Sarah Creal Just Like Paradise Cream Bronzer

Sarah Creal Just Like Paradise Cream Bronzer | Not a new product but one that recently got a shade expansion!

This cream bronzer is one that surprised me right off the bat, in a good way. It has a very smooth formula that feels immediately balmy to the touch but picks up very thinly – it’s emollient but not at all thick.

Additionally, while it has that emollience that lends itself to being easily picked up and spread, it actually applies with more of a natural finish. I don’t find this dewy at all on the skin! You can see its typical finish on the blended (left) side of these swatches where there really isn’t much of a sheen, as it tends to readily transform from its pan texture to that natural skin finish. Compared to the built-up (right) side, there is certainly more sheen simply because there’s more product, but it still has more of a healthy skin appearance rather than any sort of exaggerated dewiness. For this reason, I think any skin type can successfully and happily use this product.

The formula is of course what makes this product so special. It just looks like skin – there is no detectable product. And because of that thin, emollient texture, it’s actually one of the rare cream products that I’d say can be easily applied with fingers as well. I’m a brush girl through and through, so that’s how I always apply it, but it’s nice to know that you’d have a choice with this one without compromising the end result.

As far as the shades, I picked up 1.0 (“light golden bronze) and 2.0 (“medium cool bronze”) at launch, with 1.5 (“light reddish bronze”) coming with the shade expansion. I personally prefer to mix 1.0 and 2.0 since it gives me quite a neutral color, but if I were choosing to only get one, I think it’d be 2.0. I don’t find that it’s a cool undertone but rather pretty neutral, and the product is sheer so that it never becomes overwhelming on my skin tone. Hopefully they continue to thoughtfully expand the shade range though because it still doesn’t go deep enough.

Regarding the packaging, it’s easy to hold and open with its lighter but still secure magnetic closure. However, I have heard that some have broken at the hinge without excessive use (as with the blushes, which are in the same compact but a different color). Mine are personally fine, but I’d like to see an emphasis on improved packaging moving forward, especially given the price point of this brand.

Overall, Sarah Creal is a high-end brand that has really been impressing me across the board. The high-performing formulas are ones that you might expect to slide around but conversely lock in once applied. Looking forward to their future releases and shade extensions!