Shiseido Desert Rose 02 Medium Oil-Free Bronzer

I think I'm all set for a bronzed summer look in every finish and intensity, from shimmery summer night looks to a delicate "just took a walk in the garden to smell the roses" day. Of course, all this feels a bit weird considering we're in the middle of a week-long rain and thunderstorm weather and I'm fully snuggled in a gray sweater, but wearing a pretty bronzer brightens things up considerably.

Shiseido Oil-Free bronzer in Medium 02/ Desert Rose belongs to natural, just a little sun-kissed school of bronzing. It has no shimmer and doesn't try to make you even a tiny bit orange, just a little flushed and tan. The texture is as fine as it gets, smooth and soft, on the same level with the other top quality bronzers I swatched above. Shiseido Desert Rose (medium 02) is close to Edward Bess Daydream, though Shiseido is rosier while Edward Bess is decidedly more brown, thus on my skin it looks like a real full tan, "just got back from the coast" kind of color.

I also compared to other favorites, Guerlain Terracotta in Brunette, which is more of a shimmery glow (I also have the Blonde version which is among my favorite winter complexion fixers) and Burberry, the most intense bronzer I own. I didn't bother comparing to the limited edition Chanel and Estee Lauder Sea Star because the Lauder is quite shimmery and the Chanel can be applied in different ways by mixing the various shades. All the swatches here are relatively heavy and were done with my fingers for the sake of taking a reasonably decent photo. When actually applying Shiseido Desert Rose 02 to my face I prefer a dense bronzer brush- this color can use a confident hand as it's delicate enough and doesn't need to be carefully diffused.

Bottom Line: bring on the sun.

Shiseido Desert Rose 02 Medium Oil-Free Bronzer ($35) is available from Sephora (online only) and most department stores.

All photos are mine.

Shiseido Concealer Brush

I have to begin this review of Shiseido concealer brush by saying that this particular category of concealer brushes is not my favorite. I prefer either the tiny and very precise brushes such as Kevyn Aucoin's (and an ancient and discontinued Sephora one) or much larger and thicker brushes that let you to buff and blend your concealer as you apply it. My issue with these small and flat brushes is that they require extra blending and many of them are too stiff (such as the Sephora #46 you see above) so their performance is questionable.

Shiseido Concealer brush is better than Sephora #46 ($17)  in this regard, and if you're a fan of this brush shape but prefer not to pay the $35 for the Sue Uemura synthetic #10 (review coming soon) it might be the right choice. My own preference, though is the Hakuhodo G538 (again, review and more photos soon), as it's   softer and more versatile while being cheaper. The Shiseido concealer brush is better for applying an even layer of cream eye shadow or using just the edge and tip for minimal concealer touch ups.

Shiseido concealer brush ($20) is available from Shiseido counters at most department stores.

All photos are mine.