Are Drunk Elephant’s B-Goldi Drops the Perfect Glowy Skincare Hybrid?
Image – Courtesy of writer
Who doesn’t want, glowy, dewy skin?
On my journey to finding the best products to make my combination skin look brighter and more glowing, I’ve tried a fair few products including illuminator gels and highlighters. One product I really like is the Saie Glowy Super Gel (£22 from Cult Beauty UK /$28 from Saie US), an all-over multi-use illuminator gel that gives a glow from within.
But another product I’ve been dying to try is Drunk Elephant’s B-Goldi Bright Drops. And if you’re a lover of skincare or spend time scrolling on TikTok, I have no doubt that you’ll have seen (or tried!) these too.
A sequel to their insanely viral D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops, which blew up as a skincare hybrid that gave glowing results, the B-Goldi Bright drops (£34 from Boots UK /$38 from Drunk Elephant US) are supposed to be a more subtle version while still providing radiance.
Let’s see how I got on.
Image – Courtesy of writer
The product details
B-Goldi is part of a range that includes the original D-Bronzi drops and their O-Bloos Rosy Glow Drops.
Marketed as a skincare/makeup hybrid, there are some very skin-friendly ingredients in these little drops, housed in a small 30ml white and gold bottle (yes, they’re expensive for the volume of product you get in the bottle).
Drunk Elephant describes B-Goldi as “A blend of 5% niacinamide, diglucosyl gallic acid, and mulberry leaf extract fades hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and post-breakout marks to improve skin’s clarity and radiance, and replenishing omega oils nourish and soothe. All the while, light-reflecting pigments revive dull skin without leaving a sparkly or glittery finish.”
They’re designed to be mixed with moisturisers, oils, and serums, “delivering skin-first benefits and an allover wash of color” and an “easy golden finish.”
You can use these drops in multiple ways. You can mix 1-2 drops of B-Goldi into your normal moisturiser, serum, or oil and apply it on your collarbone and legs for an illuminating glow.
You can also apply them directly on cheekbones, brow bone, and the bridge of the nose for a champagne-y highlight, or dab a little on the centre of the lips/browbone to create a pearly glow.
Image – Courtesy of writer
First impressions
I like the packaging of the product and, despite it being expensive, the small bottle is definitely cute, as well as easy to carry in your handbag/on a plane.
The brand says to shake the bottle before use, so I did that before adding a few drops to the back of my hand. It looked very pearly, even when I started to smooth it over my skin. I will say, though, that a little drop goes a long way.
The smell is nice, it reminds me of the smell of an SPF (not the coconuty tropical ones, but the high-quality ones). It feels quite hydrating, but comparing it to the Saie’s Glowy Super Gel, it’s much thicker and feels less like skincare and more like a liquid highlighter.
After a couple of seconds, the pigment settled down a bit and gave more of a glow than a glitter. Moving my hand in the light, I thought the pigment looked really pretty and I looked forward to trying it on my face.
But after a couple of minutes though, I noticed the finish of the product on my hand looked dry and it had settled into some of the lines on my hand and my fingerprints.
It looked like the product had dried on my skin and left a shimmer that, I feel, would look ridiculous applied all over the face. I gently moved my fingers over the product on my hand and it started to come off, a bit like it was pilling.
The product smoothed over my hand in the sunlight. As you can see in the second photo, it pilled/peeled on my hand once it had dried. Image – Courtesy of writer
My results
While some people go all out with this product, I’m not really a fan of looking too shimmery or shiny, so I applied B-Goldi to where I would normally apply highlighter on my face after cleansing and moisturising with CeraVe’s Smoothing SA Cleanser and Moisturising Lotion.
I wasn’t wearing makeup the first day I wanted to try these drops so I was also interested in whether they could help my skin look more glowy and dewy on my no-makeup days.
I really liked the effect it gave and despite the product pilling on my hand when I first inspected the product, it didn’t seem to do this on my face. I’m assuming my dry hands needed a little more moisture to keep the product from settling and flaking!
