If you are someone that finds bronzers too daunting and perhaps too intense for an everyday look, the Makeup by Mario Skin Enhancer may be the perfect product for you. Makeup by Mario is a brand founded by celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic and offers a wide range of products that have a makeup artist quality to them but are still suitable for everyday. I have tried a handful of products from Makeup by Mario and so far have enjoyed everything I’ve tried. I definitely want to explore the brand more and plan to review a few more products very soon.
The Makeup by Mario Skin Enhancer is a unique product in that it performs much like a bronzer but has a more sheer finish and is designed to even out the complexion. (On a side note, you can read my Trinny London makeup review which is another great brand with really unique products.) I tried this product a long time ago and after initially testing it, I put it in a drawer that I hardly ever use and forgot about it. It fell to the back and I discovered it recently when I was cleaning out my makeup collection. Ugh!
I’m so glad I did find it because I realized how beautiful it is on the skin and have been playing around with ways to use it. My skin is also much drier now and the creamy formula works so well for me. I’ll share a bit more about the product, how I use it and who I would recommend it for.
Makeup by Mario Skin Enhancer Review
The name “Skin Enhancer” can be a bit confusing at first and even had me pausing a second to figure out exactly what the product was supposed to do. In short, it is a form of a cream bronzer but is very sheer and can be used on specific parts of the face or all over to give a subtle radiant glow. There is no shimmer to the product but it does give the skin a healthy glow. It’s a complexion balm that adds warmth to the complexion and can be used to even out the skin tone. I have two colors to share though there are a total of 6 shades in the range.
Packaging
If I’m being honest, I don’t love the Makeup by Mario packaging and find it to be a bit dull but the quality of the products totally make up for that. LOL
Price Point
This is a mid range price point at $32 and definitely has a specific customer base. Someone who is looking for a sheer wash of bronzey color.
Ingredients
While it’s not positioned as a skincare based makeup product, it does contain Omega 6 Fatty Acid to help nourish the skin as well as Vitamins A, D and E for antioxidant protection.
Shade Range
Since this is designed to be a sheer product that just gives a bit of color and warmth to the complexion, the shade range is limited with only 6 shades. I have the palest shade which is nice though they probably could have made an even lighter option and an even darker option at the other end of the spectrum.
Pigment
This gives sheer coverage and can’t be built up to more than that. It’s not intended to provide an intense color payoff and only adds some warmth and radiance to the skin.
Skin Type
Though this is a cream product, I don’t find it to be too greasy or dewy. It has a slightly drier finish to it so it would work well for those with oily skin or combination skin, but it’s still creamy enough to melt effortlessly into dry skin types.
Swatches of Makeup by Mario Skin Enhancer
The two colors I have are Light and Light Medium which both skew very warm on the skin. Since the Skin Enhancer is designed to warm up the complexion, all of the shade options will have warmer undertones. Light is actually a touch more warm than Light Medium but the difference is very slight. Here is a breakdown of all the shades available:
- Light – Warms fair to light skin tones
- Light Medium – Warms light to light medium skin tones
- Medium – Warms light medium to medium skin tones
- Medium Dark – Warms medium to medium dark skin tones
- Dark – Warms medium dark to dark skin tones
- Dark Deep – Warms dark to deep dark skin tones
How To Use Makeup By Mario Skin Enhancer
To keep things easy, I use the Makeup by Mario Skin Enhancer the same way I would use my bronzer. It layers easily with other products, either cream or powder so it’s pretty foolproof. Here is a how I personally apply it and where I place it on the face.
Use After Foundation but Before Blush or Bronzer
Since this is quite sheer, I find that applying this first after foundation but before any additional complexion products is the best method.
Apply With a Fluffy Brush
You can use your fingers if necessary, but I find that using a fluffy blush brush (these are some of the best makeup brushes if you need suggestions) to blend this onto the skin is preferred.
Apply Where the Sun Would Naturally Hit You
I apply this to my cheekbones starting towards the hairline and blending inwards. I will also add a touch to my hairline blending downwards slightly. These are the places on my face that the sun would naturally hit my face. So that is where I add the skin enhancer.
Apply All Over the Face
Depending on the shade you get, you could buff this all over the face to give you skin a natural bronzey tint. For me personally, the shade is too orange to do that. So I prefer to use it where I would normally use my bronzer.
Apply It Directly On Your Cheeks
If you don’t want to use it on the outer portion of the face only, it looks great on the cheeks for a hint of color. I usually will apply this first and then apply whatever blush color I am using on top.
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