Tag: Bobbi Brown

Hello everyone! Hope this week’s off to a great start!

As we approach the festive season, a few more collections will be hitting counters soon. And i’m here  to catch up on all the reviews of what i’ve been testing. First in the blogging pipeline is Bobbi Browns second launch for Christmas, the Wine & Chocolate collection.

Complete with festive gold packaging (always a winner) & delicious tones, this collection is bound to please!

2 Eyeshadow palettes. Chocolate & Wine. Each containing 4 limited edition colours + 3 intense pigment liner shades.

4 Sequin eyeshadows. Single shimmer shadows for the ultimate sparkle effect.

2 Brightening blushes. Pearlised blush that delivers a soft wash of colour.

3 Luxe Lip Colour. Bobbi’s premium, ultra luxe lipstick formula in festive shades.

2 Nail Polishes in limited edition colours, Chocolate & Wine.

The most impressive of the collection, which struck most excitement were the palettes. Of course the colours aren’t exactly ground breaking, but as a makeup addict it’d be hard to resist a perfectly curated set of neutrals. And as proven time and again Bobbi IS still the master of neutrals.

My overall opinion is that the quality of the palettes are quite nice. In the past i’ve had some BB palettes that just don’t provide enough pigment or horribly dry, but these aren’t like that at all! In comparison to last years palettes, I’d say this Christmas they have in fact improved and much easier to work with and more consistent in terms of overall quality.

Of course you won’t be getting incredibly highly pigmented saturated colour as you would say, Urban Decay or Illamasqua, what’s expected is soft neutrals that beautifully define the eyes and enhance one’s natural beauty. It’s basically an easy to use set of colours that’ll get the job done!

On to some swatches, starting off with the Chocolate Palette. All taken in natural lighting with flash (a slight departure from the usual 🙂 since the sun’s been a bit shy these days )

This palette consists of 3 mattes, a shimmer shade and 3 highly pigmented liner colours ranging from sooty brown to navy.

The mattes had moderately good payoff with slight dryness to the touch. They applied well however and never looked powdery or patchy on the lids. The only shimmer included, Velvet Bronze was a better, silkier formulation in comparison and was great as a topper or single wash of colour. Together everything works in harmony to create a variety of looks.

For maximum intensity as seen in the final look I created with this palette, I used a smudged out chocolate brown kohl liner as a base. Not only did it help keeping the shadows in place, it also brought out the richness as well. My advice is, regardless of look you are planning on achieving, a primer is a must with these palettes. It helps the lighter shades adhere to the lid better without blending out to nothingness, or if you are tan like me, it also help colours show up more.

Overall I find these eyeshadows pick up wonderfully/better on a brush and apply with very little fallout. Something rare when creating smokey eyes! I’d say, this palette gets extra points for that feat alone!

The Wine Palette.

This palette would be your day to day essential neutral eye palette.

I found the payoff of the shades quite nice & great for everyday use. It’s also my opinion, that this would be the more popular choice. The warmer mix of shimmers are your average go-to mix when it comes to day to day.

All colours except one performed well. I found Pinot Noir wonderfully pigmented and delightfully easy to blend and Moon Glow the most loveliest soft shimmer. The only miss was Black Cocoa which was rather dry and difficult to swatch. The golden glitter felt gritty to the touch and didn’t quite hit the mark in terms of quality. Although I haven’t tried this particular one in an eye look yet, I can already see the gold glitter blending off and getting lost between application. Will update once i’ve given this shadow a fair chance. Let’s see 🙂 

Edit- Black Cocoa applies infinitely better with no sign of powderiness with a brush. However as suspected, the rose gold/bronzy shimmers never showed up when applied. 

Moving on to more ‘festive’ offerings. These Sequin shadows are quite the little shimmer bombs. Packed with multidimensional shimmer that can be used on their own as glistening washes of colour or on top of eyeshadows to add that little extra sparkle. They are a holiday favourite that’ll add that extra ‘pow’ to your eyes.

My first impressions are, they feel quite dry and textured to the touch. The formula had no emollients that would help something so chunky adhere! Was it going to be a shimmery mess?

