Temptalia

Bobbi Brown Sultry Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:00:19 +0000

Bobbi Brown Sultry Eyeshadow Palette

Quick Review: Bobbi Brown Sultry Eyeshadow Palette

Bobbi Brown Sultry Eye Palette ($45.00 for 0.15 oz.) includes three eyeshadows and one long-wear eye paint. It features: Bone (off white), Antique Gold (deep gold sparkle), Caviar (black brown), and Brandy (rich golden bronze). The packaging is sleek and compact, and I love that they have an actual brush applicator included, rather than sponge-tipped ones!

The Long-Wear Eye Paints are new and featured in the three palettes from Bobbi Brown’s Smoky, Sultry, Smoldering Collection. According to Bobbi Brown, they are “high-pigment metallic eyeshadow that can be worn wet or dry.” She recommends “[applying] them with a damp Cream Shadow Brush for a strong, luminous and long-lasting pop of shimmering color that won’t crease.”

Bone is a soft, paled whitish beige. It’s very light, but it is usable as a highlighter on light to medium skin tones. Very smooth and buttery for a matte. This is a matte eyeshadow.
Antique Gold is a coppered bronze with a gold shimmered sheen. This is nicely pigmented, though it could be a little more intense. This is a metallic eyeshadow.
Caviar is a medium-dark blue-based black. This is a matte eyeshadow.
Brandy is a warm bronze with subtle shimmer-glitter. This is a long-wear eye paint. This works decently even when used dry, but for full potential, use it wet.

Each of the eyeshadows is 0.04 oz. (full-sized are 0.08 oz. for $20.00; 0.10 oz. for $20.00 for metallic eyeshadow), while the Long-Wear Eye Paint is 0.03 oz. (not currently available on its lonesome; but for valuation purposes, we’ll assume 0.08 oz. for $20.00). In this palette, you receive $20.00 worth of regular Eyeshadow, $8 worth of Metallic Eyeshadow, and $7.50 worth of Long-Wear Eye Paint. This totals to $35.50 worth of product. You do also receive a double-ended brush in the palette, which is usable (and one of the better brushes included in palettes)– we’ll say it’s $7 worth–bringing us to $42.50. It’s not a value-packed palette, but I don’t think you’re losing out.

You can check out my full review of the Smoldering Palette, too!

Welcome to Swatch-all-idays! To start 2011 off on the right foot (or post, as it may be!), Temptalia is going through a backlog of products we have photographed, swatched, and often tested but in a slightly different manner. Quick reviews may be partially incomplete, such as a blush may only be swatched on the arm rather than shown on the face. It is our hope that what we are able to provide is still helpful!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 27/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: Quality wise, I’d say this is the best of the three palettes from this Bobbi Brown Collection–these shades are the most pigmented, smoothest, and easiest to work with. It is interesting to see such a cool-toned black paired with the warmer metallic shades, though. If you’re looking for a palette for a go-to brown smoky eye, this would definitely work.

WHERE TO BUY: Bobbi Brown

See more photos & swatches!

Bobbi Brown Sultry Eyeshadow Palette

Bone, Antique Gold, Caviar, Brandy (dry/wet)

Bone, Antique Gold, Caviar

Caviar, Brandy (dry/wet)

Bobbi Brown Smokey Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 17:00:28 +0000

Bobbi Brown Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

Quick Review: Bobbi Brown Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Palette ($45.00 for 0.15 oz.) includes three eyeshadows and one long-wear eye paint. It features: White (pure white), Tin (steel icy blue), Storm (dark grey), and Onyx (rich black). The packaging is sleek and compact, and I love that they have an actual brush applicator included, rather than sponge-tipped ones!

