I was very kindly sent the new Riviera watercolour™ Collection from Daniel Sandler Cosmetics to test out, and I attended a beauty event hosted by him, along with other makeup artists and content creators who love his brand. He talked us through his concept of creating the set and demonstrated how he uses the products. It was a nice evening. The New Riviera collection is a limited edition collection comprising 4 brand new shades of his infamous Watercolour™ Liquid Cheek Colours formulation. The shades and names are inspired by his fond memories of his travels to the Italian Riviera and Greece. Whether he was vacationing with his husband or painting faces for his work, each memory helped to inspire him to capture the golden light of the Mediterranean sunsets, perfect for our summer memories…
Daniels Watercolours™ come in 3 forms, liquid blushers, bronzers and illuminators. Blushers & bronzers come in two finishes, matte or glowy/shimmery. Each watercolour™ liquid colour is designed to be layered, mixed and played with; There are no rules! They are wearable on the face, eyes and lips. I love that Daniel’s watercolour liquid colours create a second skin finish on the skin, meaning they look incredibly natural (as you will see in my photos towards the end). They can be applied sheer and built up to the most intense pigment. The formulation is water-resistant, humidity-proof, and once they set down, they are completely budge-proof, making them great to wear during any season. The most important thing to remember with your watercolours is to shake them well before applying. I like to shake mine for around 10 seconds to activate the pigments. This also ensures maximum pigmentation.
The Daniel Sandler Riviera Collection (LE)
Daniel has captured the beautiful colours of the Mediterranean sunset and applied them to 4 new watercolour™ liquid shades. 1 Bronze tone, 1 blush and 2 tones of highlights: Amalfi (a shimmery warm golden bronze) – Pasitano (a soft shimmery ballet pink highlight)- Ischia (a shimmery medium bubblegum pink) – Santorini (a soft light champagne gold)
I have tested these out almost daily throughout the entire month of May, during a mini heatwave, during rain and through borderline weather days, come rain or shine! They have stayed put, whether on bare skin or over a full face of makeup. I find the best way to apply these is to pour them onto the back of my hand or a makeup palette and apply in layers using a stipple motion.
Swatches
Riviera watercolour™ Collection Swatches from top to bottom: Pasitano – Ischia – Amalfi – Santorini
Bronzer
Swatches Bronzer: Amalfi compared to other DS bronzers in my collection – Golden Glow & Hot Totty. Amalfi is considerably warmer, a warm copper bronze with gold shimmer. Golden Glow is more of a neutral bronze with silver shimmer. Hot Toddy is a deep, warm, rust terracotta brown. All 3 look completely different and work well mixed or applied in layers for more dimension to the face.
Swatches top to bottom: Hot Toddy – Golden Glow – Amalfi
Blusher
Swatches Blush: Ischia compared to other DS pink blushers in my collection. Ischia is the cooler younger sister of So Pretty. Whereas ‘So Pretty‘ is a medium-tone warm rose pink with both gold and silver shimmer, Ischia is slightly lighter in shade but still a medium and leans more cool, blue-based with silver shimmer. Rose Glow is a soft, leaning peachy, baby pink with gold shimmer. Rose Glow is a more pigmented pink that can be used as a blush on fair skin tones, a blush topper on light/medium and tan complexions and a highlight on deep and dark skin tones. It’s such a versatile shade. Pop (from Customisable Colour Set) is a vibrant coral-based, almost salmon-toned rosy pink.
Swatches top to bottom: Ischia – Rose Glow – So Pretty – Pop
Highlighter
Swatches Highlight: Santorini & Pasitano compared to other DS liquid Illuminators in my collection. Moonglow is a bright, cool-toned champagne, & Sunglow is a medium bronzed gold with fine gold shimmer (both from the Customisable Colour Set). Santorini is a warm champagne gold (think J-Lo golden goddess shade) and Pasitano is a slightly cool-toned light pink.
Swatches top to bottom: Moon Glow – Sun Glow – Pasitano – Santorini
Amalfi (bronzer), I like to apply using my Sephora 56 Pro Foundation Brush. It is densely packed but also soft enough to blend out gently while stippling without disturbing the base underneath. I love its smaller size for precision, so I don’t overdo it with bronzer. It also fits into the contour of my cheekbones and my temples well.
Ischia (blusher), I like to initially apply where I want the most pigment using my fingertips and blend out using my Rose Inc No2 Brush (which seems to be out of stock everywhere, it’s a slightly smaller version of the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation Brush). I also enjoy applying with my Peaches & Cream Multi Base Makeup Brush, which has been renamed The Chisel Brush (the PC08 brush in The Essential Face Brush Set is also similar). Both brushes have a soft angle that ensures maximum pigment and a seamless blend at the same time.
The 2 highlight shades (Pasitano & Santorini), I prefer to apply with my fingertips and blend out. Occasionally, I will go in with a small fluffy stipple brush like the ELF Small Stipple Brush, or MAC 130SHS Duo Fibre Brush to lightly blend it out seamlessly into the skin, giving a lit-from-within glow. Occasionally, when I am wearing a full face of makeup, I will opt for the Zoeva 110 Prime and Touch-Up Brush, which is denser, giving more pigment and precision.
If wearing on the eyelids, Daniel’s tip is to apply to the eyelids first before any concealer or powder (he is a fan of the ELF Hydrating Concealer for the eyelids). The watercolour pigments can also be added and mixed in with any cream eyeshadows for an extra ethereal eye look. I particularly love these with my Tom Ford or Charlotte Tilbury cream shadows in the pots, which have a soft, almost wet texture to them. During Daniel’s masterclass, where he demonstrated the products, he applied Bronzer, Highlight and then Blush. I tend to apply mine as Bronzer, Blush and then Highlight. Applying Daniel’s way gives more of a vibrant pop to the cheeks.
Some Makeup Looks wearing the Daniel Sandler watercolour™ Riviera Collection
The Riviera collection applied sheerly on a bare face
Applying The Bronzer & Blush
Purchase Links:
- Watercolour™ Liquid Riviera Customisable Colour Collection [buy here] £49.50
- Watercolour™ Liquid Customisable Colour Set [buy here] £49.50
- Rose Glow Watercolour™ Liquid Illuminator [buy here] £18.45
- Golden Glow Watercolour™ Liquid Illuminator [buy here] £18.45
- So Pretty Watercolour™ Liquid Blush [buy here] £18.45
- Hot Totty Watercolour™ Liquid Bronzer [buy here] £18.45
Daniel often does sales on his website and TikTok shop and has several money-saving deals like his blush and illuminator bundle (here) and starter kits for very fair, fair, medium and deep skin-tones. He also goes live on his TikTok, where he also does sales from time to time. He will be going live tonight to showcase the products. If you are intrigued by his products, I highly recommend following his TikTok account and signing up for his website’s newsletter. He also offers 15% off to new customers on his website and a 20% discount scheme for makeup artists (here). Honestly, one bottle can last over a year, so they are great value for what you get.
Daniel is a perfectionist when it comes to his baby, his brand. These beautiful shades were over a year in the making, and I think he nailed it! Each shade is different to everything he has already released. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed these shades this Spring and will continue to love them this summer. Who knows? Maybe if this collection is popular, he might consider making them permanent. I hope you will love these shades as much as I do.
Though I was kindly sent these products by Daniel Sandler Cosmetics, all opinions are my own.
Jamey xo