Not if you pick them up with your finger and press and drag to blend. I had next to no fall out and the shimmer actually lasted quite well.

On to some swatches!

Between the two shades Silver Heather & Rose Gold, I believe Rose Gold applied slightly more evenly. Though both quite lovely seen in person. Shimmery, pretty, pretty goodness!

Next up, the Luxe Lip Colours Ultra Nude & Tawny!

The very first Bobbi product i’d instantly fallen in love with, back when they were released (late last year). The payoff is incredible. Luxurious , creamy & long lasting. It’s a truly special lipstick formula.

Needless to say, I was over the moon when I saw the colours included in the Holiday Collection were all my kinda shades! Reds, nudes & browns.

Here’s are the swatches of the two in my possession. Must haves!

I like that Uber Nude swatched much warmer and peachier on the lips. Love the colour and payoff, as amazing as i’d expected.

Tawny, a more deeper shade of brown works well for an evening look. Glorious, rich colour to top off a soft effortless eye look.

Both colours give out cosy holiday vibes. Think sipping hot chocolate by a warm fire. My minds going crazy imagining all the scenarios I could wear these, lol. Minus the cold weather though. Hah!

Chattiness aside, here’s a quick look at how some of these products look worn!

A lot of you probably haven’t seen the palettes in action. And since i’ve had a few inquiries and concerns about the performance of the Chocolate palette I thought i’d create my look around that!

Here i’ve used just the three matte shades, paired with a kohl liner as base.

Here’s a closeup!

I love the lip colour Ultra Nude with this palette. So understated yet brings an edge of sophistication & polish!

Overall Thoughts

The collection on the whole is a very well thought out, wearable mix. Nothing intimidating or out of your comfort zone. It’s the kind of collection that’d make great gifts and also a nice luxurious treat to oneself.

My top recommendations would be the palettes. As weird as it sounds, a perfectly curated neutral palette without too many colour choices are actually quite rare. And I find that these fit the bill. (I also really like the handy size, they are so workable even for trips and things if you are looking for a palette to ‘throw n go’ without lugging around something huge.)

I also am a massive fan of the Luxe Lip Colour formula. So any of those would also not disappoint and come highly recommended!

Collection Information

Launching at all Bobbi Brown counters islandwide on the 1st December.

Price List

Wine & Chocolate Palettes SGD 90 each.

Sequin Shadow SGD 53 each.

Brightening Blush SGD 78 each.

Luxe Lip Colour SGD 45 each.

Nail Polish SGD 25 each.

*Many thanks to Bobbi Brown Singapore for the beautiful sampling & preview of the holiday collection!

Each Holiday season Bobbi Brown hits us with a bag full of gifting solutions. The packaging is always spot on and there’s treasures a plenty be it gifting to loved ones or ‘gifting’ to ourselves.

As last year, i’m back with a complete swatch set of all the goodies in Bobbi Browns gifting collection (the Wine & Chocolate colour collection will be blogged separately) & of course my thoughts on the selection available and top picks.

2016 marks a special year for Bobbi Brown. Earlier this month we celebrated 25 years of Bobbi.

In order to commemorate this special occasion there’re amazing collectibles included in the holiday collection as well. If you are a die hard Bobbi Brown fan, these would be must have pieces you wouldn’t want to miss out on.

Starting with, the stunning lipstick vault seen lower left lined in gorgeous burgundy.

The Original 10 25th Anniversary Lip Collection – SGD 170

This includes the iconic ten that started it all! Shades range from pale nudes to rich plummy hues and everything in between. A kit of mini lipsticks that’s bound to steal your heart!

Glow to Go Blush & Illuminate – SGD 55

A cheek palette comprising of French Pink Blush & Platinum Sparkle Illuminator. Possibly my top pick for gifting. Partially due to it’s dinky size and superbly flattering shade.

Golden Eye Palette Shadow & Mascara – SGD 63

Golden Eye palette is a simple fool proof eye palette that features a trio of shadows, an eye liner brush & a mini Smokey Eye Mascara.

