Michael Kors Bronze Powder in Flush and Beam

I wasn't aware that Michael Kors had his own makeup line until a few weeks ago, and ever since then, I could not get the Bronze Powders out of my mind. Apparently he launched his line around the same time Marc Jacobs Beauty arrived at Sephora, so of course, he was overshadowed despite the potential of his much smaller (yet equally impressive) offerings. It also didn't help that MK cosmetics is only available at Macys.com and select Macy's locations. Even then, they are placed alongside his fragrances in the fragrance department!

First of all, if you are a sucker for packaging, you will absolutely fall in love with Michael Kors' entire collection. As mentioned, his collection is quite small with just bronzers, lipsticks, lipglosses, and nail polishes. However, all of his products are housed in a glamorous and sturdy (but still plastic) gold packaging of some sort. That said, I have always been wary of fashion designers turn beauty designers, so I treaded carefully while at the MK counter. Deciding between two of the three bronzers was difficult enough, so I passed on the lip products and polishes for now. Even though I ended up with both the Flush and Beam bronzers, I still would like to make a quick note of the third bronze powder in the color Glow. Glow is your traditional, neutral-toned bronzer with a hint of shimmer that reminded me a lot of NARS Laguna.

Flush Bronze Powder ($50):

Flush was the initial product that caught my attention. Even though it was marketed as a bronzer, I knew it would serve as a blush for me. It is a frosty, rosy pink powder that works beautifully as a blush for folks with fair to medium skin tones. (Any darker, and this might not show up too well as a blush, but I'm sure it makes for a great highlighter nevertheless.) While it is frosty in nature, I would say it is more shimmery once applied, and it does not accentuate my pores whatsoever. Rather it just gives this indescribable youthful glow from within. Flush, in particular, is a dream to apply and blends seamlessly.

This powder has a mild scent that is reminiscent of Dior's J'adore fragrance. However, it is not detectable once the product went on my cheeks. To be honest, when I first saw Flush, it reminded me a lot of Tom Ford's blush in Love Lust. However, I quickly learned that Flush was not as finely-milled of a powder nor is it as pink in undertones. (See swatch comparisons below.)

Beam Bronze Powder ($50):

Beam is Flush's slightly more coppery counterpart, and I would say this is more suited for light-medium to darker skintones. Like Flush, this is frosty in the pan, but once this is applied to the cheeks, it gives more of a glowy sheen that never accentuates pores. However, I must say that this is not as smooth in texture as Flush and actually applies a bit patchily as you can see from the swatches below. (It's more noticeable when applied with a brush than with my finger swatch.)

I also couldn't help but see how this compares to Tom Ford's Savage (easily one of my Top 10 blushers of all time!) In fact, the only reason I went with Flush at first was because I thought Beam would be an exact dupe to Savage. But I'm happy to report that they are not exact dupes -- similar but not exact. Savage has a more apparent reddish undertone, whereas Beam has more golden undertones.

MK Swatches: Flush (brush application, finger swatch); Beam (finger swatch, brush application)

As you can tell, both Flush and Beam are quite similar when blended out, so owning both is unnecessary. They are also the same in regards to how buildable they are in pigmentation. If you are looking for intense pigmentation à la Illamasqua, these are not the products for you (although they can be built up to said intensity.) Longevity-speaking, both powders lasted through 10-hour workdays with no signs of fading but still maintaining the aforementioned healthy glow. In fact, my cheeks became more glowy as the day progressed because the powder had mixed with the natural oils from my skin. And lastly, and quite possibly the most apparent thing, is the fact that each one of these is a behemoth of a bronzer/blush! 21 grams (or 0.74 oz) of product, to be exact! That's nearly 2.5 times the amount of product you get with Tom Ford blushes or even with NARS bronzers. Once you get over the initial sticker shock of these Michael Kors bronze powders, you will find that they are worth every penny -- not only in amount but also in quality (and, certainly, when displayed on your vanity!)

Tom Ford comparison swatches...

I had trouble tracking down Flush on the Macy's site, which makes me question whether or not these are limited edition. However, my local store still had a few in stock. Beam, on the other hand, is still showing availability both online and in stores.