Friday 11 January 2013

Like Buses...

With the dark winter days leave us hankering for a little sun to kiss our faces, thoughts turn to ways to add a little colour to the skin. In a Bronzer post last summer, I wrote about my frustrations of finding a natural or organic bronzers on the market that I actually liked, however I now have to eat my words as, like buses; two come along at once!

alva Baked Bronzer
I was kindly sent the Bronzer to try by alva UK and I am so pleased I was, After losing my much loved Madara Tinting Fluid on a recent trip to the West Midlands, I turned to this to give myself a little much needed colour and have been hooked ever since.

alva Baked Bronzer is, as it says on the tin, Baked. 'But why is it Baked?' I hear you cry... Well. What was once a liquid product has been cooked into a solid marbled powder - the product you see in the compact. Being a baked product the final texture is much lighter than traditional powder products and therefore much more blendable, plus they usually contain more pigment, so the payoff can be much stronger.

Traditional products have been pressed into the compact pan and so therefore are generally more likely to crack and break up than baked ones, which of course have made the transition from liquid to solid within the same pan, so if like me, you have a slight tendency towards clumsiness, a baked product is preferable (and easier on the wallets!).
This fabulous Baked Bronzer is a showstopper. Light on skin, it gives really subtle, barely there coverage, however build it up with a Kabuki or large powder or blusher brush and the payoff is stunning. The bronzer give the skin a beautiful, radiant luminosity and a completely natural looking sun kissed glow.

The Bronzer is available in three shades; Beige Rose (a slightly pinker toned Bronzer), Beige Medium and, the darkest of the trio, Beige Brown. All are packaged in robust piano black compacts and come with a sponge - although I suggest using a brush for better results.

Priced at £17.85 for 9g of product, it may not be the cheapest on the market but I do think it is worth the spend, especially if you like a delicate and more natural bronzed look. Available online from alva Natural Skincare and in many good health food stores.

alva Naturkosmetik first made its appearance in Germany in 1988, created by Martin Plassonke from organic ingredients including tea tree from his own private Australian plantation. alva was introduced to the UK (and still solely distributed by) in 2007 by Nic White, who discovered the brand whilst at a trade fair. The brand has gone from strength to strength in Britain and has won numerous awards, including Nic's own inclusion in the Natural Beauty Yearbook Top 20 Personalities two years running!

Ingredients:
(*denotes certified organic ingredients)
Mica, Zea Mays, Decyl Oilve Esters (And) Squalene, Zinc Stearate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate (Kaolin Clay), Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Zinc Oxide, Parfum (Natural), Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape), Yeast Polysaccharide, Potassium Sorbate, Cl 77891, Cl 77492, Cl 77491, Cl 77499
Images courtesy of alva Natural Skincare and FreeFoto.com
 
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own and I am honest in what I write. I am a freelance Make-up Artist and am NOT affiliated with any company or brand, therefore I remain imparticial and unbiased towards one organisation.
Unless otherwise stated, the products reviewed have been purchased by me. On occasion I am sent products to try, however I will always state if I have been sent a product. As a matter of principle (and time) I will not review any product that I do not like or use in the course of my work as a Make-up Artist, regardless of whether I purchased it myself or was sent it.

 

4 comments:

  1. This sounds beautiful! I'll definitely be giving it a try in the future. Do you know what shade the one in the picture is?

    Gem x
    www.gemmameansjewel.com

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  2. Hi Gem, thanks for getting in touch. I think the image is Beige Medium. It is a lovely Bronzer, def worth a try! Laura x

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  3. Alva can now also be purchased in Denmark :)

    Have a nice day.

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    1. Hi Carsten, thanks brilliant news! Thanks for letting me know, Laura :)

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