Party to Go Eye and Lip Palette – SGD 63

An eye quad of versatile neutrals paired with a mini True Rose Lip Colour. All your essentials to create a sexy holiday look. I love that the palette itself includes this mini lipstick. Easy to travel with and there’s no danger of misplacing it as it comes with it’s own little slot!

Cool Dusk Eye Palette – SGD 90

A mix of neutrals to take you from day to night. This one’s in the cooler spectrum of things.

Brightening Brick – SGD 78

One of Bobbi’s new-ish products, the Brightening Bricks now come in a festive, limited edition gold packaging. A medley of rose gold and pale gold & Ivory checkered pattern to bring on some radiance.

Party All Night Eye Opening & No Smudge Mascara (not seen here) – SGD 71

A simple mascara duo including Bobbi’s Eye Opening Mascara for amped up volume and a No Smudge Mascara for layering to instantly waterproof.

Travel Brush Set – SGD 260

Another exciting release is these stunning brush kits we see during Christmas. And this year it’s a 6 piece set with gold ferules & burgundy handles. Luxurious, elegant and perfect for your travel bag.

(Set includes a Full Coverage Brush, Angled Face Brush, Eye Sweep Brush, Angled Eyeshadow Brush, Eye Liner Brush, Dual-Ended Definer & Groomer brush.)

Bobbi to the Rescue Detox & Hydrate Set – SGD 115

An SOS kit to help combat the after effects of a late night celebrating.

This kit includes, Long Wear Makeup Remover (cos you should NEVER go to bed without taking off your makeup), Rich Cream Cleanser, Hydrating Face Tonic, Instant Detox Mask (full size), Hydrating Face Cream & Hydrating Eye Cream. The mini travel size products make useful gifts for jet-setting friends or even as a trial kit to dip your toe into Bobbi Skincare if you haven’t already!

Party Prep Skincare Set – SGD 135

A mini sampler of Bobbi essentials to help you prep for glowing, party ready skin. This includes a mini Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm, Hydrating Eye Cream in a tube, Lip Balm SPF 15, Mini Radiance Boost Mask & Extra Hand Cream.

Onto some swatches I took at the preview. The lighting is never perfect but I managed to come home with decent pics which I hope would prove useful to make your list!

The Glow to Go Kit contains a little vial of liquid highlight in dropper style packaging & a pretty mid tone pink blush. If you are familiar with Bobbi Brown blushes, the quality is pretty similar to that.

The shadows range from matte to satin to shimmer, with everything swatching smooth with good pigmentation. The only exception was the matte black that always seem to swatch a bit patchy but perform well with brushes.

The lipstick included here, True Rose is a richly pigmented shade that compliments the kit perfectly. I’d recommend this as a well curated palette for gifting which creates a signature Bobbi Brown look with neutral eyes and luscious lips.

The Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick is a radiant setting powder with noticeable shimmer. Not my favourite Bobbi product as the shimmer is more noticeable than i’d like. Though I know some of you LOVE and swear by this product for day to day use.

Best suited for fair to light-medium skin tones.

Bobbi Browns Party picks (4 products) in a handy burgundy pouch.

Party Alice lipstick, a warm coral-y rose swatches creamy with beautiful payoff. Opal Glow highlighter, a dusty pink, more of a shimmering pink rose when swatched (formula seems less intense and silky in comparison to the highlighters from the summer collection) , a mini gloss with multi coloured glitter & lastly a Mascara.

A palette that creates a signature Bobbi Brown neutral eye look.

There’s a matte ivory, shimmering mid tone neutral brown, taupe-y warm grey, a matte dark slate & a sooty black. The formula & pigmentation is very much in line with the regular Bobbi Brown shadows if you are familiar. Not as pigmented as i’d like but works well with the overall Bobbi Brown look which is more of a conservative makeup look rather than BAM! colour.

On to some better swatches (I swapped out the pics from the preview for ones I took at home to show you how better lighting do these palettes & kits justice)

Truly impressed with the overall quality of this tiny palette of essentials to create an easy party look. It contains a matte ivory, a shimmering muted gold and a matte black. I swatched these heavily over a freshly moisturised hand to help the shadows adhere better as the Bobbi Brown shadow formula I noticed can be a little dry. Specially so in the deeper matte shades.

