Worth It: Chantecaille’s Sunbeam Cheek and Eye Shade

Welcome back to Worth It, a breakdown of the new beauty products we’ve tested and adored: We're talking that drain-it-to-the-bottom-and-tell-your-friends-you’ve-found-The-One kind of love. If it's featured here, consider this permission to splurge. Read on for the product you don’t want to live without, and catch up on the latest Worth It breakdown.

The Promise

Chantecaille is the definition of an if-you-know-you-know beauty brand. If you’ve tried it, you’re obsessed with—that’s how the story goes. Their tinted moisturizer has a crazy cult following and their Stress Repair Eye Concentrate is quite literally the only eye cream to ever (and I mean ever) make my blue-tinged under eyes look a little less terrifying. Their botanical-sourced skincare also sets a high standard. Reason being, the family-owned and operated brand puts a lot of TLC into their formulations. They have a few, carefully curated new launches a year, and rest assured we take note of each one. 

Most recently, Chantecaille released a limited-edition SunBeam Collection, which will be available until stock runs out. The drop is two-fold: It features a Lip Tint Hydrating Balm, and, my personal favorite, a very luxe looking SunBeam Cheek and Eye Shade. The shimmery copper powder is stamped with the brand’s recognizable floral design and is packaged in a neon green-hued lucite case with a custom, one-of-a-kind marble design on the lid. As for the formula itself? It’s described as an “all-in-one gel/powder” that gives a sunkissed warmth, flatters all skin tones, and defines bone structure. While I’m in full support of anything that’s going to make my pale-as-can-be and never-seen-the-sun skin look tanned to perfection, shimmery bronzers and blushes are a dime a dozen—and don’t have to cost $82. Want to know if this famed multi-purpose product actually lives up to the price point? Read my honest thoughts, ahead. 

Why I’m Obsessed 

First and foremost: I love this product. I have that I’ll-never-use-another-bronzer-in-my-life kind of love for this baby. But this infatuation started with skepticism. For the past four or so years, I’ve avoided powder formulas at all costs and have emphatically defended the fact that creams and liquids look more glowy and natural. I’ve swatched powders on my hands for ~testing~ purposes, but no powder has penetrated the iron clad wall of my everyday routine. Well, until this Chantecaille Cheek + Eye Shade. 

A quick brush on my inner wrist revealed the softest, most subtle copper-colored shimmer. That said, I’ve seen plenty of pretty, glittery copper-colored shimmers throughout my beauty editor career. But (and this is the big one), the tone of this specific bronzer wasn’t at war with my undertones. Instead of showing up with an orange tint reminiscent of a bad spray tan or a muddy, ruddy brown, it just made my pale, slightly rosy skin look tan. And as someone who can’t apply self tanner to save their life and avoids the sun at all costs, tan is not something I experience often. 

With that, I decided to try this delightfully neon-packaged product in my makeup routine. I applied my CC cream, dabbed on my liquid concealer, and then buffed the shimmer out in a diagonal line, just above my cheekbone and in the direction of my temple. I dusted it above my hairline and on the sides of my nose too, and used a smaller brush to create some dimension on my lids. It didn’t feel like a typical powder that suffocated my pores—it was entirely weightless. And when I looked in the mirror? Not to brag, but I looked good. I looked bronzed. I had that tan-meets-rested glow that only occurs after 10, email-free, unplugged, Eat, Pray, Love-eque days on a remote beach somewhere tropical. My blush? Not necessary. Highlighter? An added bonus, but again, not necessary. 

This do-it-all shade is the first makeup product in a *very* long time to actually transform my makeup routine. It’s working overtime to serve as my blush, bronzer, highlighter, and eyeshadow. It's managed to make me, aka an extremely pale person, look naturally tan. And, most notably, it's made me a powder product convert. So in short: It's worth the money.