One Small Step For Tan

When I found a full-size bottle of Stila One Step Bronze in my June Birchbox, I was intrigued. While I usually just use a light dusting of powder bronzer in the summer, this serum (according to the box) says it will do a whole lot more than just give a little sunny color. It promises a “flawless glow,” and lots of other lovely things. Honestly, even if it only promised a flawless glow and then delivered on it, I would be all over this.

They explain it all through their triple-swirled helix serum, which I initially referred to as “whole wheat fusilli” in my Birchbox review. It turns out each noodle has a special purpose. The matte bronze warms and color corrects, the luminous bronze enhances skintone and illuminates, and the kitten shimmer brightens, illuminates and helps diminish the appearance of sunspots.

If you’re not familiar with Stila’s product line and are slightly WTF about the term “kitten,” here is the scoop: Kitten is one of Stila’s most popular colors, if not THE most popular. I think it might have started as an eyeshadow, but now pretty much everything they do comes in “kitten.” It’s a soft shimmery peachy color.

Anyway, the noodles/helixes/helices are suspended in a serum that has like fifteen names (Youth Revival Bio-Available Mineral Complex from Arclay) but the important thing is that they say it will help diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, minimize pores, hydrate, balance, and control oil.

So it sounds like this stuff actually does a lot of good for your skin while also giving you a summery bronzy glow. It’s sort of the opposite of a suntan, except you still get the color, which is the best part, really.

That’s all fantastic, but as far as blending this over my entire face (per the directions) I was concerned about all those little sparkles in the noodles. Sometimes illuminating products can be a bit much. Would it be too shimmery?

Maybe. It’s definitely shimmery, but whether or not it’s “too” shimmery might be a moot point.

The first time I tried it, I applied it over sunscreen, after giving the sunscreen a few minutes to soak in. I only used one pump, which, by the way, looks kind of like bird poop. The color was nice enough, but I wasn’t getting enough of the pore-minimizing or the other stuff. It just looked like bare-naked-face-but-slightly-tan. I didn’t want to go out without a little more coverage, and I was in a hurry, so I tried applying bb cream right on top, which turns out not to be a good plan. It pilled up on my face, and I had to wash it and start over, in even more of a hurry.

Later, I tried it again, this time over my makeup (sunscreen, bb cream, o-glow cheek stain). It went on much darker and for a minute I was worried about going Oompa Loompa, but after I rubbed it in for a bit I got a nice shade of tan. With sparkles. There was a tiny bit of pilling too, but I was able to brush it off pretty easily.

From what I’ve read online, it’s meant to be used under makeup, though some of the reviews say it works well over too. Most of the people talking about it on the Sephora website really like it.  It does give pretty, natural looking color, but it also has itty bitty sparkles. It’s pretty subtle, but I’m not really into all-over-face shimmer. Then again, if I put makeup over it, that would tone it down some. The other thing is, it might not be quite so obvious if my skin was darker, so maybe after I start using my self-tanner it will look better. The pilling is a mild issue, but I think this has silicone in it, and that happens when your rub silicone products into your skin too much.

I will probably keep experimenting with it, because I have it, and it was “free.” One interesting idea I read in the Sephora reviews is to use it on your arms and chest too/instead. Since I didn’t pay $36 for the bottle, that might be a nice option. (Though, body makeup?)

In the end, unless you are really searching for a shimmery, bronzey, primer, you can probably skip this.