White is a pure, cool-toned white. This is a matte eyeshadow.
Tin is a semi-sheer, pale silvery gray with a purple cast. This is a metallic eyeshadow.
Storm is a charcoal gray. This is a matte eyeshadow. I know it looks a lil’ sheer in the swatches, but being a matte, you won’t find any trouble getting the pigmentation to pop on the lid.
Onyx is a dark black with a soft sheen and silver and green shimmer-glitter. This is a long-wear eye paint. It really needs to be used wet in order to get rich, opaque color. When used dry, it’s sheer and a soft black instead.

You can check out my full review of the Smoldering Palette, too!

Welcome to Swatch-all-idays! To start 2011 off on the right foot (or post, as it may be!), Temptalia is going through a backlog of products we have photographed, swatched, and often tested but in a slightly different manner. Quick reviews may be partially incomplete, such as a blush may only be swatched on the arm rather than shown on the face. It is our hope that what we are able to provide is still helpful!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 26/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

FINAL THOUGHTS: I don’t think this is a must-have palette; the shades are dupe-able enough that you may already have a great selection of smokey-eyed hues in your stash. I’m not impressed with the pigmentation of Tin, and White isn’t going to work as a highlighter for more skin tones (too stark!). It’s a decent palette, but with as many holiday palettes out there, I’d opt for something else. (By the by, products don’t lose points for being dupe-able.)

WHERE TO BUY: Bobbi Brown

See more photos & swatches!

Bobbi Brown Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

White, Tin, Storm, Onyx (dry/wet)

White, Tin, Storm

Storm, Onyx (dry/wet)

Bobbi Brown Modern Classic Lip & Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 11:00:55 +0000

Bobbi Brown Goes Modern for the Holidays

Bobbi Brown Modern Classic Lip & Eye Palette ($75.00) contains ten eyeshadows and four lip glosses all housed in a sleek palette for the holidays.

It includes: Ivory (creamy white), Oyster Grey (silvery beige), Antique Pink (muted rose), Quarry (steely grey with golden flecks), Taffeta (pale pink bronze), Birch (soft brown), Heather Rose (golden plum), Navy Charcoal (navy charcoal grey), Gold Thread (deep golden copper), and Espresso (dark chocolate brown) eyeshadows; along with Grape (deep plum), Pink Bouquet (bright pink), Golden Topaz (golden bronze), and Paisley Rose (warm pink rose) lip glosses.

Ivory is a creamy muted white–it’s not too stark, but it’s not what I’d describe as beige, either. I’ve mentioned it before, but this color is routinely in Bobbi Brown’s palettes. This is a matte eyeshadow. It is also part of the permanent range.
Oyster Grey is a pale, frosted champagne. This is a metallic eyeshadow.
Antique Pink is a sheer, pink champagne. I found the pigmentation on this shade to be underwhelming–it could use a boost. This is a shimmer wash eyeshadow.
Quarry is a cool-toned muted brown with a white shimmer-sheen. This is a shimmer wash eyeshadow.
Taffeta is a softened bronze with golden sheen. This is a metallic eyeshadow.
Birch is a muted medium-dark brown–it has very subtle red undertones. This is a matte eyeshadow. It is also part of the permanent range.
Heather Rose is a plummy rose with bronze shimmer. It is a touch sheer but only negligibly. This is a shimmer wash eyeshadow.
Navy Charcoal is a muted navy blue matte base with blue flecks of sparkle.
Gold Thread is a browned gold with a bright gold sheen. This is a metallic eyeshadow.
Espresso is a cool-toned, smoldering black-brown. This is a matte eyeshadow. It is also part of the permanent range.
Grape is a sheer plummy pink with plum and gold shimmer. This is a glitter lip gloss.
Pink Bouquet is a sheer medium rose pink. This is a glitter lip gloss.
Golden Topaz is a sheer beige nude with champagne shimmer. This is a glitter lip gloss.
Paisley Rose is a sheer peach-coral nude with faint champagne shimmer. This is a shimmer lip gloss.

