- “This is a powder bronzer, but it doesn't really have any kickback and it blends in, as the name suggests, like butter into the skin”3:55–4:02
- “You can't over apply this”4:05–4:09
- “It applies in almost an instant blur on the skin”4:07–4:12
- “It just creates this filter wherever you apply it”4:14–4:20
- “It is very clearly a powder, but it applies like a cream”4:35–4:42
- “It's not patchy”
- “This is an amazing, amazing bronzer”
- “Can't think of a bronzer that is quite as soft and blurring as this”4:47–4:56
- Source: 11 new drugstore makeup products better than high-end - Jun 1, 2026
Essence
See reviews of these products
Soft Touch Butter Bronzer"This is a powder bronzer, but it doesn't really have any kickback and it blends in, as the name suggests, like butter into the skin."$5.99
Sun Club Matt Bronzing Powder Palette"I do think the formula is even better than it used to be."$9.99
Drop of Sunshine Bronzing Drops"I'm just going to mix in a little bit of the Essence Drop of Sunshine Bronzing Drops and just kind of blend that together on the back of my hand before applying it to my face."$5.99
Baby Got Bronze Liquid Bronzer"Cream bronzer, we gotta go with Essence I've talked about these Baby Got Bronzes and their Baby Got Blushes, honestly, for so long."$5.99Browse more
- “I have no issue with this fading on me throughout the day”23:06–23:09
- “It looks so good from like the moment I apply it till the moment I wash it off at the end of the day”23:08–23:13
- “It blends out beautifully”23:13–23:17
- “It kind of has like a light coconut beachy scent, which you might not love if you don't like scented makeup products, but for me, it just it strikes me as like a summertime product”23:15–23:19
- “The undertone of this is perfect”23:39–23:42
- “It doesn't look super orangey on my skin at all. It just adds like the perfect hint of warmth”23:44–23:49
- Source: Best drugstore makeup for hot weather - May 18, 2026
- “This has been my go-to bronzer”22:49–22:53
- “This just looks so good on the skin”23:10–23:16
- “It is very smooth, super easy to apply”23:13–23:19
- “If you are someone who finds that a lot of powder bronzers are very patchy, they look muddy, they don't look good on you, try this formula”23:16–23:22
- “It's an effortless formula”
- Source: My #1 favorite makeup product in every category - May 13, 2026
- “I feel like that's maybe slightly silkier and a little bit softer”9:32–9:39
- “Their new soft touch butter bronzers do come in a variety of shades”9:39–9:45
- Source: I tried all of the newest essence makeup (what's truly worth trying) - Jun 11, 2026
- “This is a very soft matte bronzer”29:39–29:43
- “It's supposed to look really, really natural, and I like that about it”29:53–30:01
- “I actually find this one a little bit easier to work with”30:03–30:11
- “It's really, really buildable”
- Source: Full face of new Essence makeup: hits, misses & absolute gems - Mar 23, 2026
- “This also is a really nice match for my skin tone. It's not too dark, it's not too orange”26:33–26:38
- “It's lightweight and definitely on the thinner side for a powder, which I like in this case. I feel like it allows you to just build it up more without it looking heavy or harsh”26:07–26:11
- “It has a natural matte finish and holds up nicely with wear as well. It doesn't go patchy. It doesn't majorly fade”26:27–26:33
- “This is also a really great bronzer for something that is softer”26:36–26:40
- “$5.99. Like, that's so amazing”
- “The fact that there's only four shades really stinks because that means it's obviously not going to be an option for a lot of people”26:55–26:58
- Source: I tried 27 new drugstore beauty launches - May 17, 2026
- “I actually think the color golden buttercream is better cuz the other one is very light”
- “So, this is a better shade”7:30–7:33
- Source: Full face of Essence makeup under $10 - Mar 28, 2026
- “I really like this one. It feels very similar to the Rare Beauty one actually, but just in a more neutral tone”8:43–8:50
- “It's a soft builder as well, so you don't go in too much product and you have to sit there and panic blend or restart. It's one you can build up at your own pace, which I love”9:19–9:24
- Source: Best and worst of latest makeup launches - Feb 25, 2026
- “Love the way this smells”
- “Kind of tropical, ultra smooth and buildable”9:50–9:59
- “This I really like because it is so natural”10:00–10:04
- “I feel like their single bronzers are nice because they're never muddy and they just have a nice buildable blendable formula”10:02–10:08
- “The other one is very light”10:14–10:17
- “Doesn't show up a ton”
- “I agree with the name of these. Soft touch is right”10:32–10:39
- Source: Full face of Essence makeup under $10 - Mar 28, 2026
