When my subscriber Lennroe contacted me via my Youtube e-mail address, letting me know she wanted to send me some German drugstore makeup, I was intrigued. Because German drugstores do brands I cannot usually buy from. One such brand? Rival de Loop and their several sub brands. I tried a few products over the years that I picked up during certain travels. One product I tried, which was a blush, ended up being a long time favorite that I only just recently decluttered. So when she suggested sending me some more Rival, I was excited. Today we are kicking things of with the Rival Loves Me Tropical bronzer in Waikiki.
Review: Rival Loves Me/ Rival De Loop Tropical Bronzer 01 Waikiki
So I don’t know much about this brand other than the fact that it is available from German drugstores. When I did a quick Google, I found the brand is mainly available from Rossmann. Rival is a super affordable makeup line too. This particular product retails for just €2.99. According to the info I have, this bronzer has been making waves in the German makeup blogosphere and so I was super excited to try it.
What does this bronzer have to offer?
Affordability aside, what made me super excited about this product is the fact that this seems to be a very good shade to me. In recent years I have found that brands have become much better at making shades that flatter my fair skin tone. And this looked to be right up my street and if it would work out it would be the most affordable bronzer I have ever tried that would work for me. Because in the very low, budget price category I feel shade ranges are always a bit trickier. So to see such a promising bronzer at such an affordable price point, I was very very intrigued.
What is the shade like?
So where to start with this one? This bronzer seems so basic and in a way it is. It is a simple, matte bronzer that comes in a cardboard box. The box reminds me a lot of Benefit packaging but it does feel a bit cheap. That doesn’t matter much though if the product inside of the box is stellar. And let me tell you: this bronzer is insanely good. It has a great formula that blends easily onto the skin without looking patchy. This shade is one of two available and it is great for my fair skin. The color has a bit of a yellow undertone and that is exactly what I look for when using a bronzer.
How does this bronzer swatch?
The formula of this bronzer is soft, with a bit of kick up when you stick your brush in. It blends super smoothly and easily though you do have to be careful. As there is a bit of kick up I do feel you have to make sure the product is on your brush quite evenly to ensure it goes on evenly. I love the shade: it is not too light, not too dark and I feel it looks very flattering on my skin. It is pigmented enough for it to show up, but not in such a way that it becomes unusable. In short, it is exactly what I need from a bronzer.
How does this bronzer apply?
Here you can clearly see the before and after of this product on my skin. You have a great, warm product that adds just enough color to the skin. There is one major major but for me though with this product: it has the strongest perfume like scent. And it is not a good scent either. It just a bit strong and heady and at first I wasn’t sure what it was. However, because it is so strongly scented I have grown quite averse to this product now that I have used it for a full week straight. It’s just a bit much for my morning routine and I know I won’t be using this any more as I don’t love overly perfumed products.
My final thoughts
The Rival Loves Me Tropical Bronzer is one that has a lot going for it. It has a great shade for my fair skin and it has a lovely formula. However, using it on a day to day basis has made me realize the high level of perfume this contains and it has gotten to the point where I feel this smells too strong for my everyday makeup routine. Every time I open this up, I get this waft of perfume that I feel a powder like this just doesn’t need. I therefore won’t be using this product anymore.
Would I recommend the Rival Loves Me Tropical bronzer?
Even though I didn’t fall in love with this bronzer, if you don’t mind scents and you can find your shade this may be one you can love. It has a lovely color and it is super cheap. That said, it only comes in two shades, so it may be difficult to find a shade that is right for you. Especially if you have a deeper skin tone it may be very difficult for you to find the right shade.