New Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Tawny Brown and Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Santa Barbara

Bobbi Brown has added two bronzing powders to her already fabulous bronzer line-up: Bronzing Powder ($38) in Tawny Brown (#1) and Illuminating Bronzing Powder ($38) in Santa Barbara (#13). I tried both of them at Bloomindale's, couldn't decide to love one over another, and purchased both. Tawny Brown, called Tawny online, is shown at left above, and Santa Barbara is shown at right.

Bobbi Brown's soft matte, silky-smooth Bronzing Powder gives skin an instant look of a natural tan, and it's perfect for contouring too. Bobbi suggests using Bronzing Powder year round to get a sun-kissed look. I've always liked Bronzing Powder because there are light shades that are appropriate for my pale skin.

Illuminating Bronzing Powder is an ultra-soft and smooth pressed powder that's formulated with a unique blend of sheer powder and micro-pearls. The powder glides on evenly and gives the skin a seamless and sheer natural-looking glow. Also available in light shades, Illuminating Bronzing Powder doubles as a blush. Although Bobbi recommends applying it with her new Bronzer Brush, I prefer her Face Blender Brush.

I took swatch photos of both new bronzers. I swatched at the top of my arm with a sponge-tipped applicator and used a brush below. My photos were taken in full, bright sunlight.

I have two very different photos of Santa Barbara - one is much lighter than the other (more direct sun). The color is a beautiful warm pink that's a blush on me, not a bronzer. There is a nice sheen in Santa Barbara. It earns its title as illuminating.

Here is what you need to know about Santa Barbara: A little goes a very long way. It is extremely pigmented. I applied some from a cotton pad in the store and ended up looking like Raggedy Ann. The Bobbi Brown rep had to demonstrate how to apply it lightly with the Blender Brush. While the color is gorgeous, those with pale skin must take special care not to over-do it.

Tawny Brown Bronzing Powder, on the other hand, is brown, like a more typical bronzer, and matte (shown below). It is a rosy brown that's perfect for my skin.

I love this shade. It's easier to apply than Santa Barbara - hard to over-do. You can see the subtle color that resulted from application with a brush. If you find many bronzers too muddy, this one's for you. There isn't a trace of mud in this shade, which leans rose. While Bobbi Brown's Web site calls it a warm beige, I'd call it a rosy brown. I think the shade appears more cool than warm on my skin.

You can see that Tawny Brown reflects sunlight nicely, even though it's matte. It's not flat matte. It will give you some life in direct light, but it's very natural in appearance.

I'm very happy with both of my new bronzers. They are very different. I'll use them in different ways, so my investment in both will serve me well - for years.

You can find both of the new bronzer shades at Bobbi Brown counters, where they are displayed with the existing shades, and at Bobbi Brown's Web site. What do you think?

Photos by Best Things in Beauty