Like a lot of people I’ve been on the hunt for the elusive Soleil Tan De Chanel (or Bronze Universel as pretty much everyone still calls it!) for literally months. Every time I pass a Chanel counter I always ask if they’ve got any in stock. The answer is always no and I’m normally told it’s been sold out everywhere, including Paris, for ages and they don’t know when there’ll be anymore in. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit tired of that response but I know there’s some issue with the minerals in the product having to be grown or something along those lines and Chanel never anticipated it being quite so popular. But hey ho, I accepted it was like gold dust and remained on the hunt! Anyway, on Friday I paid a visit to Fenwick in Canterbury and as always stopped by the Chanel counter. Well, imagine my surprise when the girl on the counter said “We’ve actually just had some delivered this morning!” I got a little bit excited and snapped one up on the spot (despite the fact I’m supposed to be on a makeup spending ban!!). Therefore, I’m now the proud owner of this little beauty!
It’s just so pretty! This is the first purchase I’ve ever made from a Chanel counter (because as much as I wanted to love their Vitalumiere Aqua foundation they don’t do a shade light enough for me!) and at £29 it’s definitely high end but I actually think it’s not that bad considering the uniqueness of this product. I don’t know of any dupes and I imagine the 30g of product will last ages.
The packaging is exactly the sort of high quality you would expect from a Chanel product. I will say I’d always had it in my head the jar would be glass but its not. That being said, it’s still heavy and well made. It’s simple and elegant with the Chanel logo on the top in gold.
Inside, the product itself is a creamy, whipped mousse bronzer. Chanel describe it as bronzing makeup base and people always tend to disagree about how it should be applied. Some people swear by brushes, others by sponges. Some people wear it under the foundation and others over the top. I think the trick is definitely to experiment which I fully intend to do over the coming weeks so I’ll get back to you on how I decide to use it. So far I’ve been using the Real Techniques Stippling Brush (which I also picked up on Friday) and that seems to be working well. That being said I’d love to hear which brushes other people use in case there’s something better out there!
When I first heard about Bronze Universel I initially dismissed it as not being a product for me, purely because I’m so fair and all the bronzers I’d used in the past had made me look orange or muddy. As I learnt a little bit more about applying makeup and embracing my pale skin I learnt that doesn’t have to be the case. I purchased Nars Laguna (which I still love to contour with) and discovered that anyone can wear bronzer providing it’s the right one. That made a big difference to my everyday makeup! Anyway, when I sampled Bronze Universel it warmed my skin tone incredibly and that was when I knew I had to have it! It’s completely matte and although this is a one shade fits all product it definitely works regardless of your skin tone. For the pale and interesting amongst us, a very light hand is required. Too much of this product and it can end up looking slightly mask like. However, a bit of practice with what works for you and you can achieve the most beautiful natural glow at any time of year. It’s a beautiful consistency, lightweight and easy to blend.
Can you guess how much I love this already?! I’ll keep you posted once I’ve played about with it a bit more but I really wanted to share my initial thoughts! If anyone else is trying to track it down as well as in stock in Fenwick, it was also in stock on the Debenhams website over the weekend so rush over there now!
