This Not That: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer

Shop the post here.

Listen, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer is genuinely beautiful. Soft-focus, sun-kissed, lit-from-within, never muddy, never orange — it really does make your skin look healthier and more expensive than it has any right to. The only problem? It is $58. For a bronzer. To put on your face. That you will eventually wash off.

I tried the CoverGirl TruBlend Skin Enhancer Baked Luminous Bronzer fully expecting nothing, and instead I got pretty much the same warm, glowy, soft-focus finish for a fraction of the price. It blends like a dream, doesn't go heavy or chalky, and is baked with hyaluronic acid and white rose extract so it weirdly feels like skincare too. It has officially taken over as my everyday bronzer, and honestly, the Hourglass can stay pretty on the shelf. If you love the Hourglass look but cannot bring yourself to drop $58 on a powder, this CoverGirl one is doing the absolute most for under $13.