I also applied B-Goldi on my chest, collarbone, and shoulders, this time mixing it with a tiny bit of The Ordinary’s Squalane Oil (£9.90 from Boots UK /$10.40 from Ulta US) to create a more universal glow.
Overall, I ended up really liking the effect; it looks especially glowy when the sun shines.
My tip though? Combine these drops with any serum, oil, or moisturiser depending on the look and intensity you want.
Image – Courtesy of writer
How it compares to D-Bronzi
D-Bronzi is defininitely more of a liquid bronze effect which can really easily be mixed with any skincare products to give a natural warmth, while B-Goldi is much more of a light, pearly gold shade.
D-Bronzi drops are especially good for mixing with mineral sunscreens to eliminate any white cast in my experience. However, because the shade isn’t adjustable, they’re not disappointingly not always great for people who have a very dark skin tone. Since B-Goldi is even lighter, many people with darker skin tones have said it’s not suitable for them, either.
Image – Live That Glow
What other users are saying
In line with its cult social media following, the reviews here are mostly glowing (‘scuse the pun) for B-Goldi.
One user on the Drunk Elephant website writes “I bought this a few weeks ago an have been using it daily. I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my dark spots that were left over from my acne marks that I’ve been trying to get rid of for the past 4 years. I’ve also noticed a huge improvement in my forehead acne.
“This product is an absolute life saver for skin colours that are more prone to dark blemishes. Not to mention the natural and radiant glow it gives you without it looking like you’ve put a whole tub of glitter on your face! It really is worth the price considering the long term benefits it will give you.”
That’s impressive.
Another writes “One my second bottle. My face just looks dull without this now. A few drops and my face looks luminous without looking shiny.”
One creator on TikTok mentions that this isn’t a great shade for darker skin tones though. “Its a nice product but I woukd like to see @Drunk Elephant come out with a darker shade of this product for my skin tone & darker”, and some people mentioned how it made their darker skin look ashy.
Another writes “It does nothing for anyone tbh” – which I wouldn’t agree with, since this really does give my skin a glow/shimmer.
@christxiee Replying to @gabs_506 SO. LIGHTWEIGHT but SO GLOWY? NOW I GET THE HYPE. I literally couldn’t even wait to make this quick review
Overall value for money
For me, even though I like the effect, is just isn’t worth the money given how many amazing liquid highlighters are already out there for less. And while a plenty of people will enjoy the additional skincare benefits here, a lot won’t necessarily want or need them.
And other people seem to agree about the price, one Reddit user writes “I did not like the Goldi drops. They were uncomfortably thick and the sheen wasn’t that great. I think they’re overpriced.”
So, what are the cheaper alternatives on the market?
Many people mentioned Indeed Labs’ Nanobronze drops (£24.99 from Indeed Labs UK /$24.99 from Ulta US), while others prefer iNNBEAUTY PROJECT’s Face Glaze Skin Barrier Protect & Glow Moisturizer ($27 from Sephora US).
For a seriously affordable alternative, try the Makeup Revolution Bright Light Bronzing Drops (£9.99 from Boots UK /$11.99 from Target US), which also contain skin-loving ingredients like squalane, hyaluronic, and grapeseed oil.
The takeaway
While I like this product and the glowy effect it has, I’m not sure I would buy again just purely because of its price. I do however prefer B-Goldi to a powder highlighter as it has a more dewy effect.
I like the inclusion of skincare ingredients, but it’s not something I would pay extra for in a product like this. I’m more likely to be swayed by a base or foundation containing skin-loving ingredients because they will be applied all over my face. And, to be honest, lots of brands are including ingredients like this in their makeup products right now regardless of price point.
If you’re a fan of Drunk Elephant and don’t begrudge paying £35 or $38 for a nice glow, I say go for it! For me, I will be using up the rest of the bottle to see how long it lasts before I make a decision on repurchasing!
Get Glowing!