Each regular eyeshadow is 0.02 oz.; metallic eyeshadow is 0.02 oz.; each shimmer wash eyeshadow is 0.02 oz.; shimmer lip gloss is 0.03 oz.; and glitter lip gloss is 0.03 oz. In sum, you are getting 0.08 oz. worth of regular eyeshadow ($20.00 value), 0.06 oz. of metallic eyeshadow ($12.00 value), and 0.06 oz. of shimmer wash eyeshadow ($15.00 value). For the gloss, you are getting 0.03 oz. worth of shimmer lip gloss ($4.30 value) and 0.09 oz. worth of glitter lip gloss ($12.86 value). There is also a lip brush and an eyeshadow brush, both functional and not too scratchy (nowhere near as soft as full-sized Bobbi Brown brushes, but they are decent), which I’d put at $10 of value. The palette contains $74.16 worth of product, but you do get 10 eyeshadows and 4 lip glosses (three lip glosses or three eyeshadows would run you right around ~$60 alone).

I really love that Bobbi Brown separates her eyeshadows and lip glosses; it’s not something we always see in palettes, but this brand often does it, and I can appreciate that. It’s just nice not having to worry about powder getting into your gloss products. I also like the inclusion of brushes over sponge-tipped applicators and wish more brands would do the same.

This is the kind of color palette I would expect from Bobbi Brown, and I think it does suit its name. If you’re after bright colors, this is obviously something quite different. However, this palette is excellent for creating work-safe looks as well as some heavier, smokier looks–but lighter, “safer” shades dominate and make it an easy palette for those needing work-friendly options on-the-go or all in one place. I did find that the pigmentation was a bit sheer in a few of the shades (indicated above), but overall, it’s a nice palette.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 26/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 5/5

RECOMMENDATION: At $75, I would want to make sure to purchase it (or gift it) to someone who would really enjoy and use the majority of the palette–not just for one or two shades, you know?

AVAILABILITY: Bobbi Brown

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Grape, Pink Bouquet, Golden Topaz, Paisley Rose Lip Glosses

Grape, Pink Bouquet Glitter Lip Glosses

Golden Topaz Glitter Lip Gloss, Paisley Rose Shimmer Lip Gloss

Grape, Pink Bouquet Glitter Lip Glosses

Row 1: Ivory, Oyster Grey, Antique Pink, Quarry, Taffeta;
Row 2: Birch, Heather Rose, Navy Charcoal, Gold Thread, Espresso

Row 1: Ivory, Oyster Grey, Antique Pink; Row 2: Birch, Heather Rose, Navy Charcoal

Row 1: Antique Pink< Quarry, Taffeta; Row 2: Navy Charcoal, Gold Thread, Espresso

Ivory, Oyster Grey, Antique Pink, Quarry, Taffeta

Birch, Heather Rose, Navy Charcoal, Gold Thread, Espresso

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:00:26 +0000

When Things Get Too Glamorous

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad ($40.00 for 0.40 oz.) looks prettier in promos than it does in real life, and it’s prettier in the pan than it is on the eyes. This palette requires some practice in addition to patience, because the glitter will get everywhere–you may even find some in your hair… or in your nose!

These work best with a tackier base, like a sticky cream eyeshadow that takes longer to dry down. You could also use this with something like MAC’s Water-Based Mixing Medium, which has a little tackiness to it. No matter what method you use, some tackiness in the method will allow the glitter to stay on better and minimize fall out. I’d also recommend applying your eye makeup first and then using a makeup remover wipe or tape (lightly!) to remove any excess glitter that’s fallen from your lids. Press, rather than sweep, the product against the lid to further reduce fall out.

All of these shades are sheer; if you want any sort of color pay off, your best bet is to use them wet (water, Fix+, mixing medium, etc.). The “purple” shade looks more like a semi-sheer taupe; the lightest beige is a white-beige with large chunks of glitter; the darker beige is a champagne; and the “black” shade is a soft charcoal that almost looks brown if it is used dry. There is a gold trim that surrounds each “pan” of eyeshadow, and it is hard to use alone, but it just looks like a sheer white gold sparkle.

