Estée Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Heat Wave from the Bronze Goddess Collection for Summer 2013

 

Estée Lauder's Bronze Goddess Collection is arriving at stores. I purchased part of the collection yesterday at Neiman Marcus, just a few hours after it had arrived. The limited-edition Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée in Heat Wave ($40) was the piece that had given me palpitations when I first saw the press photos. Now I can report that it has met my expectations.

I love every Illuminating Powder Gelée that Estée Lauder has introduced, and I'm thrilled to add to my growing collection. This one will enhance your Bronze Goddess look. Defying expectations - perhaps from the name of the collection and history with prior collections - Heat Wave will illuminate your complexion and leave your skin with a sexy, polished glow. With blendable and buildable coverage for a finish that goes from subtle and soft to highly pearlized, this ultra-luxurious gelée features a delicate pattern to celebrate the sand and sun of summer. Just looking at it makes me think of summer.

Remember Shimmering Sands, the Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelée from Summer 2012?  The shining bronze shade has a similar pattern, but blended copper, rose, and gold for a bronzed look that's stunning. I still have mine - love it. Heat Wave is much more subtle. It's gold through and through. I think the swatch photos will convince you that it has serious pizazz.

In person, Heat Wave is gold, not rose gold as it appears in my photos directly above, and not beige as it appears in Estée Lauder's photo at the top of this feature. I took my photo with high clouds, and I'm wondering if the sky dulled the color. You can see how milky the sky looked in the mirror of the compact. The photo is definitely a little dark, but I didn't want to artificially lighten it.

My swatch photos are color-true. I applied the swatch with Heat Wave's own sponge applicator. I built the color to get some contrast with my pale arm.

Heat Wave is all gold. It produces a high-wattage gold when you build the color, as I did for these photos, or a subtle gold if you use a light hand on application. It shakes, shines, and shimmers and will rock your summer look. It's not a shrinking violet, but don't let that scare you. The color is gorgeous. It's a perfect illuminator.

You can see that it's sheer (even after I built up the color), so your own skin tone will affect how it looks on you. Mine adds a touch of pink that was visible in photos I decided not to publish because they might be misleading. Someone with olive-toned skin will get a subtly different effect.

I'm trilled with Heat Wave!  It and the Pure Color Five Color Eyeshadow Palette in Batik Sun are going to delight you. The collection embodies the golden sands, flourishing palm trees, and exotic elements of a remote Caribbean paradise. Heat Wave is the perfect complement to the hot colors in the color story. I have more to show you - as soon as I can get the sun back.

For now, the Bronze Goddess Collection will be filtering into the stores over the next few days. It's available online at Macy's. I don't see it at EsteeLauder.com or NeimanMarcus.com, but it should be availalble at those sites - as well as at Nordstrom online - shortly. If you would like to order it now, during the Neiman Marcus Beauty Event, call Marilyn Schubert at (703) 761-1600, extension 3286.

Photo at top courtesy of Estée Lauder; other photos by Best Things in Beauty