Archived Post

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Glamour Quad Review, Photos, Swatches

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad

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

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad
“Purple” shade dry/wet

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad
Lightest beige dry/wet

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad
Darker beige dry/wet

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad
Black shade wet/dry

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow Quad
Gold trim (right)

27 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Evelyn Avatar

ugh! I saw this one in store and thought something had happened to the display (i.e., too many oily fingers) to make these swatch so sheerly. Now I see it’s just not a great product. So disappointing from this line…

Nicole Avatar

I really wanted this to be an amazing product. I would have loved sparkle eyeshadows in those shades, if the quality was there! Oh well, it saves me some money!

Rae Avatar

Aww, but it looks SO cute in the pan! 🙁 Thanks for the review, Christine — you just saved me $40 (which is probably headed towards Clarins Barocco, if I break my no-buy this season)!

Suzanna Avatar

I have been less and less impressed with Bobbi Brown in the past couple of years. The muddy tones to some of the lipsticks, the splaying gloss blushes, the lack of wear–this brand is barely on my radar now.

These shadows sound like another loser, and the market is far too competitive for such a poor product.

Kat Avatar

Aww that sucks 🙁
It’s such a pretty looking palette, and the colours look so promising in the pan!
But you saved me some money, so I should be happy right? Well my wallet at least is happy…lol 🙂

Stacy Avatar

I actually saw a lady at the YSL counter wearing this in Nordstroms and it looked amazing (she was standing directly under lights). It looked like a light wash of brown color with one of MAC’s reflect glitters on top. I was so impressed with the look of it (I’m obsessed with anythign glitter) that I asked what it was and she showed me the pallete. I remember seeing this review and had to come back to check exactly why you rated it C-. I don’t have any previous experience with Bobbi Brown shadows, but I actually considered buying it. I’ll probably hold off though considering I can acieve the same look with my MAC products, but I was just surprised with the low rating after seeing myself.

Maja Avatar

I just got this the other day. I used it dry on my eyes today. The lightest shade barely shows up…The glitter in it does, though. Anyhow, I did a look using all four colours and LOVE it. Dry, the colours are really subtle, yet pretty. I’ll find out tonight how they fare with flash photography. I’m hoping the sparkle will bring my eyes out. I, personally, love this quad. I wasn’t sure at first, but now that my look is finished, I’m in love!

chris Avatar

I have one of this. I use MAC greasepaints stick as base and then apply eye shadow from this quad, using finger. I don’t have too much problem with excess glitter fallen everywhere.So far, I am actually liking it.
I do find their products affordable but a bit pricey though.
I like the wet look you created as well, will try that as well. Thanks

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!