I wasn’t sure how deep each color went through, since there is the surrounding gold trim, but after digging through the black pan of color, it seems to go quite deep. The palette contains: Pink Glitter Sparkle Eye Shadow, Smoky Sparkle Eye Shadow, Moonlight Sparkle Eye Shadow and Sandy Sparkle Eye Shadow–but honestly, I have no idea which shades are what. I imagine “Smoky” is the black shade. I’m not sure about the rest, and the palette doesn’t indicate any shade names on the back.

When I have to write a full paragraph on how to minimize fall out and make the product worth using, there is definitely something wrong! I was really impressed with fall’s Sparkle Eyeshadows, but I found these too sheer and dry–the ones from fall almost felt wet upon use and held together better when applied.

Sparkle Eyeshadows retail for $24/0.13 oz., while this palette of four Sparkle Eyeshadows retails for $40/0.40 oz. This translates to $184.62/oz. and $100.00/oz. respectively–which does mean you’re getting quite the steal in terms of quantity! Keep in mind that the rating system takes value into account, and the value aspect is particularly strong here, which bolsters the overall grade significantly.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 18/30
Value: 10/10
Ease of Use: 3/5
Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: If you don’t have patience or keen on glittery bits, I’d skip this palette.

AVAILABILITY: Bobbi Brown

See more photos & swatches!

“Purple” shade dry/wet

Lightest beige dry/wet

Darker beige dry/wet

Black shade wet/dry

Gold trim (right)

Bobbi Brown Day to Night Warm Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:02:15 +0000

Bobbi Brown Day to Night Warm Eyeshadow Palette

Bobbi Brown Day to Night Warm Eyeshadow Palette

Bobbi Brown Day to Night Warm Eyeshadow Palette ($45.00 for 0.30 oz.) contains six shades of eyeshadow designed to take you from day to night with shades on the warmer side of the color spectrum. Each eyeshadow has 0.05 oz. worth of product, so the palette’s total weight is 0.30 oz. of product. It does also include a short-handled eyeshadow brush with actual bristles–it’s surprisingly nice, workable, though I don’t think it’ll replace any full-size brushes you may own, but it is one of the better included brushes I have seen this holiday season.

This palette includes: Ivory (creamy white), Oat (soft mocha beige), Espresso (dark chocolate brown), Burnt Sugar (deep golden brown), Velvet Bronze (warm golden bronze), and Black Plum (deep black plum).

Ivory is a creamy, muted white with a very rich, smooth texture. It’s surprisingly pigmented–not chalky at all–and it’s not a stark, bright white, so it’s more wearable. It has a nearly matte finish. This is a permanent shade (and a popular shade that Bobbi Brown has used often in her palettes).
Oat is a light-medium brown with an extremely subtle sheen that barely glints even under flash photographer. It’s smooth, nicely pigmented, and would work well on both warmer and cooler skin tones. This shade reminded me of MAC’s Soft Brown.
Espresso is a darkened cool-toned charcoal brown with a touch of satin sheen. It has good color pay off and applies smoothly. Espresso is very reminiscent of MAC’s Brun or Showstopper eyeshadows, both cooler browns. This is a permanent shade.
Burnt Sugar is a golden-toned warm medium-brown with a glinting, metallic gilded gold sheen. It has a smooth texture with rich color pay off with a metallic finish. This is a permanent shade.
Velvet Bronze is a medium red-toned brown with a soft golden sheen. This was the least pigmented shade within the palette, but it was still nicely pigmented (just worth pointing out that it was a bit softer). It has a metallic finish. The color itself is similar to MAC’s Texture, but Velvet Bronze has a brighter sheen.
Black Plum is a smoldering, deep brown with flecks of bronze shimmer. It is a really nice, smooth textured brown, which leans a bit warm, but it is rather neutral overall. It has a shimmer wash finish. This is a permanent shade.

