Normally I’m known to indulge in a bronzed glow all year long. (Both natural and artificial.) But throughout my pregnancy I decided to opt-out of self tanners. This meant that none of my normal go-to bronzer looked quite right on my naturally pale skin. Thankfully I stumbled upon the Westman Atelier Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer. It’s at the higher price range, but I had been wanting to try something from the line. It turned out to be exactly what I needed on my most hectic days!
A somewhat new kid on the luxury green beauty block, Westman Atelier has been gaining a cult following and recently became available at Sephora online. The brand is known for their clean formulas and easy-wear finishes. Oh, and their gorgeous packaging. Not all of their makeup products are vegan, but many are. Read on to see what my honest thoughts are on the Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer.
The compact itself is gorgeous! I’m a sucker for anything gold. But it’s the weight of the Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer in your hand that makes it feel like a quality product. It’s also the weight that makes me hesitate on traveling with it, since it’s just too heavy to throw in your bag and not feel weighed down IMO. The gold compact comes housed in a branded Westman Atelier cloth bag and the interior features a mirror. The powder disc is stamped with the brand’s logo, almost looking too pretty to disturb. But go ahead and dive in!
The Westman Atelier Beauty Butter Powder Bronzer applies very easily. On first swipe with a brush, there is very little powder kick-up. (Which I see as a good sign since I hate messy products). The powder applies effortlessly with a bronzer brush and requires almost zero blending. The colour looks fairly natural on my pale skin and can pass as a natural tan from the sun. I found that even if I tried to ”overdue” the colour, it was pretty much impossible since the colour just kinda melts into the skin.
I also appreciate that there is no shimmer to this bronzer. It has a satin-matte finish which helps sell that the bronzed colour is from the sun. It wears surpassingly well throughout the day too! Normally bronzers go a bit shiny on me by the end of the day, due to my skin being naturally oily. But the Westman Atelier Beauty Butter powder Bronzer pretty much looks exactly the same by the evening.
Those with pale skin will probably find the lighter shade Coup de Soilel to be a natural choice. Those with light-medium to medium skin tones should go for the more pigmented Soilel Riche. Unfortunately, even the darker shade will not have enough colour payoff for many people beyond the medium skintone range. Even as a lighter-skinned person, the Coup de Soilel bronzer is not noticeable once I get the slightest bit of real colour from the sun. Therefore if I were to purchase this product again I might even opt for the darker Soilel Riche shade.
In general I’m impressed by this product. The hybrid cream-powder formula wears incredibly well on my combination skin. It applies like a dream! I don’t have to worry that I haven’t buffed and blended enough or that I’ve accidentally applied too much. It’s just dead-simple to use.
On days when I have 2 minutes to apply anything to my face, I find myself reaching for this Westman Atelier bronzer because I can just swipe it across my cheekbones and forehead. It instantly makes my face look a little less tired. Plus I don’t have to worry about it looking unnatural, unblended, or greasy. It’s perfect for a “no-makeup” makeup look.
I love the aesthetics of the compact and the natural look of the powder. However I am a little thrown off by the shades. Despite how it looks in the pan, the lightest shade only works on my skin in the winter time when I’m at my absolute palest. Now that it’s summer your really can’t tell if I’m wearing it or not since it’s so close to my natural tanned-skin colour. (Which may be a plus, since, again, it’s very “natural tan” looking.) The darker shade would probably suit me better when I have some colour from the sun. However, this leaves me wondering just how inclusive this bronzer colour range is. What about women who have more melanin in their skin? My feedback to Westman would be that they have a great product, but expanding their shade range would be a beneficial next step.