And as mentioned before, these perform perfectly well with brushes.

Lastly the 25th Anniversary Lip Collection!

Absolutely STUNNING! And a must have piece for any makeup junkie.

The collection consists of a well edited range of shades that would suit most skin tones and pretty much cover every occasion. All except one swatched beautifully with a soft creamy formula and great payoff. The shade that missed the mark was Blackberry. Lacked in pigmentation and applied slightly patchy. Overall though i’d rate this as a killer set!

Bottom Line

I find the quality across the palettes more consistent in comparison to last year. They swatched better and had very few ‘misses’. Most I can recommend without any hesitation.

I also like that the pricing of this years collection has improved as well! I recall last years brush palette being quite the luxe buy, so it’s nice to see this years one more ‘affordable’. Palettes are also more on the ‘easy-to-swallow’ price tag. They start from SGD 55.

My faves of the collection were the small, stocking stuffer size gifts and the ultra must have 25th Anniversary Lip Collection. It’s definitely worth buying for oneself just to own such a lovely collectible, and of course the colours are beautiful too.

Overall I think Bobbi did well with this years holiday offerings. I would recommend looking at the Golden Eye Palette, Party to Go kit and the Glow to Go Cheek palette. All three swatched really well and perfectly sized for travel. Something important to consider when buying these types of goodies as gifts or for personal use.

Collection to be launched in Bobbi Brown boutiques & counters on the 1st November.  

At a recent Bobbi Brown preview I spotted two new additions to their base product line up. The soon to be released Retouching Wand & the Retouching Face Pencil which will be marketed under their Retouching Franchise Fall 2016.

A few weeks ago I posted complete swatches of both new products on my Instagram and today i’ll be sharing a comprehensive review on the Retouching Wand which I’ve been testing out since.

 “invisible & weightless – like a magic wand for your skin”. – Bobbi Brown

The product is a hybrid between a concealer and foundation. Instantly erasing imperfections such as redness, and dark circles with a quick touch of the sponge. It’s said to feature a patented pigment technology that makes possible a formula light and virtually undetectable on the skin. Which I believe to an extent is true.

A quick look at packaging!

The product comes in a clickable pen.

Basically twisting the base pushes up the product, dispersing it via a sponge tip applicator. Although built in applicators aren’t my favoured form of packaging, i’m willing to get around it by regularly sanitising the tip with alcohol just so my germaphobic self won’t loose sleep.

The pen disperses product evenly without gloops and all you need is a quick pat with fingers to smooth everything into place.

Formula 

It’s a lightweight texture with sheer to medium coverage that blends onto skin easily. Unfortunately this is not very buildable and run the risk of sliding around if too much is applied. The naturally radiant finish however keeps the ‘retouched’ areas fairly unnoticeable. Although I do notice it creasing around the nose and emphasising any texture.

So far i’ve discovered they are great (paired with a BB cream) for day to day just to cover up redness around the nose and under eyes without looking makeup-y, and a good no-makeup makeup product for anyone who’s looking for that natural finish.

*I’ve been using the shade Medium (i’m a NC35 in MAC shades) and could also wear Light if I require a more brightened effect.

The only downside I see is the liquidy texture gets into fine lines so easily and require powdering the second this goes on. If you already have a decent share of expression lines, I foresee this being a difficult formula to work with.

Bottom Line

It’s a great product for on-the-go use. Touchups are easy and a no-mess product if you tend to do your makeup in the car.

I brought this along on a beach vacay and have been using it to coverup dark circles and redness. The product does in fact look very natural and covers enough to look presentable in a rush. I’ve been faking great skin without having to layer on tonnes of foundation. Yay!

If a natural makeup look is what you require, these are a good investment. They blend well over clean skin or foundation to perfect the complexion without it looking crape-y or fake.

Other Info

The retouching wand comes in 9 shades ranging from Porcelain to Rich, all with yellow to neutral undertones as expected from Bobbi!

Available at counters from Sept 2016. Retailing at SGD64.

*Includes samples sent for review consideration.