't want to happen. But I applied two more layers and the bronzer finally showed up. I was slightly disappointed because the look I was going for was a strong, bronze/reddish brown tan as if I'd been tanning for days, and the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil made me look like I was out for a day without sunscreen.

It gave me a slight tan, my skin looked one or two shades darker but I don't think it was that obvious. I did like that the bronzer made me look more of a healthy brown shade, because I have lots of yellow and green tones in my skin that can make me look sallow at times.

The results weren't very dramatic, so the next day I decided to use it all over almost like a foundation, and I used the blush brush to really make it more concentrated. At first the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder wound up making my face look muddy and dull. But after about an hour, I was amazed by how great my skin looked.

My skin's already in decent shape but it looked completely even, slightly tan, golden, and just amazingly healthy after using more of the Chocolate Soleil. The muddy dullness was gone and now it had an extremely radiant glow, my skin just looked fabulous. I guess it had a chance to recoup some of its natural oils, but because of the matte powder the oil transformed into a glow.

In the End...

Originally I wanted a bronzer that would give me a deep bronze very dramatic tan, and I'm still looking for that product because the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder didn't give me those results. Instead it gave me a very slight, natural looking faux golden tan. But when I used a few more layers it also gave me skin that looked and smelled amazing!

So even though I'm still on the lookout for a deeper colored bronzer still, the Chocolate Soleil is my new staple for a natural looking glow. It's a bronzer that I can use year round.

I would recommend this Too Faced Bronzer for all skin tones because I suspect for fairer skin tones it will create a natural looking tan that doesn't look orange, and for women of color it will just slightly deepen the brown tones already present in our skin. But everyone will wind up with a naturally radiant complexion once this Too Faced bronzing powder sets. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.