I think this palette is a good mix of neutrals that do tend on the warmer side, but the palette is closer to neutral-warm than one with very strong, warm under tones running through it. These shades are classic–they will serve one well when it comes to creating office-friendly looks or smoking those looks out for something a touch more dramatic in the evening. I am particularly pleased with the pigmentation level of the palette, as everything was nicely pigmented and five of the six were excellent in pigmentation. The texture is soft and smooth, with all of the shades applying evenly. I also appreciate that Bobbi Brown often mixes finishes within her palettes so that users can create a variety of textured looks.

Bobbi Brown’s Eyeshadows retail for $20.00 (for 0.08 oz.), Metallic Eyeshadows retail for $20.00 (for 0.10 oz.), and Shimmer Wash Eyeshadows retail for $20.00 (for 0.08 oz.). In this palette, you are receiving $37.50 worth of Eyeshadow, $20.00 worth of Metallic Eyeshadow, and $12.50 worth of Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow. This palette thus contains $70 worth of eyeshadows for $45. FINALLY! a true value-oriented palette for the holidays!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 29/30
Value: 10/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION:

AVAILABILITY: Bobbi Brown

See more photos & swatches!

Bobbi Brown Day to Night Warm Eyeshadow Palette

Bobbi Brown Crystal Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:00:01 +0000

Bobbi Brown Crystal Eye Palette

Bobbi Brown Holiday: Crystal Eye Palette

Bobbi Brown Crystal Eye Palette ($45.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a newly released, limited edition holiday palette featuring four shades of eyeshadow: Amethyst (deep violet), Diamond (light purple silver), Star (white silver), and Peacock (aqua green).

Amethyst is a deep reddened violet with soft sheen. It has a metallic finish. It had an incredibly soft, smooth texture, and it applied very opaquely.
Diamond is a purple-tinged silvery white with a frosted shimmer sheen. It has a shimmer wash finish. Like Amethyst, it was very smooth and packed a good amount of pigment.
Star is a semi-sheer silvery white–it is more white than silver. It has a sparkle finish. Though it has a glittery finish, it is still quite smooth, and I didn’t experience any fall out.
Peacock is a pop of aqua-green teal with flashes of green-gold shimmer-sheen. It has a metallic finish. It was pretty smooth, but a touch powdery. The pigmentation level was good but not as nice as Amethyst.

When it comes to value, it’s a wash–you get almost what you would expect based on a price/ounce comparison against full-sized, individual shades, but you do get to have four different shades for the price of about two individual shades. Bobbi Brown’s Metallic Eyeshadows go for $20.00 for 0.10 oz., Sparkle Eyeshadows for $24.00 for 0.13 oz., and Shimmer Wash Eyeshadows for $20.00 for 0.08 oz. This palette contains 0.20 oz. in total, but it’s not broken down per shade, so we’ll just assume it’s 0.05 oz. each. You’re getting $20.00 worth of Metallic Eyeshadows, $9.23 worth of Sparkle Eyeshadow, and $12.50 worth of Shimmer Wash Eyeshadow, for a total of $41.73–plus a miniaturized bristle-based brush.

I’m much more impressed by this palette than I was the Beauty Rules Palette. The consistency of these eyeshadows is soft, smooth, and almost buttery with good pigmentation in nearly all four. I also think these work together to create wintry cool-toned looks. I would also like to give props to Bobbi Brown for including a real eyeshadow brush that’s usable!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 28/30
Value: 8/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: I think it’s definitely a worthy item for your holiday wish list — especially if you like the texture and quality of Bobbi Brown’s eyeshadows but have always wanted a little more zip in the color department.

AVAILABILITY: Bobbi Brown

See more photos & swatches!

Bobbi Brown Crystal Eye Palette

Bobbi Brown Crystal Eye Palette: Amethyst, Diamond, Star, Peacock

Bobbi Brown Crystal Eye Palette: Amethyst, Diamond

Bobbi Brown Crystal Eye Palette: Star, Peacock