- “This shade is looking very pretty and natural. Just gave me some color and some warmth without looking orangey at all but also not too cool toned”11:49–11:53
- “I really like this bronzer shade by the way”13:40–13:44
- “Very happy about this bronzer discovery because this shade is beautiful, specifically the shade 10”24:58–25:01
- Source: Affordable drugstore makeup under $15 - Jun 3, 2026
- “This one is perfect if you want something that's not quite as pigmented as L'Oreal. It's definitely softer and more natural looking”23:13–23:17
- “I really enjoy this, but there's only four shades”23:19–23:25
- Source: Everyday drugstore makeup routine - Jun 14, 2026
- “I have a few items in their line. So, I got two shades in the bronzer because I wasn't sure. I got the shades whipped buttercup and golden buttercream”2:33–2:40
- “I'm going to try the very light one”
- “It is on the more yellowy ochre side, which I do prefer over like orange or red”3:53–4:00
- “I like how soft it is”
- “The blendability was really easy”4:06–4:09
- “It's a more silky hydrated formula”3:36–3:41
- “It's on the more subtle side, but it does have a bit of like a healthy sheen to it without being able to see a physical pearl, but it has that really natural finish that still adds dimension”3:24–3:30
- “I did build it up so I could really see where I could get it”4:02–4:06
- Source: Drugstore Makeup That Surprised Me - Jan 14, 2026
- “This shade is my tanner shade. Looks fine but I like the lighter one better”12:26–12:32
- Source: Affordable drugstore makeup under $15 - Jun 3, 2026
- “This is a good shade for how pale I am”19:24–19:28
- Source: Full face of Essence Cosmetics - Feb 7, 2026
- “This is my Essence Soft Touch Bronzer”
- Source: No touch-ups needed drugstore coverage routine - Mar 3, 2026
- “This is like a cream to powder bronzer and have really been enjoying this as well”17:10–17:20
- “This is definitely more warm toned than the Morphe one, but it just blends out so so beautifully on the skin. It doesn't look patchy or anything”16:50–17:00
- “I don't have any other bronzer formula like this in my collection with this being like a cream to powder. And it was really affordable, too”17:10–17:15
- “This bronzer was only $5.99 at Ulta”17:27–17:33
- “I just can't get over how beautiful this is for being as affordable as it is”17:42–17:47
- “I just feel like it melts into the skin beautifully and like I said, it just it blends super easy. It doesn't look patchy. It's such a beautiful color, especially for summer”
- Source: Full face of the best affordable makeup of April 2026 - May 2, 2026
- “I can't really use this as a bronzer, like traditional bronzer”11:13–11:15
- “It's just too red for my neutral golden skin tone”11:48–11:51
- “The pigment is really good”11:54–11:54
- “Beautiful as a blush bronzer”11:51–11:51
- “This is just very disappointing”12:11–12:12
- “This is just too red for any beauty in my skin tone range”
- “This just didn't do what it was supposed to do”12:22–12:26
- “This is an okay at best product”12:31–12:32
- Source: Judging viral beauty products everyone's buying - Jun 9, 2026
- “I do think the formula is even better than it used to be”8:34–8:38
- “The big con when it comes to this product is that it only comes in one option”8:36–8:40
- “These are not going to work for every skin tone out there”8:43–8:46
- “Honestly, this formula is great. It's very smooth, super silky”9:21–9:26
- “These are very, very warm, as are a lot of bronzers”9:54–10:00
- “I do feel like a lot of these shades pull almost orangey on my skin tone”9:58–10:03
- Source: I tried all of the newest essence makeup (what's truly worth trying) - Jun 11, 2026
- “I'm just going to mix in a little bit of the Essence Drop of Sunshine Bronzing Drops and just kind of blend that together on the back of my hand before applying it to my face”5:26–5:31
- Source: New drugstore makeup launches for spring 2026 - Apr 19, 2026
- “Cream bronzer, we gotta go with Essence I've talked about these Baby Got Bronzes and their Baby Got Blushes, honestly, for so long”0:42–0:49
- “$4.99 Have you ever found a cream bronzer for under $5? No the fuck you haven't”0:47–0:53
- Source: Full face of drugstore products under $10 - Mar 24, 2026
Brand note
Essence is the drugstore brand that keeps surprising creators with how good the formulas are for the money. The Super Peptide Glossy Lip Treatment comes up most often — a non-sticky, high-shine gloss with a smooth, hydrating feel that people compare favorably to high-end options. The Soft Touch Butter Bronzer also gets consistent praise for its soft, blurring, easy-to-blend texture. The main trade-off across the line is limited shade ranges, which creators note can exclude a lot of skin tones.
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