Oooh, two makeup brands coming out with mosaic-inspired bronzers. You know what that means!! Ding ding! Time for an old-fashioned makeup design SMACKDOWN! Awwww yeah, it's ON! (We are way overdue – the last MM battle took place in 2009!)
In the first corner we have Clarins Mosaique bronzing powder. As the item still hasn't appeared on the Clarins website, I was fortunate to have found the description at Addictedtolipstick.
"Mosaic, a timeless decorative motif, has crossed the ages to reach us in all its beautiful splendour. As an ornament of Roman baths, frescoes in the elegant homes of ancient Pompeii or the sumptuous decoration of Byzantine basilicas… the mosaic has been a major, refined art in all Western civilizations. This summer, Clarins has taken its inspiration from the rich forms and colours in the mosaic universe to offer a vibrant make-up collection full of sun and vitality."
Wow. Clarins certainly talks a big game, but can it deliver?
In the other corner, weighing in at a whopping .98 oz and measuring nearly 5 inches across (since it's meant for both face and body) we have Guerlain Terracotta Mosaic bronzer. This one is so confident in its design it doesn't even have a detailed description like Clarins. However, it also lacks a connection to the previous Guerlain summer release (the Inca collection) – I'm not sure why they would come out with a mosaic bronzer which has basically nothing to do with the rest of the summer collection.
Now, since budget constraints precluded me from buying these two items, you can look at the stock photos in my oh-so-cool poster above (I know you're all jealous of my mad design skillz), or you can check out real-life pics of Clarins here and Guerlain here. Go ahead, I'll wait.
So…who wins the Mosaic Melee?? Is it our fearless Guerlain, who has a lot more experience with limited editions and whose sheer gigantic size obliterates all other bronzers? Or is it the quiet underdog Clarins, who makes up for its small stature with a prettier, more detailed outer case? Let me know in the comments section!