Clinique Shimmering Tones

I don't know what triggered it, but I've been madly obsessed with anything that comes in a "gradation," stripes, checkered, or patterns of different colors. So when I saw the Shimmering Tones, even though I don't usually buy makeup items from Clinique, I just had to have at least one of these. Eventually, I ended up with 2: Shimmering Sweets and Bare Bronze.

Shimmering Sweets and Bare Bronze. Pictures taken indoor with flash.


All Shimmering Tones come in a checkered pan of several different colors, all in a sleek translucent square case without a brush or a mirror. The powders are intensely shimmery, some with pearly or metallic finishes. Their pigmentation ranges from low to high intensity, so I don't recommend layering at all if they are swirled together :D Also, their textures don't feel as silky, probably due to the amount of shimmer in them. However, I find that after several uses, the shimmery effect is greatly reduced. Perhaps the sparkles mostly sat on top of the powder?

The Shimmering Sweets is a blush and has 5 shades. When swirled together, the resulting color is a warm pinky peach I absolutely adore!
- 1st row far right and 3rd row far left: pearl, low intensity, looks orange in the pan but goes on a warm peach with cool and pale blue-toned pink iridescent.
- 2nd row far left and far right: shimmer, low intensity, a carnation pink with a tinge of lilac
- 1st row far left and 3rd row far right: shimmer, medium intensity, a rosey berry pink
- 1st and 3rd rows middle: shimmer, medium intensity, a lotus pink with strong violet notes
- 2nd row middle: pearl, medium intensity, a red-toned rose with cool berry iridescent


The Bare Bronze is a bronzer and has 3 shades. When swirled together, the resulting color is a nude bronze that is not too coppery or orangey. It literally gives me that "sun-kissed" look.
- 1st row far left, 2nd row middle, and 3rd row far right: shimmer, low intensity, a light feathery beige with pink undertone
- 1st row middle, 2nd row far right, and 3rd row far left: shimmer, high intensity, a copper-toned warm bronze with hints of peach and coral. Looks more red in the pan than actually is.
- 1st row far right, 2nd row far left, and 3rd row middle: pearl, medium intensity, a cool beige-bronze with muted copper iridescent and hints of gold.


These Shimmering Tones can also be used as highlighters and eye shadows, although in my case I could use neither the Shimmering Sweets or the Bare Bronze as highlighters. Even as eye shadows, I could only get away with the lightest 2 shades of the Shimmering Sweets and the lightest shade of the Bare Bronze. Because of my very warm skin tone, I can't pull off cool pink eye shadows at all unless their pigmentation are either very sheer or low intensity.