Summer is fast approaching but as always, I don’t think I’ll have time to go to the beach. Besides, as much as I enjoy the idea of surf and sand, I don’t think I’ll enjoy staying under the intense heat of the sun just to get tan quite as much. Nevertheless, I don’t want to be a pale face in the midst of the gorgeous bronzed people of this season and short of getting a fake tan (which I abhor), bronzer seems to be the quickest, safest, and smartest solution. So tadaaa! I got myself a bronzer from Palladio.

Truth be told, this is only the second Palladio product I’ve ever tried. The first being their rice powder, which my aunt absolutely loves. I’ve had several people recommend this brand to me, though, so I thought I’d give it another try especially since at the time I bought this, it was on sale so I got it at about PHP300+ as opposed to the regular price of PHP525.

For people like me who are not very familiar with the brand, the Palladio Beauty Group is a Hollywood-based company created by professional make up artists in 1999 with the goal of providing quality beauty products at affordable prices. Hence, if you look at their range in Beauty Bar, you will notice how the products are priced lower than the other imported brands found there.

Not only that, the brand infuses its cosmetics with essential herbs and vitamins that are good for the skin. This is why when you look at the bronzer above, it’s labeled as an “herbal bronzer.” It’s always good to get healthy products, isn’t it?

Moreover, they also make it a point never to test on animals. Claims like this are much appreciated because I wouldn’t want to support a product that causes other creatures to suffer.

After getting to know the brand, let’s move on to the meat of my review.

To be honest, I was a bit scared about using this product at first because it looked too orange and warm on the pan. Orange, to me, screams cheap fake tan! It also had bits of shimmer in it, which I thought can either make its effect oh so gorgeous or just plain tacky.

Despite my initial apprehensions, however, I was really satisfied with how it turned out when I applied it on my skin. The shade indeed has an orange undertone but it doesn’t end up looking garish. I believe this shade will look very nice on someone with a darker skin tone since it has a bit of magenta and gold shimmer in it that adds a luminescence / glow to the skin that’s very flattering.

The secret is making sure that you buff the product in or at least blend it very well so that it doesn’t look like you have weird slashes down your face. Also, after working the product on the hollows of your cheeks, take the remaining product on your brush up your temples and down your chin. These are usually the areas that will tan first when you go under the sun. This way, the bronzing effect looks much more natural.

I did a swatch on my wrist to better show you what I mean about the color. I intentionally captured into the frame an expanse of my uncovered skin just to illustrate the contrast better.

Just to show you, I also took before (left) and after (photos) so you can better appreciate its effect. It may not be very noticeable at first but with the bronzer, my face had more warmth and dimension.

At the end of the day, why should you use a bronzer? Well it’s a great way to add angles to the face that aren’t normally there, and emphasize your beautiful natural features to make them even more noticeable . For example, if you’ve got a round face, contouring can make it look slimmer. It’s also an easy way of cheating a healthy, glowing tan on skin that barely sees the light of day.

At the moment, I’m very happy with the product I got from Palladio. The shade’s really pretty and the price definitely won’t break the bank. Try it if you guys are looking for an alternative to more expensive brands like Mac and Chanel.